Dr. Braciale was a globally recognized authority in the field of immunology, a professor at the University of Virginia (UVA) in pathology and microbiology for over three decades, and founding director of the Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research (CIC). His work in the areas of T cells, dendritic cells, and respiratory immunity established him as an impactful leader in immunological research.

Tom was the first member of his family to earn a college degree, obtaining his Bachelor’s degree in Science from St. Joseph’s University. He went on to receive MD and PhD (Microbiology) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing a residency in pathology at Washington University in St. Louis, he began his career in academic medicine and research there, quickly establishing himself as a leader in discovering molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie pathogen-host interactions, most notably the interplay between influenza virus, respiratory epithelium and immune cells. He rose to the rank of tenured professor at Washington University and was then recruited to UVA to take the role of director of the Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research and to join the Department of Pathology at the rank of professor.

He had a productive and distinguished career, having authored over 180 publications and winning several awards including the Eijkman Medal for Immunology and Infectious Diseases from Utrecht University in 2002. Tom served on several advisory boards and committees at peer institutions, national organizations and the Federal Government, including U-19 scientific advisory committees at the University of North Carolina, Wake Forest University and the Milwaukee Blood Center, and several advisory committees for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, including memberships on the Oversight Committee of the NIAID Center of Excellence in Influenza Research and Surveillance and the Board of Scientific Counselors of the NIAID Vaccine Research Center. In addition, he served as associate editor for four scientific journals: Clinical & Experimental Immunology, Immunology and Cell Biology, Virology, and Molecular Biology and Medicine.

Throughout his extraordinary career in research, he remained committed to education, imparting knowledge to undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral fellows and medical students. He was most proud of his role as an educator and mentor, serving as research mentor for many PhD graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in his laboratory and participating in the UVA School of Medicine Biomedical Sciences Training Program. He was generous in his time with his colleagues and served as mentor to many junior faculty. He will be remembered gratefully for guiding the Carter Center to national prominence through his recruitment of world-class faculty and his own research efforts.

SOURCE: https://news.med.virginia.edu/faculty/in-memorarium-a-tribute-to-thomas-j-braciale-md-phd/