Affiliation: University of Mississippi Medical Center, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Dr. Mary E. Marquart is an Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi USA. She is an academic bacteriologist with research interests in bacterial keratitis and endophthalmitis. Her recent research projects have included investigation of pneumococcal fitness in the vitreous humor and characterization of viridans group streptococci as etiologic agents of endophthalmitis. Dr. Marquart earned her PhD in Biology at Saint Louis University, researching the invasion plasmid antigens of Shigella flexneri. She then carried out post-doctoral training on herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) keratitis at the Louisiana State University Eye Center (New Orleans, Louisiana) followed by a second post-doctoral training period focused on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus keratitis at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. In addition to actively engaging in research, Dr. Marquart is a teacher and mentor to graduate, medical, and dental students.