Vincent Racaniello is the Higgins Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center. He has been studying viruses for over 40 years, starting in 1975, when he entered the PhD program in Biomedical Sciences at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York.

In 1982, Dr. Racaniello joined the faculty at Columbia, establishing a laboratory to study viruses, and to train other scientists to become virologists. Over the years, his lab has studied a variety of viruses including: poliovirus, echovirus, enteroviruses 70 and D68, rhinovirus, Zika virus and hepatitis C virus. As principal investigator, he oversees the research carried out by doctorate students and postdoctoral fellows. He also teaches virology to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as medical, dental, and nursing students.

His goal -- to be "Earth’s virology professor" -- has led him to create a virology blog, offer videocasts of his lectures on iTunes University, and found and host microbe.tv, an independent podcast network for people interested in the life sciences. The six shows, which include his original program, "This Week in Virology," center on viruses, bacteria, parasites, evolution, immunology and neuroscience.

In recognition of his contributions to the field, Dr. Racaniello was awarded the Peter Wildy Prize for Microbiology Education by the Society for General Microbiology, the American Society for Microbiology Award for Education, the Richard C. Ernst Lecture, and the American Society for Virology Wolfgang & Patricia Joklik Distinguished Service Award.

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