Michael V. Norgard, Ph.D., is Professor and Chair of Microbiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He is the holder of the B. B. Owen Distinguished Chair in Molecular Research and he is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. He was the recipient of the 2002 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Having published over 100 original works, Dr. Norgard is recognized internationally for his research on pathogenic spirochetes, most notably those causing syphilis (Treponema pallidum) and Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi). He was the first to describe treponemal lipoproteins, molecules believed to be crucial in the membrane biology of T. pallidum and largely responsible for the local and systemic inflammatory events of syphilis. He also has developed new molecularly-based diagnostic tests for both acquired (adult) and congenital syphilis. Dr. Norgard was the first to report an alternative sigma factor (RpoN-RpoS) regulatory network in B. burgdorferi. This regulatory cascade governs the expression of key borrelial virulence factors, and its discovery has set the stage for understanding differential antigen expression by B. burgdorferi, particularly as it pertains to B. burgdorferi’s life cycle in both its arthropod (tick) and mammalian hosts (including human infection). More recently, he has been engaged in national biodefense work on Francisella tularensis, a biosafety level-3 pathogen of potential importance to bioterrorism-related activities. Dr. Norgard is listed as the lead inventor on five United States patents related to syphilis diagnosis. Additionally, Dr. Norgard has 29 years of experience in the training of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, medical students, and visiting scientists. He is the Principal Investigator and Director of U.T. Southwestern’s NIH-supported Molecular Microbiology Training Grant and was the former Chair of U.T. Southwestern’s Molecular Microbiology Graduate Program. He has been a member of numerous NIH and CDC advisory panels, including serving as Chair of the NIH Bacteriology and Mycology-1 Study Section. He currently serves as a member of the NIH Bacterial Pathogenesis (BACP) Study Section. He also has been a member of an international task force for the development of STD diagnostics in resource-poor environments. Dr. Norgard has been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Southwest NIH Regional Center of Excellence (WRCE) in Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases.
