Mucosal Immunology, Microbiome, HIV, Clinical Research, Emerging Infectious Diseases

Research Overview

The Kwon Lab studies the roles of both the gut and the female genital tract in HIV acquisition and disease progression. We are involved in several long-term patient cohort studies, including Females Rising Through Education, Support, and Health (FRESH.) We work closely with research collaborators in South Africa, such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal HIV Pathogenesis Programme and the Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa.

The Kwon Lab employs novel technologies to further the understanding of mucosal immune responses in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) and the female genital tract. We work to determine the viral dynamics in mucosal and peripheral compartments in chronic HIV infection. We characterize the mechanism by which HIV impairs mucosal lung responses against Tuberculosis, and also the effects of the microbiome on mucosal immune responses in controlled versus chronic HIV infection.

Recognition and Media

Dr. Kwon received the 2017 NIAID Top Women’s Health Science Advances and 2018 Nominee Trailblazer Prize for Clinician-Scientists, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Kwon has been a member of the American Medical Association since 2004, a member of the Infectious Disease Society of America and the Massachusetts Infectious Disease Society since 2006, a member of the Massachusetts Infectious Disease Society since 2006, a member of the American Association of Immunologists since 2011, and is a 2020 Inductee to the American Society for Clinical Investigation.

About

Dr. Kwon received his undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Harvard University and his MD and Ph.D from New York University, where he studied with Dan Littman. He then trained in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and New York Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He completed his training in the combined fellowship program in infectious disease at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Doug is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, Associate Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Scientific Co-Founder at Day Zero Diagnostics.