Friday, October 2, 2026
All day event

Where:

UMB
MSTF Leadership Hall
685 W. Baltimore St.

Parking: 

• Penn Street Garage, 120 S. Penn St.
• Pratt Street Garage, 646 W. Pratt St.

About Dr. Kaper

After a career spanning more than four decades in research, education, mentorship, and academic leadership, James B. Kaper, PhD, is retiring from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. His professional life has been defined by scientific rigor, generosity as a mentor, and a lasting commitment to advancing microbiology and immunology in Maryland and worldwide.

Dr. Kaper’s connection to the University of Maryland began early. He earned both his B.S. in Microbiology in 1973 and his PhD in Microbiology in 1979 from the University of Maryland – College Park, pursuing his doctoral research with renowned Professor Rita Colwell. He then went to Seattle for postdoctoral training in molecular pathogenesis at the University of Washington with the acclaimed microbiologist Stanley Falkow before returning to Baltimore in 1981 to join the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Center for Vaccine Development. That return marked the beginning of an extraordinary institutional career distinguished by scholarship, leadership, and service

Over the years, Dr. Kaper advanced through the academic ranks, rising from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor and then Professor, while also serving as Chief of the Bacterial Genetics Section in the Center for Vaccine Development. In 2007, he was appointed Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, a role in which he strengthened the department’s scientific profile and helped guide its continued growth, with the Department ranking nationally among the top 10 medical schools departments of microbiology in receipt of NIH funding since 2019. In addition to being a departmental Chair, he served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2014 to 2019 and then as Vice Dean for Academic Affairs from 2019 to 2024.

Dr. Kaper is internationally recognized for his work on the molecular pathogenesis of diarrheal disease pathogens, especially Vibrio cholerae and pathogenic Escherichia coli. His research helped define how enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic E. coli cause disease, including landmark discoveries involving the intimin adhesin, the LEE pathogenicity island, the type III secretion system, the Ler and Per regulators, and quorum-sensing control of virulence. These discoveries deepened scientific understanding of enteric infection and shaped the direction of the field for decades.

His work also bridged fundamental science and translational impact. Dr. Kaper and his collaborators, most notably Dr. Myron Levine, developed live attenuated Vibrio cholerae vaccine strains, including CVD 103-HgR, which was the first recombinant bacterial vaccine licensed for human use. The scope of Dr. Kaper’s scholarly output is exceptional, with more than 380 journal articles and book chapters, editor of six books, multiple patents, and continuous NIH funding as PI since 1982, including an NIH MERIT Award. His honors also include election as a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as the 2019 ASM DC White Award for Interdisciplinary Research and Mentoring in Microbiology.

Just as important as his scientific accomplishments has been his influence on people. As Chair and senior academic leader, Dr. Kaper helped shape programs, recruit talent, and support the broader academic mission of the School of Medicine. He also trained more than 60 PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, many of whom now hold leadership positions in major academic institutions, extending his impact across generations of microbiologists, immunologists, physicians, and vaccine scientists.

Colleagues know Dr. Kaper not only as a world-class scientist but also as a thoughtful leader with deep institutional loyalty. His career reflects a combination of discovery, mentorship, and public-minded service: a scientist who pushed the boundaries of knowledge while also helping build the structures that allow others to succeed. The James and Carolyn Frenkil Distinguished Dean’s Professorship, which he received in 2019, fittingly recognized both his academic distinction and his standing within the University of Maryland community, as does his being named to the inaugural group of UMB Distinguished University Professors.

As Dr. Kaper retires, the University of Maryland community celebrates a career that has improved understanding of infectious disease, advanced vaccine science, strengthened academic medicine, and launched the careers of countless trainees and colleagues. His legacy will endure in the scientific literature, in the institutions he helped lead, in the vaccines and discoveries he helped bring forward, and in the many people who benefited from his mentorship and example.

Event Agenda

9:00-10:00 AM | Breakfast- MSTF

• Buffet-style breakfast
• Networking among faculty, students, and guests

10:00 AM–12:00 PM | Remarks from former mentees

Keynote Address – Harry Mobley, PhD

Harry Mobley, PhD
Retired; previously Fredderick C. Novy Professor and Chair, Dept of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Michigan School of Medicine (Postdoc in Kaper lab 1984-85)

Ann Jerse, PhD
Professor & Vice Chair, Dept of Microbiology & Immunology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (PhD student in Kaper lab 1985-90)

Tim McDaniel, PhD
Founder, Major Groove Technologies; previously in executive positions with DELFI Diagnostics, Illumina, TGen, Ashion Analytics (PhD student in Kaper lab 1993-96)

Laurie Comstock, PhD
Professor of Microbiology, University of Chicago; previously Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School (Postdoc in Kaper lab 1991-95)

Michael Donnenberg , MD
Professor of Medicine and Director of Physician-Scientist Training, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Previously Senior Associate Dean for Research and Research Training, VCU; Professor of Medicine and Director of the Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Maryland, School of Medicine (Postdoc in Kaper lab 1989-90)

Vanessa Sperandio, PhD
Robert Turell Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine; previously Professor of Microbiology, UT Southwestern Medical School (PhD student in Kaper lab 1993-94; postdoc 1997-2001)

Open mic for additional comments

12:00-1:15 PM | Lunch

• Individual sandwiches trays in MSTF

1:30-4:00 PM | Remarks from University of Maryland Colleagues

Keynote Address – James Nataro, MD, PhD

James Nataro, MD, PhD
Retired; previously Benjamin Armistead Shepherd Professor and Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Pediatrician-in-Chief, University of Virginia Children's Hospital Charlottesville, VA. UMSOM faculty 1991-2010.  (PhD student in Kaper lab, 1983-87)

Remarks from other University of Maryland Colleagues

Closing remarks from James Kaper, PhD

4:00-6:00 PM | Closing Reception

• Hot and Cold hors d’oeuvres

Hotels

Attendees receive special discounted rates at these hotels:

Registration

There is no registration fee, but space is limited so please register by completing the following form.

Register Online