College of Medicine – Tucson, Division of Infectious Diseases
When
Where
College of Medicine - Tucson, Room 8403 (Chase Bank Auditorium)
1501 N. Campbell Ave.
Tucson, AZ 85724
or
Join Virtually
Password: 888639
EVENT DESCRIPTION
This event is sponsored by the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson. It is open to the public, particularly community physicians and other interested health-care professionals.
Presenter Details
Fariba Donovan, MD, PhD, FIDSA, CACP
Dr. Donovan is a practicing physician and research scientist with extensive expertise in infectious diseases and medical mycology. Following the completion of her residency training in Iran, she pursued graduate studies in Japan, earning her doctorate with a research focus on Candida albicans. During this time, she developed advanced expertise in protein purification, molecular biology and gene manipulation techniques with research centered on fungal virulence factors and host-pathogen interactions.
Dr. Donovan later completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical College of Ohio, where she shifted her research focus to Coccidioides immitis, the causative agent of Coccidioidomycosis. Her work led to the identification and purification of urease protein and the development of a urease knockout strain that demonstrated reduced virulence in animal models, contributing promising insights toward vaccine development. She subsequently continued her research at the University of Cincinnati, studying the genetic manipulation of Histoplasma capsulatum and fungal-host interactions.
In 2004, Dr. Donovan began residency training in internal medicine and later completed a fellowship in infectious diseases with a focus on tropical medicine. Her combined experience as both a clinician and scientist has provided her with a unique perspective on the complexities of opportunistic fungal infections, particularly in severely neutropenic patients and individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
At the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, Dr. Donovan’s work focuses on improving the early diagnosis of Valley fever in order to reduce unnecessary testing and treatments; improve antibiotic stewardship; decrease morbidity and mortality; and support the development of broader population health strategies for opportunistic infections.