Stephen T. Yeung, PhD

Stephen graduated from the University of California Irvine in 2013 with a BA in Public Health Policy: Healthcare Management and Policy and New York University in 2018 with a MS in Pathology and in 2020 with a M.Phil in Pathology and Ph.D. in Basic Medical Sciences: Immunology and Inflammation. During his undergrad, Stephen was in Dr. Frank M. LaFerla Lab studying the role of brain injury on adult neurogenesis. Stephen also worked in the Public Health field investigating preventive measures for headaches and alcohol use and dependence among undergraduate students. Prior to beginning his PhD, Stephen continued his research in Dr. Frank M. LaFerla Lab and Dr. Mathew Blurton-Jones Lab studying the therapeutic potential of human neural stem cells as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, the effects of repeated cognitive training on Alzheimer’s pathology, and the role of the adaptive immune system on Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. At UCHC, his doctoral studies focused on understanding the role of a subset of intestinal macrophages during Shiga toxin Citrobacter rodentium infection and the ontogeny, maintenance, and function of non-lymphoid tissue resident macrophages. Upon transferring to NYU, his research shifted towards understanding the role of tissue resident macrophage subsets in regulating host defense against microbes. Stephen's Ph.D. work investigated the role of tissue resident macrophages in regulating systemic inflammatory diseases (septic shock and Staph aureus/Listeria infections). Upon graduation, Stephen was recruited to remain as an Associate Research Scientist in the lab, with his research focus on host defense against infections (SARS-CoV-2, mTB, Staph aureus, Listeria, Influenza). Upon joining the Ndhlovu Lab, Stephen's interest remains in understand the in situ dysregulation of immune and non-immune cells during infections.
Research Interest: Neurobiology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Neurobiology of Disease, Patient Outcome, Public Health, Public Policy, Innate Immunology, Macrophages, Innate Immune Receptors, Host-Pathogen Interaction, HIV, Infectious Disease, NeuroHIV, Microscopy, Dynamic Microscopy, Biomedical Engineering, Transgenic systems
Awards/Accolades:
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Recipient, T32, Immunology and Inflammation Training Grant (Sept 2018 – Aug 2020)
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Program in Immunology and Inflammation
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Mentor: Kamal M. Khanna, Ph.D.
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Recipient, Jan Vilcek/David Goldfrab Fellowship Endowment Funds (Dec 2017-Dec 2018)
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Department of Microbiology
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Mentor: Kamal M. Khanna, Ph.D.
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Recipient, Summer Undergraduate Research Program Fellowship (2012)
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Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
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Mentor: Frank M. LaFerla, Ph.D
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Recipient, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Fellowship (2012-2013)
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Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
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Mentor: Frank M. LaFerla, Ph.D
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Recipient, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Fellowship (2011-2013)
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Department of Public Health
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Mentor: David S. Timberlake, PhD. And Zuzana Bic, MD
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Mentor, Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program Fellowship (2013-2015)
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Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
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Recipient, Alzheimer’s Association Young Scientist Award (2013)
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Department of Neurobiology and Behavior
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Mentor: Frank M. LaFerla, Ph.D.
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Fun Fact: When Stephen is not in lab, he spends his time advocating for the LGBTQ community, aiding in community development, and spending time wandering aimlessly in Manhattan.
Hometown: Baldwin Park, CA
B.A. Public Health Policy: Healthcare Management and Policy, Minor: Biomedical Engineering - University of California, Irvine - 2013
M.S. Pathology - New York University - 2018
M.Phil Pathology - New York University - 2020
Ph.D. Basic Medical Science (Immunology and Inflammation) - New York University - 2020 (Advisor: Kamal M. Khanna)
Publications
Sulaiman I, Chung M, Angel L, Tsay JJ, Wu BG, Yeung ST, Krolikowski K, Li Y, Duerr R, Schluger R, Thannickal SA, Koide A, Rafeq S, Barnett C, Postelnicu R, Wang C, Banakis S, Pérez-Pérez L, Shen G, Jour G, Meyn P, Carpenito J, Liu X, Ji K, Collazo D, Labarbiera A, Amoroso N, Brosnahan S, Mukherjee V, Kaufman D, Bakker J, Lubinsky A, Pradhan D, Sterman DH, Weiden M, Heguy A, Evans L, Uyeki TM, Clemente JC, de Wit E, Schmidt AM, Shopsin B, Desvignes L, Wang C, Li H, Zhang B, Forst CV, Koide S, Stapleford KA, Khanna KM, Ghedin E, Segal LN. Microbial signatures in the lower airways of mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients associated with poor clinical outcome. Nat Microbiol. 2021 Aug 31. doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-00961-5. Online ahead of print.PMID: 34465900
Damani-Yokota P, Yeung ST, Khanna KM. Beyond neutralization for BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination. Cell Host Microbe. 2021 Jul 14;29(7):1033-1035. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.06.013.PMID: 34265240
Lu Q, Liu J, Zhao S, Gomez Castro MF, Laurent-Rolle M, Dong J, Ran X, Damani-Yokota P, Tang H, Karakousi T, Son J, Kaczmarek ME, Zhang Z, Yeung ST, McCune BT, Chen RE, Tang F, Ren X, Chen X, Hsu JCC, Teplova M, Huang B, Deng H, Long Z, Mudianto T, Jin S, Lin P, Du J, Zang R, Su TT, Herrera A, Zhou M, Yan R, Cui J, Zhu J, Zhou Q, Wang T, Ma J, Koralov SB, Zhang Z, Aifantis I, Segal LN, Diamond MS, Khanna KM, Stapleford KA, Cresswell P, Liu Y, Ding S, Xie Q, Wang J. SARS-CoV-2 exacerbates proinflammatory responses in myeloid cells through C-type lectin receptors and Tweety family member 2. Immunity. 2021 Jun 8;54(6):1304-1319.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2021.05.006. Epub 2021 May 9.PMID: 34048708
Plassmeyer M, Alpan O, Corley MJ, Premeaux TA, Lillard K, Coatney P, Vaziri T, Michalsky S, Pang APS, Bukhari Z, Yeung ST, Evering TH, Naughton G, Latterich M, Mudd P, Spada A, Rindone N, Loizou D, Ulrik Sønder S, Ndhlovu LC, Gupta R. Caspases and therapeutic potential of caspase inhibitors in moderate-severe SARS CoV2 infection and long COVID. Allergy. 2021 May 15:10.1111/all.14907. doi: 10.1111/all.14907. Online ahead of print.PMID: 33993490
Barbet G, Nair-Gupta P, Schotsaert M, Yeung ST, Moretti J, Seyffer F, Metreveli G, Gardner T, Choi A, Tortorella D, Tampé R, Khanna KM, García-Sastre A, Blander JM. TAP dysfunction in dendritic cells enables noncanonical cross-presentation for T cell priming. Nat Immunol. 2021 Apr;22(4):497-509. doi: 10.1038/s41590-021-00903-7. Epub 2021 Mar 31.PMID: 33790474