World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Award Badge
Best Female Scientists
2025
Award Badge
Immunology
USA
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
141
Citations
96732
World Ranking
227
National Ranking
142

Immunology

D-Index
142
Citations
101404
World Ranking
150
National Ranking
100

Medicine

D-Index
142
Citations
101429
World Ranking
1536
National Ranking
893

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Immunology in United States Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Immunology in United States Leader Award
  • 2019 - Member of the Royal Irish Academy
  • 2014 - AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award, American Association of Immunologists

Overview

Katherine A. Fitzgerald is affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on fields including Immunology and Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, and Medicine. Within these broad fields, their work particularly targets subfields such as Immunology, Molecular Biology, Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, and Oncology.

The scientist's main research topics cover diverse aspects of immune function and molecular mechanisms. These topics include interferon and immune responses, inflammasome and immune disorders, immune response and inflammation, viral infections and vectors, cancer-related molecular mechanisms research, RNA research and splicing, and immune cells in cancer.

Frequent co-authors collaborating with Katherine A. Fitzgerald include Fiachra Humphries, Zhaozhao Jiang, Ann Marshak-Rothstein, Natália Ketelut-Carneiro, and Kevin MingJie Gao. Their research has appeared most often in publication venues such as bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, The Journal of Immunology, Faculty Opinions - Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature, and Nature Communications.

Significant recent publications authored or co-authored by Katherine A. Fitzgerald include:

  • Toll-like Receptors and the Control of Immunity, 2020, Cell
  • Long non-coding RNAs: definitions, functions, challenges and recommendations, 2023, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
  • Succination inactivates gasdermin D and blocks pyroptosis, 2020, Science
  • Apoptosis, Pyroptosis, and Necroptosis-Oh My! The Many Ways a Cell Can Die, 2021, Journal of Molecular Biology
  • HDAC6 mediates an aggresome-like mechanism for NLRP3 and pyrin inflammasome activation, 2020, Science

Katherine A. Fitzgerald has been recognized with awards including the Member of the Royal Irish Academy (2019) and the AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award from the American Association of Immunologists (2014).

Best Publications

  • NLRP3 inflammasomes are required for atherogenesis and activated by cholesterol crystals

    Peter Duewell;Hajime Kono;Katey J. Rayner;Katey J. Rayner;Cherilyn M. Sirois

  • Silica crystals and aluminum salts activate the NALP3 inflammasome through phagosomal destabilization

    Veit Hornung;Franz G. Bauernfeind;Annett Halle;Eivind O. Samstad;Eivind O. Samstad

  • IKKepsilon and TBK1 are essential components of the IRF3 signaling pathway.

    Katherine A. Fitzgerald;Sarah M. McWhirter;Kerrie L. Faia;Daniel C. Rowe

  • Autophagy proteins regulate innate immune responses by inhibiting the release of mitochondrial DNA mediated by the NALP3 inflammasome

    Kiichi Nakahira;Jeffrey Adam Haspel;Jeffrey Adam Haspel;Vijay A.K. Rathinam;Seon Jin Lee

  • Cutting edge: NF-kappaB activating pattern recognition and cytokine receptors license NLRP3 inflammasome activation by regulating NLRP3 expression.

    Franz G. Bauernfeind;Gabor Horvath;Andrea Stutz;Emad S. Alnemri

  • AIM2 recognizes cytosolic dsDNA and forms a caspase-1 activating inflammasome with ASC

    Veit Hornung;Veit Hornung;Andrea Ablasser;Andrea Ablasser;Marie Charrel-Dennis;Franz G. Bauernfeind;Franz G. Bauernfeind

  • The NALP3 inflammasome is involved in the innate immune response to amyloid-beta.

    Annett Halle;Veit Hornung;Gabor C Petzold;Cameron R Stewart

  • Oxidized Mitochondrial DNA Activates the NLRP3 Inflammasome during Apoptosis

    Kenichi Shimada;Timothy R. Crother;Justin Karlin;Jargalsaikhan Dagvadorj

  • Toll-like Receptors and the Control of Immunity.

    Katherine A. Fitzgerald;Jonathan C. Kagan

  • IFI16 is an innate immune sensor for intracellular DNA.

