Biography
Steven B. Bradfute, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in the Department of Internal Medicine and Associate Director of the Center for Global Health. Dr. Bradfute received his Ph.D. in Immunology from Baylor College of Medicine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), where he studied immune responses to hemorrhagic fever viruses. Dr. Bradfute started his lab at UNM in 2013 and his research focuses on immunity, therapeutics, host-pathogen interactions, and vaccine development for emerging and re-emerging RNA viral pathogens that cause human disease, with an emphasis on hantaviruses, alphaviruses, arenaviruses, and filoviruses.
Personal Statement
I have studied immunity, therapeutics, and vaccination of emerging and re-emerging viral pathogens for over 18 years. I have extensive experience in assessment of therapeutic potential, measurement of antibody and T cell responses, and analysis of correlates of protection in viral infections and vaccines. My work focuses on therapeutics, vaccination, and host-pathogen interactions to a number of viral pathogens, including hantaviruses, alphaviruses, arenaviruses, coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, and filoviruses. I have contributed to preclinical studies of various virus vaccine platforms in development, including two Ebola virus vaccines, an alphavirus vaccine, and two Zika virus vaccines. I am also part of a consortium to develop monoclonal antibody therapeutics and vaccines for hantaviruses. Our institution is located in New Mexico, which has more hantavirus infections than any other state in spite of its smaller population; therefore, our research includes an emphasis on hantaviruses. I have published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts and have an active program for studying hantavirus infection in humans and small mammals. I place an emphasis on student and postdoctoral training and was awarded the Outstanding Mentor Award by our graduate program in 2018. My lab conducts in vitro and in vivo experiments in BSL-3 and select agent BSL-3 facilities at our institution, and I encourage my trainees to become certified in these areas. My publications can be found at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=bradfute+s&sort=date&size=200
Achievements & Awards
2025 Co-chair, Research Strategy Subcommittee, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
2023 Section Chair, Diagnosis & Emerging Hantaviruses, International Conference on Hantaviruses
2020 Excellence in Research Award for Junior Faculty, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
2022 - 2023 Mechanistic Pathways Task Force, NIH RECOVER Initiative
2020 - 2022 Scientific Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy group, Medical Advisory Team (MAT) for New Mexico SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Planning, NM Department of Health
2020 Expert for Telephonic Town Hall SARS-CoV-2 panel , US Congresswoman Torres-Small
2017 - 2018 Co-chair, Phase I Infectious Disease course, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
2015 - 2025 Chair, Institutional Dual Use Research of Concern Committee, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
2018 Outstanding Mentor Award, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center graduate program
2017 Member, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
2017 Infectious Diseases and Inflammation T32 Program Steering Committee, University of New Mexico HealthSciences Center
2017 Expert for Zika virus panel discussion, US Congressman Ben-Ray Lujan
2014 - 2026 Over 30 television, radio, podcast, and print interviews for Zika, Ebola, SARS-CoV-2, and hantavirus topics,Local and national press
2007 Spring Research Festival Outstanding Poster Award, NCI2004 Deborah K. Martin Achievement Award in Biomedical Research, Baylor College of Medicine