Blair Armistead, PhD, MPH

Dr. Armistead’s research aims to better understand the complex immunological properties of the lactating breast, a critical interface between mother and infant. This research spans the continuum of basic biology to clinical and translational studies, with the goal of informing novel strategies to reduce the burden of infectious disease in early childhood. Current work focuses on investigating the establishment, specificity, response, and function of breastmilk T cells through three overarching projects: 

• Elucidating a novel respiratory-mammary axis of T cell immunity
• Defining the pathogen-specific T cell repertoire in human breastmilk
• Investigating mechanisms of milk-derived T cell immunity in offspring using preclinical models