Kirsten St. George, Ph.D.
Research Interests
Dr. St. George is Director of Virology and Chief of the Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD) at the Wadsworth Center and a Clinical Professor in the Biomedical Sciences Department at the School of Public Health, University at Albany. The LVD comprises several service laboratories and research teams including general virology and specialty reference services in viral encephalitis, enteric viruses and antiviral resistance. Detection and characterization of viruses is with classical and molecular techniques, many of which were developed in the LVD, on specimens received for reference and surveillance testing and the investigation of outbreaks. The laboratory is also responsible for complex public health data management and federal reporting, and provides training for graduate students, fellows, and international laboratory trainees.
Dr. St. George is the Principal Investigator for national reference centers for Influenza Surveillance, Vaccine Preventable Diseases, and Influenza Antiviral Resistance, and has federal funding and corporate support for additional influenza surveillance programs and the development of diagnostic devices. Within the LVD Dr. St. George also directs the Special Projects Unit, with research on the investigation and development of new testing platforms and chemistries, as well as studies on the genomic characterization and evolution of multiple viruses and drug resistance in influenza. Most recently efforts have focused on the optimization of detection methods, pathogenesis and genomic disease associations in SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.
Dr. St. George has appointments on several national and international advisory committees and boards and is the author of more than 150 publications. She is the recipient of five New York State Commissioner Awards for her response work on major disease outbreaks, the 2017 international Career Achievement Award in Diagnostic Virology from the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology, and the 2018 University of South Australia Alumni Award for distinguished innovation and pioneering work in the recipient’s field of practice.