Fariba Donovan

As both a research scientist and practicing infectious disease clinician I remain keenly aware of the importance of the practical application of basic research, to the broader problems we face treating patients with both invasive and opportunistic fungal infections. Over the last five years, while seeing patients in the Valley fever clinic as well as in our hospital along with an exponential increase in the use of biological response modifiers in patients with autoimmune disorders I have seen the need for more study and a better understanding of the risk and benefits of these medications in a Coccidioidomycosis endemic region. My background is well suited for this task. Post medical residency training in my native Iran, I was able to obtain a Ph.D. at Gifu University in Japan. My research focused on candida albicans and its interaction with the human host. I developed specific expertise in protein purification, molecular biology, and gene manipulation techniques to further identify C. albicans virulence factors. During my post-doctoral work in the US, I started my research on Coccidioides species, and I was able to specifically purify the urease protein, construct a urease knockout strain, and demonstrate lesser virulence in the animal model. The knockout strain showed promise as a potential vaccine candidate, and this work remains an active area of Valley fever research. After moving to Cincinnati, I was able to broaden my research to the genetic manipulation of histoplasma capsulatum and the immune interaction in the animal model. In retrospect, my completion of an internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship was a natural extension of my desire to put into practice my research interest and findings. In 2017 I was recruited to the University of Arizona at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, which has allowed me to continue my Valley fever research and improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Valley fever. My initial project focused on Coccidioidomycosis diagnostic delays with an emphasis to reduce both unnecessary testing, and treatments and thereby reduce morbidity and mortality. Additional benefits included improving antibiotic stewardship, developing population management programs, and serving as a model to address other opportunistic infections. My emphasis on early events in Coccidioidomycosis allowed me to focus on identifying clinical cues that lead to earlier diagnosis of Valley fever and to assess the impact of clinical practice training on the diagnosis and management of this disease. I completed a prospective study at the Banner University Medical Center to evaluate a rapid lateral flow assay for rapid diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis and the results have been published. Additionally, I am developing plans to study the host’s innate immune response to Coccidioides with a focus on the early events in coccidioidomycosis. I have recently completed a retrospective study and quantified the risk biological response modifiers (BRMs) play in patients with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, or psoriasis. Our ability in the former study to prospectively enroll a large cohort of patients makes us confident that we can contribute to the success of our ongoing projects, which ultimately will allow us to develop a highly sensitive, rapid, portable, and user-friendly detection device for early diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis.