Dawn Marie Wetzel, MD
Infectious Disease Specialist
Assistant Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Languages Spoken:
- English
Biography
Dawn M. Wetzel, M.D., Ph.D., is a board certified infectious disease specialist at Children’s Health℠ and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern. She specializes in the research and treatment of parasitic and other pediatric infectious diseases.
She earned her medical degree and Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wetzel completed her pediatrics residency training at Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian (Columbia University) and her fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at Yale University.
In addition to her patient care efforts, Dr. Wetzel runs her own research laboratory at UT Southwestern. As a principal investigator, her research focuses on molecular and biochemical parasitology and studying parasitic infections like the protozoan disease leishmaniasis — one of the World Health Organization-designated neglected tropical diseases. Her additional interests include drug discovery for the broader group of single-celled trypanosomatid parasites.
Dr. Wetzel has earned multiple awards including the Young Physician-Scientist Award, grants and national recognition for her research and holds a patent for anti-parasitic medicines she developed.
She is a member of Eastern Society for Pediatric Research, American Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Education and Training
- Medical School
- Washington University School of Medicine (2005)
- Residency
- New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University (2008), Pediatrics
- Fellowship
- Yale University School of Medicine (2011), Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Board Certification
- American Board of Pediatrics/Infectious Disease
Departments and Programs
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Research Interests
- Cellular and molecular pathogenesis of leishmaniasis and other parasitic infections
- Development of novel antiparasitics
- Host-pathogen interactions
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Publications
- The Abl and Arg kinases mediate distinct modes of phagocytosis and are required for maximal Leishmania infection., Wetzel DM, McMahon-Pratt D, Koleske AJ Mol. Cell. Biol. 2012 Aug 32 15 3176-86
- Staphylococcus aureus activates type I IFN signaling in mice and humans through the Xr repeated sequences of protein A., Martin FJ, Gomez MI, Wetzel DM, Memmi G, O'Seaghdha M, Soong G, Schindler C, Prince A J. Clin. Invest. 2009 Jul 119 7 1931-9
- Gliding motility leads to active cellular invasion by Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites., Wetzel DM, Schmidt J, Kuhlenschmidt MS, Dubey JP, Sibley LD Infect. Immun. 2005 Sep 73 9 5379-87
- Evidence that the cADPR signalling pathway controls calcium-mediated microneme secretion in Toxoplasma gondii., Chini EN, Nagamune K, Wetzel DM, Sibley LD Biochem. J. 2005 Jul 389 Pt 2 269-77
- Calcium-mediated protein secretion potentiates motility in Toxoplasma gondii., Wetzel DM, Chen LA, Ruiz FA, Moreno SN, Sibley LD J. Cell. Sci. 2004 Nov 117 Pt 24 5739-48
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Professional Activities
- Eastern Society for Pediatric Research (2013)
- American Medical Association (2009)
- Infectious Diseases Society of America (2009)
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of America (2009)
- American Academy of Pediatrics (2005)
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Awards and Honors
- Young Physician-Scientist Award 2013, American Society of Clinical Investigation
- IDSA Fellow's Research Award and Travel Grant 2010, Top abstracts by infectious disease fellows-in-training - Infectious Diseases Society of America
- Alexander Berg Prize 2005, Graduating medical student presenting the best research in molecular microbiology - Washington University School of Medicine
- William A. McElroy Award for Undergraduate Research in Biology 1998, Graduating student with th emost promise in biological research - Johns Hopkins University