Rate My Professor Jovanka Voyich

Jovanka Voyich is Professor and Department Head in the Department of Microbiology & Cell Biology at Montana State University, contributing prominently to Biology. She earned her B.S. in 1994 and Ph.D. in 2001 from Montana State University, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Upon returning to MSU, she advanced through the faculty ranks to her current leadership role. Voyich teaches infectious disease courses for the WWAMI medical school program, a position she has held for over a decade, as well as undergraduate curriculum in microbiology and immunology.

The Voyich Lab investigates host-pathogen interactions with an emphasis on human neutrophils and Gram-positive pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes. Research explores reciprocal communication between pathogens and hosts, revealing that emerging bacterial strains excel in sensing and responding to human stimuli rather than possessing novel virulence factors. Key projects include defining SaeR/S-dependent neutrophil-S. aureus interactions, biogenesis of Lancefield Group A carbohydrate in S. pyogenes, influence of antecedent Influenza A on S. aureus, virulence gene expression during pneumonia, and surfactant effects on S. aureus lung infections. Prominent publications encompass "Is Panton-Valentine Leukocidin the Major Virulence Determinant in Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Disease?" (Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2006), "Insights into mechanisms used by Staphylococcus aureus to avoid destruction by human neutrophils" (Journal of Immunology, 2005), "The SaeR/S Gene Regulatory System Is Essential for Innate Immune Evasion by Staphylococcus aureus" (2009), and "STAT3 mutations in the hyper-IgE syndrome" (New England Journal of Medicine, 2007). Her internationally recognized work on superbugs and human immunity elucidates sophisticated bacterial virulence regulation. Voyich received the 2017 Cox Faculty Award for Creative Scholarship and Teaching for merging research with hands-on student training and has mentored over 80 undergraduate and graduate students, many women. She was nominated for the 2022 Montana State University Alumni and Bozeman Chamber of Commerce Mentor Award for Excellence.