The Laboratory of
HIV Immunopathogenesis
and Emerging Pathogens

During his undergrad Thomas worked as a STEM researcher and laboratory manager in Dr. John Berestecky’s laboratory at the University of Hawaii and was able to demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills by guiding undergraduate peers in research, working as an essential member of the monoclonal antibody service facility and training center, and oversaw various projects that facilitated a refinement in skills in immunology, including PAGE/Western Blot, immunoprecipitation, chromatography/protein purification, hybridoma production, bacterial growth-curve analysis, phage display, immunophenotyping and measuring receptor internalization and occupancy via flow cytometry, cytokine profile analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and using murine models to evaluate drug treatment efficacy and innate and adaptive immune responses. Thomas also served as a teacher's assistant during his undergrad for Microbiology, Immunology, and Tissue Culture courses, that required preparing and presenting lectures as well as designing and integrating new experimental methodologies into the classroom.

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As a graduate student in the Department of Tropical Medicine University of Hawaii, Thomas conducted translational HIV research with my his mentor Dr. Lishomwa Ndhlovu, with an overall research pursuit to elucidate immunological mechanisms that drive viral persistence and chronic inflammation in people living with HIV on stable antiretroviral therapy. During his graduate carreer Thomas published two first-author and eight co-author publications among diverse fields including: 1) biomarkers for diagnosis and prediction of co-morbidity and mortality in HIV infection, 2) HIV latency and viral reactivation, and 3) efficacy of immunotherapeutics in cancer murine models. He was awarded a R25 grant (MH080661) as a co-principal investigator (with fellow graduate student Brooks Mitchell) investigating relationships between immune checkpoint receptors and HIV-associated cognitive impairment. Thomas spearheaded multiple collaborative studies with the Military HIV Research Program, The Wistar Institute, UCSF Memory and Aging Center, Vitalant Research Institute, and Harvard University Center of Virology. During this time Thomas also taught Microbiology (Fall 2019) and Molecular Biology (Spring 2019) courses, with emphasis on recombinant DNA techniques and microbial gene expression. He also mentored four undergraduate students: one accepted to the 2018 National Institutes of Health Community College Summer Enrichment Program; two working under the IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence program (Fall 2017/Spring 2018 and Fall 2019, respectively); and lastly another that completed a directed research course (MICR499) and an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program funded proposal (Spring 2018) under his mentorship.

Research Interest: Non-AIDS-defining events, HIV-associated co-morbidities, biomarker analysis, NeuroHIV, Immunotherapeutics, glycobiology, immunopathology

Awards/Accolades:

• Co-principal investigator: R25 grant (MH080661) - Investigating relationships between immune checkpoint receptors and HIV-associated cognitive impairment
   

Teaching Experience:

• Molecular Biology (MICR140 – Spring 2019; University of Hawaii)

• Microbiology (MICR230 – Fall 2019; University of Hawaii)

Fun Fact: Before entering the science field, Thomas acquired a degree in Culinary Arts and worked in the restaurant business for 10+ years as a cook/sous chef. Currently, when Thomas is not working he allocates most free time to his two children.

Hometown: Honolulu, HI

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BBA, Business Management – Shidler College of Business (2016)

Ph.D., Infectious Disease (Tropical Medicine) – University of Hawaii (2020)