Dawn Wetzel, M.D., Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Assistant Professor Schools Medical School | Graduate School Departments Pediatrics | Biochemistry Graduate Programs Cell and Molecular Biology, Molecular Microbiology You have reached the Academic Profile. For more information on the doctor and patient care, please visit the clinical profile. Biography Dawn M. Wetzel, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern and an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Health℠. She specializes in the research and treatment of parasitic and other pediatric infectious diseases. She earned her medical degree and Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wetzel completed her pediatrics residency training at Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian (Columbia University) and her fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at Yale University. In addition to her patient care efforts, Dr. Wetzel runs her own research laboratory at UT Southwestern. As a principal investigator, her research focuses on molecular and biochemical parasitology and studying parasitic infections like the protozoan disease leishmaniasis — one of the World Health Organization-designated neglected tropical diseases. Her additional interests include drug discovery for the broader group of single-celled trypanosomatid parasites. Dr. Wetzel has earned multiple awards, grants and national recognition for her research and holds a patent for anti-parasitic medicines she developed. Education Medical School Washington University School of Medicine (2005) Residency Columbia University/New York Presbyterian Hospital (2008), Pediatrics Fellowship Yale University School of Medicine (2011), Pediatric Infectious Diseases Research Interest Cellular and molecular pathogenesis of leishmaniasis and other parasitic infections Development of novel antiparasitics Host-pathogen interactions Publications Leishmania in Texas: A Contemporary One Health Scoping Review of Vectors, Reservoirs, and Human Health Jibowu MH, Chung R, Tang NL, Guo S, Lawton LA, Sullivan BJ, Wetzel DM, Gunter SM Biology 2025 Aug 14 Tubulin detyrosination shapes Leishmania cytoskeletal architecture and virulence Corrales RM, Vincent J, Crobu L, Neish R, Nepal B, Espeut J, Pasquier G, Gillard G, Cazevieille C, Mottram JC, Wetzel DM, Sterkers Y, Rogowski K, Lévêque MF Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2025 Jan 122 Toxoplasma replication is inhibited by MMV676477 without development of resistance Abbaali I, Truong D, Wetzel DM, Morrissette NS Cytoskeleton 2025 Jan 82 5-11 Using machine learning to dissect host kinases required for Leishmania internalization and development Wei L, Barrie U, Aloisio GM, Khuong FT, Arang N, Datta A, Kaushansky A, Wetzel DM Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology 2024 Dec 260 Synthesis of the 5/5-spiroindimicin alkaloids: development of a general synthetic approach and biological investigations Banerjee A, Brisco TA, Ray S, Datta A, Zhang X, Zhang Z, Busse AA, Niederstrasser H, Sumida K, Posner BA, Wetzel DM, Phillips MA, Smith MW Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry 2024 Oct 22 9413-9425 MAPK/ERK activation in macrophages promotes Leishmania internalization and pathogenesis Barrie U, Floyd K, Datta A, Wetzel DM Microbes and Infection 2024 Jul 26 A Multi-Color Immunofluorescence Assay to Distinguish Intracellular from External Leishmania Parasites Datta A, Barrie U, Wetzel DM Bio-protocol 2024 Jun 14 Cutaneous Leishmania mexicana infections in the United States: definingstrains through endemic human pediatric cases in northern Texas Nepal B, McCormick-Baw C, Patel K, Firmani S, Wetzel DM mSphere 2024 Mar 9 Src- and Abl-family kinases activate spleen tyrosine kinase to maximize phagocytosis and Leishmania infection Ullah I, Barrie U, Kernen RM, Mamula ET, Tho Huu Khuong F, Booshehri LM, Rhodes EL, Bradford JM, Datta A, Wetzel DM Journal of cell science 2023 Jul 136 CrkII/Abl phosphorylation cascade is critical for NLRC4 inflammasome activity and is blocked by Pseudomonas aeruginosa ExoT Mohamed MF, Gupta K, Goldufsky JW, Roy R, Callaghan LT, Wetzel DM, Kuzel TM, Reiser J, Shafikhani SH Nature communications 2022 Dec 13 Results 1-10 of 26 1 2 3 Next Last Books Featured Books Chemotherapy of Protozoal Infections. In Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 13th ed, Brunton LL, Hilal-Dandan R, Knollmann BC, eds. Wetzel DM, Phillips MA (2018). New York, NY, McGraw-Hill Medical; 987-999 Chemotherapy of Protozoal Infections. In Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics Wetzel DM, Phillips MA (2017). New York, NY, McGraw-Hill Medical Honors & Awards Young Physician-Scientist AwardAmerican Society of Clinical Investigation (2013) IDSA Fellow's Research Award and Travel GrantTop abstracts by infectious disease fellows-in-training - Infectious Diseases Society of America (2010) Alexander Berg PrizeGraduating medical student presenting the best research in molecular microbiology - Washington University School of Medicine (2005) William A. McElroy Award for Undergraduate Research in BiologyGraduating student with th emost promise in biological research - Johns Hopkins University (1998) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Academy of Pediatrics (2005) American Medical Association (2009) American Society for Microbiology (2012) Eastern Society for Pediatric Research (2013) Infectious Diseases Society of America (2009) Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society of America (2009)