    Leonie Unterholzner;Sinead E. Keating;Marcin Baran;Kristy A. Horan

  • STING-Dependent Cytosolic DNA Sensing Mediates Innate Immune Recognition of Immunogenic Tumors

    Seng Ryong Woo;Mercedes Beatriz Fuertes;Leticia Corrales;Stefani Spranger

  • TLR9 signals after translocating from the ER to CpG DNA in the lysosome

    Eicke Latz;Annett Schoenemeyer;Alberto Visintin;Katherine A. Fitzgerald

  • Mal (MyD88-adapter-like) is required for Toll-like receptor-4 signal transduction

    Katherine A. Fitzgerald;Eva M. Palsson-McDermott;Andrew G. Bowie;Andrew G. Bowie;Caroline A. Jefferies

  • Toll-like receptor 9-dependent activation by DNA-containing immune complexes is mediated by HMGB1 and RAGE.

    Jane Tian;Ana Maria Avalos;Su-Yau Mao;Bo Chen

  • LPS-TLR4 Signaling to IRF-3/7 and NF-κB Involves the Toll Adapters TRAM and TRIF

    Katherine A. Fitzgerald;Daniel C. Rowe;Betsy J. Barnes;Daniel R. Caffrey

  • The AIM2 inflammasome is essential for host defense against cytosolic bacteria and DNA viruses.

    Vijay A.K. Rathinam;Zhaozhao Jiang;Stephen N. Waggoner;Shrutie Sharma

  • Activation of Autophagy by Inflammatory Signals Limits IL-1β Production by Targeting Ubiquitinated Inflammasomes for Destruction

    Chong Shan Shi;Kevin Shenderov;Ning Na Huang;Juraj Kabat

  • DNA sensing by the cGAS–STING pathway in health and disease

    Mona Motwani;Scott Pesiridis;Katherine A Fitzgerald

  • Unified Polymerization Mechanism for the Assembly of ASC-Dependent Inflammasomes

    Alvin Lu;Venkat Giri Magupalli;Venkat Giri Magupalli;Jianbin Ruan;Jianbin Ruan;Qian Yin;Qian Yin

  • Inflammasome Complexes: Emerging Mechanisms and Effector Functions

    Vijay A.K. Rathinam;Katherine A. Fitzgerald

  • Erratum: NLRP3 inflammasomes are required for atherogenesis and activated by cholesterol crystals (Nature (2010) 464 (1357-1361))

    Peter Duewell;Hajime Kono;Katey J. Rayner;Cherilyn M. Sirois

Frequent Co-Authors

Douglas T. Golenbock
Douglas T. Golenbock University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Eicke Latz
Eicke Latz German Rheumatism Research Centre
Egil Lien
Egil Lien University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Evelyn A. Kurt-Jones
Evelyn A. Kurt-Jones University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Veit Hornung
Veit Hornung Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Ann Marshak-Rothstein
Ann Marshak-Rothstein University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Luke A. J. O'Neill
Luke A. J. O'Neill Trinity College Dublin
Andrew G. Bowie
Andrew G. Bowie Trinity College Dublin
Ricardo T. Gazzinelli
Ricardo T. Gazzinelli Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
Shizuo Akira
Shizuo Akira Osaka University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Immunology, pursuing related online degrees such as Nurse Practitioner programs can open diverse career pathways in healthcare. Many aspiring nurses seek out the easiest np programs to get into to streamline their education while maintaining quality training. These programs provide foundational knowledge valuable in immunological contexts.

Mental health is increasingly recognized as integral to overall immune system health. Specialized pathways like best pmhnp programs online offer advanced clinical training in psychiatric nursing, which complements immunology-focused careers by addressing mind-body health connections.

Cost is a significant factor for many students. Finding cheapest online pmhnp programs can help reduce financial barriers without compromising on clinical experience or outcomes, making immunology-related health professions more accessible.

Salary outlook is also crucial when considering advanced degrees. Prospective candidates can review the dnp salary by state to make informed decisions about where to study and work after graduation. This strategic planning ensures a rewarding career that balances passion for immunology with practical career benefits.

Best Scientists Citing Katherine A. Fitzgerald

Trending Scientists