In Person & By Zoom

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88548800286?pwd=ZRG7ZjFZcIaJU8C7NP5SSIykk28IAQ.1
Meeting ID: 885 4880 0286
Passcode: 973983

Bobby Brooke Herrera, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Rutgers Global Health Institute
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Research Scientist, Child Health Institute of New Jersey

Dr. Bobby Brooke Herrera earned his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences in Public Health from Harvard University in 2018. Following his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School, he co-founded E25Bio, Inc. at MIT’s The Engine, where he led a team focused on developing rapid diagnostics for dengue, Zika, and SARS-CoV-2. Under his leadership, the company secured over $8 million in funding from the NIH, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and private investors. In recognition of his work, Dr. Herrera was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Healthcare in 2020. He joined the faculty at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in 2022.
Dr. Herrera’s lab investigates arthritogenic alphaviruses—including chikungunya, o’nyong-nyong, and Mayaro viruses—which cause debilitating joint disease but remain underdiagnosed and immunologically understudied. His team has developed RT-RPA–based rapid molecular diagnostics for all three viruses, enabling both point-of-care detection and sequencing for molecular surveillance. Concurrently, his lab is exploring how T cells drive virus-induced arthritis, with emerging data highlighting a role for CXCR3–CXCL10 signaling in T cell recruitment to inflamed joints. By integrating molecular diagnostics with studies of T cell–mediated immunopathogenesis, his work aims to advance both outbreak preparedness and therapeutic strategies for neglected tropical diseases.