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Alan L. Schmaljohn, PhD

Academic Title:

Adjunct Professor

Primary Appointment:

Microbiology and Immunology

Additional Title:

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

Location:

HSF-I, 322B

Phone (Primary):

(240) 626-3704

Education and Training

Education

1974                   B.S.  University of Nebraska           Medical Technology

1980                   Ph.D. Colorado State University       Microbiology/Viral Immunology

Ph.D. Thesis - Vaccinia Virus-induced Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity in Sheep Blood and Lymph               

Post Graduate Education and Training

1980-1981               Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University

1981-1983               Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Microbiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore

Employment History

1983-1986               Research Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore

1986-1992          Principal Investigator (GS-13 and GS-14), Virology Division, USAMRIID

1992-2007     Chief, Viral Pathogenesis & Immunology Branch Virology Division, USAMRIID (GS-15 since 1999, equivalent to Professorial rank in the Microbiology series of government scientists)  Within this designation, served also for periods in several other capacities including Acting Chief for Virology Division, Product Development Team Leader (Marburg virus vaccines); Working Group Leader (Filovirus vaccines). 

2007- 2011    Paid Part-time Positions held simultaneously with UMB academic appointment (after voluntary early retirement from government service)

               1.  Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD

               2.  Consultant in Virology Research and Biodefense 

               3.  Teacher, Eighth Grade Science, Harford Friends School, Street, MD

2007-present   Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Biosketch

Dr. Alan Schmaljohn is known principally as a virologist, with breadth of knowledge and expertise in vaccine discovery, immune responses, and antibody-based therapies for hazardous and emerging arboviruses and viral zoonoses. Currently a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Dr. Schmaljohn retired in 2007 from a 21-year civilian career with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Frederick, MD.  There, he served principally as leader of research and development teams, much of it in the capacity of Chief, Viral Pathogenesis and Immunology Branch. Before USAMRIID, Dr. Schmaljohn had been an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland, this after postdoctoral positions at UMB and Johns Hopkins. In graduate school, he had transformed his undergraduate degree in Medical Technology (from the University of Nebraska) into a passion for infectious diseases, which flourished at Colorado State University (CSU) in a scientific milieu that included the veterinary school and the nearby arbovirology branch of the CDC. Dr. Schmaljohn received his PhD in Microbiology from CSU in 1981. His laboratory interests and published works have spanned several viral genera (filoviruses, orthopoxviruses, alphaviruses, hantaviruses, bunyaviruses, arenaviruses); immunologic niches (cytotoxic T lymphocytes, humoral immunity including monoclonal antibodies, peptides, anti-idiotypes, dendritic cells); virologic topics (isolation and characterization of new viruses, receptors, antibody escape mutants, epitope mapping, reassortants, envelope structure/function, pathogenesis); and vaccine strategies (alphavirus replicons, DNA vaccines, adenovirus, baculovirus recombinants, vaccinia virus recombinants, classical live or killed vaccines, virus-like particles). Seminal scientific contributions have included a candidate vaccine for Marburg virus, isolation of an American hantavirus now called Sin Nombre virus, and establishment of the importance of non-neutralizing antibodies in resistance to viral infections.  Schmaljohn is an inventor on several patents, including new vaccines or treatments for poxviruses, Marburg, and Ebola viruses.  After a period of translational research at UMB with an Ebola vaccine that evolved from his prior work, Dr. Schmaljohn has turned more recently to a part-time role that involves teaching, writing, advising, and service—while resigning from personally directed laboratory research.

Highlighted Publications

Schmaljohn, Alan, and George K. Lewis. 2016. “Cell-Targeting Antibodies in Immunity to Ebola.” Pathogens and Disease 74 (4): ftw021. doi:10.1093/femspd/ftw021.

Schmaljohn A.L. (2013) Protective Antiviral Antibodies that Lack Neutralizing Activity: Precedents and Evolution of Concepts. Curr HIV Res. 2013 Jul 1;11(5):345–53.

Hevey M, Negley D, Pushko P, Smith J, Schmaljohn A. Marburg virus vaccines based upon alphavirus replicons protect guinea pigs and nonhuman primates. Virology 1998;251:28-37.

Schmaljohn AL, Li D, Negley DL, Bressler DS, Turell MJ, Korch GW, Ascher MS, Schmaljohn CS. Isolation and initial characterization of a newfound hantavirus from California. Virology 1995;206:963-972. 

Schmaljohn AL, Johnson ED, Dalrymple JM, Cole GA. Non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies can prevent lethal alphavirus encephalitis. Nature 1982;297:70-72.

Additional Publication Citations

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