Titles and Roles
- Professor, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery
- Emory University School of Medicine
- Scientific Director
- Emory Transplant Center
- Director of Admissions, Graduate Program in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis, Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
- Emory University
- Research Program
- Cancer Immunology
Biography
Mandy L. Ford, PhD, is Professor in the Division of Transplantation of the Department of Surgery at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Ford serves as scientific director of the Emory Transplant Center.
Dr. Ford is on the Board of Directors of American Society of Transplantation and has served as associate editor of the American Journal of Transplantation, the official publication of American Society of Transplantation and American Society of Transplant Surgeons. She chaired American Society of Transplantation's Community of Basic Scientists and its Research Network Committee. She is a mentor in The Transplantation Society, Women in Transplantation Mentoring Scheme. She also holds memberships in American Association of Immunologists and the Transplantation and Immunology Network, Leadership Committee.
Education
Dr. Ford received her PhD in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Emory Transplant Center.
Research
Dr. Ford is a leading researcher in the study of the cellular mechanisms of T cell responses in transplantation and immunosuppression, and her work is funded by various federal, foundation, and industry grant awards. She was a vital member of the Emory research team led by Dr. Christian Larsen and Dr. Thomas Pearson that helped develop belatacept as a successful new class of immunosuppressant. The sophisticated research strategies and techniques she brought to the research team were integral to the team's success in showing that belatacept could provide patients with a less toxic treatment and a better chance for long-term function and survival of the transplanted organ.
Dr. Ford's current portfolio includes two NIH R01-funded collaborative studies with Emory surgical critical care surgeon-scientist Dr. Craig Coopersmith: one is examining the interplay between cancer and sepsis; the other is investigating the impact of chronic alcohol abuse on the pathophysiology of sepsis.
Publications
Publications Publication Date
Awards
Dr. Ford has received the following awards and honors:
- American Society of Transplantation Basic Science Investigator Award, 2019
- American Society of Transplantation Achievement Award, 2014
- American Society of Transplantation Young Investigator Award, 2009
- Emory University Research Council Award, 2008
- Emory University Surgery Research Symposium Award, 2007
- American Society of Transplantation Young Investigator Award, 2007
- Emory University Surgery Research Symposium Award, 2005
- NIH National Research Service Award, 2004-2007