Dr. Lora Hooper is associate professor of immunology and microbiology at UT Southwestern and a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is a philanthropic organization that promotes biomedical research. Dr. Hooper’s research centers on host-microbial interactions, including how microbes help to shape the development and function of the immune system. Dr. Hooper joined the faculty in 2003. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015 and to the National Academy of Medicine in 2022.