Dr. Esen Sefik

Biography

Esen Sefik is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Yale College and completed her PhD in Immunology at Harvard University. Her doctoral training focused on host-microbe interactions from a tolerogenic perspective, specifically examining how these interactions maintain tissue-level homeostasis. Dr. Sefik's research investigates how microbiota aid in the maturation of the host immune system and involved pioneering large-scale screens using germ-free mice colonized with individual bacterial strains. She uncovered microbiota-dependent transcriptional control mechanisms affecting regulatory T cells and IL17-producing T cells, challenging previous research assumptions. Her postdoctoral work utilized humanized mice models to study human-microbe interactions in chronic infectious and inflammatory diseases, including severe COVID-19, revealing unique contributions of human immune cells to lung pathology. Dr. Sefik's work emphasizes the critical balance maintained by host-microbe interactions and its importance for immune system development in the face of chronic inflammatory stimuli. Her ongoing research aims to elucidate complex biological mechanisms with the potential for therapeutic advancements in infectious and fibrotic diseases.

Research Interests

Experience