Satya Dandekar is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the School of Medicine, University of California, Davis. She received her Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from M.S. University of Baroda, India and her postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on the mucosal immunology of HIV infection with a specific emphasis on the host-pathogen interactions at the mucosal interface, microbiota, mucosal innate defenses and gut healing. Her studies developed the SIV model of HIV enteropathogenesis and identified the role of gut epithelial damage in early HIV and SIV infections. Current studies apply immunologic and genomic methodologies to investigate the impact of HIV on the gut mucosal sensing and response to pathogens and microbiota. Dr. Dandekar has mentored junior researchers and faculty. She has served on the review panels and advisory committees at the NIH and non-federal agencies.
