Rate My Professor Eileen Barry

Eileen M. Barry, Ph.D., is Professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, with secondary appointments in Medical and Research Technology and Microbiology and Immunology. She holds the administrative title of Director of Education for the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) and serves as Chief of the Shigella/ETEC Vaccine Section. Barry received her B.A. in Biology from the University of Delaware in 1985 and her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in 1991, followed by postdoctoral fellowships in the CVD from 1992 to 1996. Her academic career progressed from Assistant Professor (1996-2004) to Associate Professor (2004-2012), and full Professor since 2012.

Dr. Barry's research specializes in vaccine development against enteric bacterial pathogens responsible for significant global morbidity and mortality, including Shigella, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), and Francisella tularensis. Her laboratory employs molecular engineering, electron microscopy, organoid models, and in vitro organ cultures to study pathogenesis, identify antigens, and evaluate host responses. She has developed live oral attenuated Shigella vaccine strains that reached Phase I clinical trials, proving safe and immunogenic, and engineered Shigella-based vectors expressing ETEC antigens, now in Phase I testing. Additional efforts target biodefense vaccines for F. tularensis. Barry has authored key publications such as "Progress and pitfalls in Shigella vaccine research" (Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2013), "Characterization of a multicomponent live, attenuated Shigella flexneri vaccine" (Pathogens and Disease, 2016), and "Live attenuated mutants of Francisella tularensis protect rabbits against aerosol challenge" (Infection and Immunity, 2014). She has earned awards including the 2015 University System of Maryland PROMISE Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award, the 2011 Faculty Teacher of the Year from the Department of Medicine's Division of Geographic Medicine, and teaching commendations in 2009 and 2012. As principal investigator or co-investigator on multiple NIH grants, her work advances vaccines for vulnerable populations including children in developing countries, travelers, and military personnel.