Conference Speakers

Philip Norris is the Director of Laboratory Science at Vitalant Research Institute (VRI) and VP of Research and Scientific Programs at Vitalant. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Laboratory Medicine and Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCSF. Dr. Norris earned his BA and BS degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, his MD degree from the College of Physician & Surgeons at Columbia University, and completed his residency in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center and fellowship in infectious diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital. The Norris lab research interests focus on how the human immune system responds to viral infections such as HIV, West Nile virus, and SARS-CoV-2. Recent projects also include understanding how blood transfusion affects the immune system and modulates immune responses in transfusion recipients, particularly via communication through extracellular vesicles. His lab is also directing several projects to understand the natural history of COVID-19 and how convalescent plasma might modify the disease course.