About Immunobiology at Yale

Department faculty are internationally recognized leaders in basic, translational, and computational immunology. Departmental research has established paradigms in immune system organization and mechanisms, including the discovery of the innate immune system, and has revealed new principles underlying human disease and immune disorders, particularly in autoimmunity, inflammation, and cancer.

The majority of immunobiology faculty work in The Anlyan Center (TAC) and many of the other laboratories are located nearby, particularly in the Amistad and 300 George Street buildings. The department is currently led by David Schatz, who has been chairperson since 2016, and vice-chairs Akiko Iwasaki, Jordan Pober, and Paula Kavathas.

The Department of Immunobiology consists of 19 primary faculty and 11 secondary faculty members. The department retains strong support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute with three HHMI-funded investigators, and occupies The Anlyan Center (TAC) with many of its primary and secondary faculty located in contiguous laboratories on the 5th and 6th floors. Additional faculty are located in adjacent and nearby buildings. The Department of Immunobiology is tightly integrated with other departments and programs working on arthritis and autoimmunity, asthma and lung diseases, diabetes and bone diseases, infectious diseases and vascular biology, the microbiome and cancer. A style of highly collaborative and interactive research and training, established during the tenure of Dr. Gershon and fostered by Charlie Janeway Jr., remains the central culture of the department.

The Department of Immunobiology was established in the summer of 1988 with the appointment of Dr. Richard A. Flavell as its founding Chairperson. It was one of the first University Departments in the country devoted specifically to the study of the immune system. Prior to Dr. Flavell's arrival, Immunology research at Yale was housed within the Department of Microbiology, and subsequently in the Department of Pathology, where it was organized as the Division of Immunology headed by the late Dr. Richard K. Gershon. Dr. Gershon, whose research focused on regulation of the immune response, developed a sizable division within the Department of Pathology between 1977 and 1983. A key component in this growth was the establishment of a formal program of training in immunology at the pre- and post-doctoral levels, which continues to this day. A second important stimulus was the strong support received by several members of the Section from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. At the time of Dr. Gershon's untimely death, a committee was appointed that recommended the establishment of an autonomous Department of Immunobiology. This was in large part due to the efforts of the late Charles A. Janeway Jr., who played an instrumental role in the establishment of the Department of Immunobiology.

In 2006, the department created the Section of Human and Translational Immunology (HTI), whose mission is to apply discoveries in immunology to the study of the human immune system and treatment of human disease. HTI is the core of a university-wide Program in Human and Translational Immunology that connects faculty and trainees from more than a dozen departments, and nucleates collaborative work in human immunology and disease among basic, translational, and clinical scientists. HTI conducts its own annual retreat and oversees a seminar series featuring presentations on many aspects of human immunology.

Richard Flavell served as chairperson of the Department for nearly 28 years, stepping down in 2016. Under his guidance, the Department expanded tremendously, contributed innumerable important advances in immunology and biology, established an exceptionally interactive and friendly research environment, and developed a reputation as one of the premiere centers for immunology research and training in the world. Dr. David Schatz has been chairperson since 2016.