On April 23, 2025, the James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies hosted ARCS Atlanta members for a tour and Appreciation Luncheon at the Emory National Primate Research Center & Emory Vaccine Center.  The program and luncheon highlighted the vital basic science and translational research conducted at Emory—work that impacts not only the Atlanta community but also communities around the world.

We were welcomed by Monica K. Polisetty, Senior Managing Director of Development, James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies and Dr. R. Paul Johnson, Director, Emory National Primate Research Center.

The fascinating three-part tour included:
- the Rengarajan Lab where Dr. Jyothi Rengaragan’s research program seeks to understand the mechanisms of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis and host immunity to infection,
- a Parkinson’s disease conversation with Dr. Thomas Wichmann, Deputy Director of the Primate Center & A. Worley Brown, Professor of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine,
- and a demonstration of personal protective equipment (PPE) along with a discussion of the importance of safety in research.

After a delicious lunch, Dr. Jyothi Rengarajan, Co-Director, Emory Tuberculosis Center & Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, gave a very interesting talk about tuberculosis research.  We were also treated to insightful remarks from our former Herz Global Impact Scholar, Ana Enriquez, who is now a Research Microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

To see photos of this wonderful afternoon, please visit the Special Events page on our ARCS Atlanta website.