2025 Keynote Speakers
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Dr. Keke Fairfax
Dr. Keke Fairfax received her PhD from Yale in Microbial Pathogenesis in 2009. Her dissertation work focused on identifying novel fatty acid binding proteins in the human hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum. She completed her post-doctoral training in Schistosoma mansoni immuno-parasitology with Edward Pearce and Gwendalyn Randolph in 2014. Dr. Fairfax began her independent laboratory at Purdue University in 2014 and moved to the University of Utah in 2018. She has received numerous awards for both her research and her work advancing a scientific culture that allows underrepresented individuals to thrive in academia. The Fairfax laboratory at the University of Utah broadly focuses on using the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni as a tool to understand the role of pathogens in shaping mammalian immunity and the complex interplay between lymphoid and stromal cells necessary to develop an optimal T and B cell memory response. Under this umbrella the lab has three main projects: 1) Understanding the immunological implications of maternal infections; 2) Dissecting the role of IL-4 in shaping the cellular environment of peripheral lymph nodes during homeostasis and antigenic challenge; 3) Delineating the genetic and molecular mechanisms that underlie metabolically protective schistosome induced innate immune training.
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Dr. Boris Striepen
Dr. Boris Striepen grew up in the harbor neighborhood of Ruhrort, at the confluence of the rivers Ruhr and Rhein, an industrial area of Germany, then dominated by coal and steel. He studied biology at the universities of Bonn and Marburg, and conducted undergrad research on liver flukes in Bonn, and trypanosomes in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Boris earned a PhD for work on parasite biochemistry with Ralph Schwarz, was a postdoc with David Roos, studying parasite cell biology, and started his own laboratory at the University of Georgia in 2000. In 2017 he moved to the University of Pennsylvania. Boris studies the cell and molecular biology of apicomplexan parasites. His current research focus is the parasite Cryptosporidium, a leading global cause of severe diarrhea and mortality in young children. His lab pioneered molecular genetics and mouse models for this important infection and leads a range of interdisciplinary efforts to understand fundamental parasite biology, and to advance translation towards drugs and vaccines. Boris is also engaged in education and training. He taught undergraduate and graduate classes, directed NIH training grant programs in parasitology, served as lecturer, faculty, and director of the Biology of Parasitism summer research course at the MBL for many years, and hosts the online Global Parasitology Seminar Series. Boris is married to a social worker with remarkable patience for scientists, and has three adult children, two are research scientists – all are awesome.
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2025 legacy talk
Dr. Roger Prichard joined McGill University in 1984 as a full Professor and Director of the Institute of Parasitology. Over the years, he held numerous leadership roles, including Dean of Graduate Studies and Vice-Principal (Research), overseeing significant expansions in McGill's research initiatives and graduate programs. Prof. Prichard’s contributions to research and mentorship are unparalleled. He is the most cited researcher globally on the drug ivermectin, and his efforts led to the creation of Canada’s first MS. Applied in Biotechnology. He mentored over 70 graduate and postdoctoral trainees, leaving an enduring impact on the next generation of scientists. Beyond academia, his vision helped secure funding for the modernization of the Institute’s facilities in the 1980s, solidifying its reputation as a world-class research hub. His accolades include being named James McGill Professor in 2003 and Distinguished James McGill Professor in 2024. His leadership and contributions will continue to inspire parasitologists for many years to come.