Houston Methodist Division of Infectious Disease

Our experts also serve on national panels for NIH grant review and are part of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), which provides many of the standards and guidelines for infectious disease testing and laboratory practices. The division is also home to the largest interinstitutional NIH-funded T32 program in the country, which is focused on training the next generation of physician-scientists and researchers in antimicrobial resistance. 

In pursuit of innovations to improve clinical practice, our investigators conduct groundbreaking NIH-funded basic, translational and clinical research.  Our discovery areas include molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance, molecular and genomic epidemiology of resistant pathogens, infectious diseases pathogenesis, microbiome science, fungal diseases, human genetics of susceptibility to infectious agents, vaccine development and the prevention of hospital-acquired infections, among others. 

Houston Methodist has been endorsed as a Center of Excellence for Antimicrobial Stewardship by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. 

As a collaborative group of clinicians and physician-scientists, we take on the most complicated patient cases. Working as a team in both clinical and research settings, we solve complex patient challenges that serve as the platform for cutting-edge educational programs, fostering critical thinking of the next wave of infectious disease specialists in the greater medical community. 

Our faculty and researchers are proud to work alongside internationally recognized specialists. Our disease experts have published hundreds of peer-reviewed articles, books and chapters, and have been recognized by such esteemed organizations as the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) and The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), among others. 

Division Director Cesar A. Arias, MD, MSc, PhD, was one of the first recipients of the NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award. He has chaired the Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC) on Antimicrobial Resistance. He also served as Editor in Chief of Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, among many other achievements. 

Cesar Arias, MD, was invited to deliver the Maxwell Finland Lecture at the 2025 IDWeek, one of the most prestigious lectures in our field recognizing outstanding contributions in bacterial pathogenesis, antimicrobial agents, emerging infections and hospital-acquired infections. Cesar Arias, MD, was also the recipient of the inaugural George L. Drusano Collaborative Excellence Award from the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists (SIDP). This is awarded to a non-pharmacist who has made a significant impact on the profession, helped develop future infectious diseases pharmacists and advanced antimicrobial stewardship. 

Our division promotes collaboration, as well as a synergistic mindset, to expand constant growth and learning. We understand that team support and knowledge sharing is the best way to solve the medical challenges of the future. 

Our Faculty ➝   Our Physicians ➝ 

Houston Methodist and the Texas Medical Center — the largest cluster of healthcare institutions in the world — are home to a robust community of interdisciplinary researchers on the front lines of infectious disease research. With a strong NIH grant portfolio that encompasses basic, translational and clinical science, we are the home of a growing and robust community of researchers working on infectious diseases contributing to combatting the tremendous toll infectious diseases take on human health. 

Our research includes the study of these areas and more: 

• antimicrobial resistance
• genomics and bioinformatics in infectious diseases
• nanotechnology for infectious diseases
• artificial intelligence in infectious diseases 
• microbiome science in immuno-compromised and critically ill patients 
• vancomycin-resistant enterococci and S. aureus bacteremia
• infections in cardiac devices 

We are at the cutting-edge of the use of artificial intelligence, leveraging medical records alongside diagnostic and predictive models to solve problems and mitigate potential or imminent threats to diverse populations. 

Houston Methodist offers two Weill Cornell PhD programs in Neurosciences and in Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology. These programs and partnership offer deep engagement in translational predoctoral research, working on projects with academic medical teams including scientists at the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) and physician scientists practicing at Houston Methodist. Our physicians have main academic appointments in the Department of Medicine and Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine.  

Houston Methodist is part of the Gulf Coast Consortia (GCC) that includes Baylor College of Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Rice University, Texas A&M, University of Houston, UTHealth and UTMB. The Center for Infectious Diseases team also collaborates with faculty at Houston Methodist, including the Center for Health Data Science and Analytics and the Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics. 

We conduct our research in state-of-the-art facilities using genome-wide analysis methods and high-throughput technologies. Our facilities include state of the art genomic sequencing technologies, a biosafety level 3 laboratory, confocal microscopes and gene expression microarray biochip stations, among others. HMRI and Texas Medical Center (TMC) research facilities are world-class and available to all members of the division. 

