Speakers , MD, PhD

Patrick I. Mpingabo, MD, PhD, is a physician-scientist and viral immunologist at SUNY Upstate Medical University. His research integrates systems serology, immunology, molecular virology, and vaccinology to understand how immune history and antibody quality influence protection against viral infections and vaccine-induced immunity. His work aims to identify immunological mechanisms and define immune correlates that inform the design and evaluation of next-generation flavivirus vaccines. Dr. Mpingabo earned his medical degree from the University of Kinshasa and a PhD in Molecular Virology from Nagasaki University, Japan. His doctoral research investigated the molecular host determinants regulating arenavirus egress, providing mechanistic insights into virus–host interactions governing viral replication and dissemination. He subsequently completed his first postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health, where he studied immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, Zika, and dengue viruses. He characterized cross-reactive and broadly neutralizing protective antibodies against coronaviruses and flaviviruses as immune correlates of protection. His current research applies systems serology approaches to investigate how sequential flavivirus exposures and vaccine platforms shape antibody epitope specificity, Fc-mediated effector functions, immune imprinting, and protective immunity by combining mechanistic immunology with translational vaccinology.