Suzanne M. Michalek is Professor of the Department of Microbiology. Following her initial training in genetics (B.S., 1967; M.S., 1968), she initiated studies in immunology at the University of Chicago with emphasis on the mucosal immune system. Her studies at UAB (Ph.D., 1976) on the induction of salivary IgA antibody responses protective against Streptococcus mutans-induced dental caries provided evidence for the existence of a common mucosal immune system and for the development of a human oral vaccine against dental caries. Following postdoctoral studies at NIH on the effects of bacterial LPS on the host's immune system, she joined the Mucosal Immunology Group at UAB (1979).