Relevant laboratories include: 

• Laboratory for Antimicrobial Research (PI: Cesar Arias, MD, MSc, PhD) – Projects span from basic molecular mechanisms of resistance, including microbial biochemistry, genomics and microbiome science, to clinical trials conducted within the Division of Infectious Disease. 
• Laboratory for Molecular and Translational Human Infectious Diseases Research (PI: James Musser, MD, PhD) – Areas of interest include molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, human genetics of susceptibility to infectious agents, vaccinology, and a diverse range of pathogens and the diseases they cause, including group A Streptococcus, group B Streptococcus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Staphylococcus aureus. 
• Laboratory of Antibody Discovery & Accelerated Protein Therapeutics (ADAPT Lab) (PI: Jimmy Gollihar, PhD) – Work in the ADAPT lab encompasses a broad range of engineering biology, from the design of simple genetic parts and circuits to protein engineering and industrial biomanufacturing. Current projects include genomic surveillance and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 and engineering of enzymes intended for mRNA vaccine manufacturing. 
• Laboratory for immunology and microbiome (PI: Stacey Burguess, PhD) – The Burgess lab is interested in the impact of local changes in the bacterial microbiota on the systemic immune response. We explore the fundamental process of hematopoiesis, which gives rise to immune cells, and host and pathogen factors that may impact the severity of mucosal infection and inflammatory disease. A current area of interest for the laboratory is understanding the contribution of microbiota to innate immune development and efficacy. 
• Laboratory for tuberculosis epidemiology and diagnosis (PI: Edward Graviss, PhD, MPH) – The Graviss lab uses epidemiology, biostatistics, molecular diagnostics and population-based surveillance to study a variety of infectious agents, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recent studies from the lab evaluated the new Interferon Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) in the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection and the development and evaluation of point-of-care diagnostic assays for tuberculosis disease. 
• Laboratory of immunology and vaccine response (PI: Chinnaswamy Jagannath, PhD) – The Jagannath laboratory has over three decades of experience analyzing the immunological mechanisms underlying vaccines and adjuvants for tuberculosis (TB) and, more recently, HIV infection. We use advanced genetics and immunological engineering to develop next-generation bacterial, subunit, replication-deficient viral and mRNA vaccines designed to protect against TB, HIV and their coinfections. To understand how more effective vaccines and adjuvants can be developed, we use cutting-edge techniques such as RNAseq, single-cell RNAseq, single-cell proteomics (MILO), spatial transcriptomics and single-cell metabolomics (Isoplexis), combined with functional assays. A major focus of the Jagannath laboratory is strengthening the immune system of vulnerable populations — including infants and individuals with immunodeficiency — through targeted vaccination strategies. In collaboration with pulmonary physicians at Houston Methodist, we are also investigating ways to analyze and strengthen alveolar macrophage-based immune defenses in the human lung to prevent infections. 

We provide innovative and unparalleled educational programs. Our ability to start and retain unique fellowships makes us a pioneer in this realm. We offer mentored research training with research opportunities, training grants and scholarships with robust NIH funding for the division. 

The Infectious Disease Fellowship at Houston Methodist trains the next generation of infectious disease clinicians and clinician-scientists. We have developed a robust curriculum for trainees that includes world-class clinical experiences, innovative didactics and diverse research experiences. This fellowship offers three tracks — Clinical Investigator and Research, Oncology and Transplant (in partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center) and Critical Care-Infectious Diseases. 

Our program has established rotation partnerships with several prestigious institutions. Fellows have opportunities to rotate at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the largest cancer hospital in the country, as well as at Legacy Clinic, a leading center for HIV care in Houston. These rotations enhance the exposure to diverse patient populations and specialized infectious diseases. 

Our team offers a variety of educational conferences held weekly, biweekly and monthly. These include the journal club, core curriculum, case conference, ID grand rounds, Houston citywide conferences and more. We also host a YouTube channel created for trainees. 

In addition, we support our local community with outreach in HIV care and community education. High school and college students regularly attend our summer conference program and spend time observing in our labs. 

We recognize the importance of global perspectives in infectious diseases by offering opportunities for international electives in tropical and subtropical infectious diseases in South America and Asia.