Dr. Joe Zackular recipient of the 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (Paths) Award

Dr. Joseph Zackular, Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and CHOP, who has been selected as a recipient of the highly competitive 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigators in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease (PATH) Award.

The PATH program represents one of the most prestigious early-career awards in infectious disease research, providing $505,000 over five years to support innovative, high-risk research projects that hold potential for significantly advancing our understanding of infectious disease mechanisms. This year's cohort includes only a select group of exceptional scientists conducting groundbreaking research on the interplay between human biology and infectious agents.

Dr. Zackular's funded research project, "Reprogramming of the early life gut by Clostridioides difficile," addresses a critical challenge in pediatric infectious disease. His work focuses on understanding how interactions between the host, gut microbiota, and pathogenic microbes impact human health and disease, with particular emphasis on the nosocomial pathogen C. difficile. As Co-Director of the Center for Microbial Medicine at CHOP, Dr. Zackular leads efforts to translate microbiome research into clinical applications that can improve children's health outcomes.

This award recognizes Dr. Zackular's exceptional contributions to the field and his potential to drive transformative discoveries in infectious disease research. The PATH award will provide his laboratory with the flexibility and resources needed to pursue innovative research directions that could significantly impact how we understand and treat infectious diseases in pediatric populations.