Paola Ramos Irizarry, Sc.M.

MGM Graduate Student

paola.ramos@duke.edu

Favorite Animal:

Education and Background

Paola attended the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Science with minors in Biology and Forensic Psychology. As an undergraduate, she worked in Dr. Yaliz Loperena’s lab. The title of her research was “Growth capabilities of Cryptococcus gattii in cacti of the Guanica Dry Forest.” Paola went on to obtain her Master’s in Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she was in Dr. Arturo Casadevall’s lab. Her research thesis was titled “Design and characterization of a native polysaccharide conjugate vaccine against Cryptococcus neoformans.” While at Hopkins, she also earned a certificate in Vaccine Science and Policy.

What do you do in your free time?

I love to read, cook, paint, and spend time with my cat.

Where do you hope to be after your Ph.D.?

I’ve only just started so I haven’t planned too far ahead, but I definitely would like to keep working in the Fungal field.

Activities you enjoy in the Durham/Triangle area?

I discovered that the Duke’s Art Annex provides free arts supplies so I’ve taken up painting again. I’ve also started volunteering at the Animal Protection Society of Durham. Lastly, I also love exploring new food spots in the area.

Publications

Ramos Irizarry P, Smith DFQ, Gusa A (2025). Climate Change Impacts on Environmental Fungi: Human Health and Fungal Disease. In: Gerstein A (eds), One Health and Mycology. Current topics in Microbiology and Immunology, Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/82_2025_305

Piotr R. Stempinski, Paola Ramos Irizarry, Scott A. McConnell, Livia C. Liporagi Lopes, Samuel Rodrigues Dos Santos Júnior, Maggie P. Wear, Arturo Casadevall. Cryptococcus neoformans polysaccharide conjugate vaccine made with filtered polysaccharide elicits protective immunity in mice. Fungal Biology, Volume 129, Issue 2, 2025, 101544, ISSN 1878-6146, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.funbio.2025.101544.

Ramos-Irizarry, P.; Sánchez, B.; Loperena-Álvarez, Y. Cryptococcus gattii Can Use the Cactus Pilosocereus spp. to Grow and Develop a Capsule and Produce Melanin In Vitro. Microbiol. Res. 2023, 14, 798-809. https://doi.org/10.3390/microbiolres14020056