Katherine P. Lemon

She/Her

a lesbian and I am a microbiologist and pediatric infectious diseases physician.//

I follow my curiosity and am fascinated by microbes. My long-term goal is to harness the human nasal microbiota to discover new ways to prevent and treat infections. My academic path began with an A.B. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from Harvard. After several years in the outdoor industry, I went to medical school, where I was struck by how much remains unknown in medicine. Curiosity led me to complete a Ph.D. on Bacillus subtilis with Alan Grossman at MIT, along with an MD from Harvard Medical School. Following clinical training, I did postdoctoral research with Roberto Kolter, investigating Listeria monocytogenes biofilms. However, I became captivated by the complexity of interspecies interactions and emerging microbiome research. As a Pediatric Infectious Diseases doctor, I often encountered invasive infections caused by two common nasal pathobionts, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. I wondered: How do beneficial nasal bacteria resist colonization by these pathogens or influence their behavior to protect us? This question launched my current work elucidating microbial interactions within the nasal microbiota. My lab at Baylor College of Medicine pioneers the use of human nasal organoids to study bacterial nasal colonization and explore how beneficial microbes might prevent infections.

Bluesky: kathlemon.bsky.social