# News ## expand\_more [### Stopping Cervical Cancer Before It Starts ](/news/2026/05/stopping-cervical-cancer-it-starts) May 12, 2026 A researcher focused on developing therapeutic vaccines for the human papillomavirus (HPV), Alton Gayton will graduate from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in May 2026 with a PhD in virology. He discusses his pioneering... ![Person working at a lab bench ](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-05/Alton%20Gayton.png?itok=udFLNgzR) [### Tour the Veritas Science Center with Jessica Chen ](/news/2025/12/tour-veritas-science-center-jessica-chen) December 03, 2025 Fifth-year PhD student Jessica Chen shows us around the newly renamed Veritas Science Center on the Harvard Medical School campus. See the video here . There are about 90 labs and 1,000 researchers in the VSC, including researchers from HMS affiliate... ![A young scientist gestures towards her lab bench.](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/Image.jpeg?itok=K84Ztyrn) [### I'm Worried About the Future of Virology ](/news/2025/08/im-worried-about-future-virology) August 20, 2025 The federal government has terminated numerous federally funded grants and contracts to Harvard and is scaling back investments in scientific and medical research across the country. In this series, Harvard Medical School scientists discuss how these... ![Grant Yang](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-08/a681b341-9250-4863-b3b8-1f874fa63fad.png?itok=Hli2suAN) [### Evolution Tamed Once-Deadly Western Equine Encephalitis. Should We Still Worry? ](/news/evolution-tamed-once-deadly-western-equine-encephalitis-should-we-still-worry) August 22, 2024 Virology student, Wanyu Li, is the first author of the July 24 *Nature publication*, offering important lessons for public health experts looking to prepare for future outbreaks. ![virus](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-08/850_virus_0.jpg?itok=reGhLNUI) [### Inside a Bacterial Defense System — and Its Defeat ](/news/inside-bacterial-defense-system-%E2%80%94-and-its-defeat) January 17, 2024 The structure of the Gabija protein complex was revealed only recently by Virology doctoral candidate Sadie Antine in the lab of Philip Kranzusch, professor of microbiology, who is featured in this article in HMS News. Read more here. ![One view of the structure of Gabija](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/gabija.jpg?itok=o9q-UOyO) [### To Improve the Health of Children ](/news/improve-health-children) September 11, 2023 Virology alum Kellie Ann Jurado, PhD ’15, hopes to change the way scientists understand early-life immunity. ![Kellie Ann Jurado](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/kellie_ann_jurado.jpg?itok=WKBaptU4) [### Watch Live Stream of 2023 DMS Hooding Ceremony ](/news/watch-live-stream-2023-dms-hooding-ceremony) May 19, 2023 The 2023 DMS Hooding ceremonies will be live-streamed on YouTube. Thursday, May 25, 2023: Hooding Ceremony for 2023 graduates begins at 5:00pm. The video can be viewed by visiting our Commencement and Hooding page. Congratulations and Best Wishes to all... ![Division of Medical Sciences banner](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/dms_hms_banner.jpg?itok=2o9yopna) [### Virology Graduate Recipient of the 2022 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award ](/news/virology-graduate-recipient-2022-harold-m-weintraub-graduate-student-award) March 01, 2022 Please join us in congratulating Brianna Duncan-Lowey, a 2022 graduate from the Virology program who has received the Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award for 2022. For further information, please view the Fred Hutch News Release. ![lowey_brianna.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/lowey_brianna.jpg?itok=d-QAemGd) [### How Pfizer Makes Its Covid-19 Vaccine ](/news/look-process-making-pfizer-vaccine) April 29, 2021 This article from the New York Times illustrates the breadth of the molecular biology, virology, and immunology foundation for the mRNA vaccines. [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/health/pfizer-coronavirus-vacc…](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/health/pfizer-coronavirus-vaccine.html) ![President Biden and Vice President Harris observe Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines being loaded for transport from Kalamazoo](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/biden-kalamazoo-load-720.jpg?itok=R37v4V_L) [### How a mutated coronavirus evades immune system defenses ](/news/how-mutated-coronavirus-evades-immune-system-defenses) March 16, 2021 A new study led by Harvard Medical School scientists offers a look into this interplay, shedding light on the ways in which compromised immunity may render SARS-CoV-2 fitter and capable of evading the immune system. The study's first author, Sarah Clark... ![Sarah Clark](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/sarah_clark_vir.jpeg?itok=TTLOQQd_) [### Organized to fight the pandemic ](/news/organized-fight-pandemic) April 01, 2020 To stem the coronavirus crisis, Harvard Medical School scientists forge ahead on six key fronts. Read more here. ![SARS-CoV-2](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/20200401_covid.jpg?itok=knrFuIDz) [### PhD student Amy Schade is grounded in logic, open to serendipity ](/news/phd-student-amy-schade-grounded-logic-open-serendipity) May 20, 2019 Being grounded in logic but open to serendipity has made all the difference for Amy Schade, a PhD candidate in the Division of Medical Sciences Virology Program, who is graduating this month. Certain from a young age that she was going to be a history... ![amy schade](/sites/g/files/omnuum5516/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/virologyphd/files/20190520_amy-schade-39-850.jpg?itok=UUZeJfYZ)