Harry Mobley, Ph.D., was awarded the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urinary Tract Infection Global Alliance (UTIGA). The ceremony took place on Friday, July 19, 2024, at the 5^th Clinical and Scientific Advances in Urinary Tract Infections conference in Columbus, Ohio.The event was introduced by former Mobley Lab postdoc, and current Associate Professor at SUNY Buffalo, Chelsie Armbruster, Ph.D.. Additional comments were provided in absentia by former postdoc Sargarunathan Subashchandrabose, Ph.D., now Associate Professor at Texas A&M. 

 

Dr. Mobley presented a retrospective on his distinguished 40-year career, which spans 20 years at the University of Maryland and 20 years at the University of Michigan. With a nod to his work in Helicobacter pylori and Proteus mirabilis, the remainder of the talk focused on his substantial contributions to the field of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). He further explained what sets UPEC apart from other E. coli. This work included research about many virulence factors that contribute to establishing and maintaining UTI, such as adherence, motility, and iron acquisition. Mobley also described his group's work into measuring bacterial gene expression, remarkably high growth rates, and metabolism during UTI from women, both during "uncomplicated" bladder infection (cystitis) and more recently in postmenopausal women. Using the cumulative knowledge from these studies, he and his lab tested UTI vaccine formulations in mice. Despite the detail in this paragraph, this is only a snapshot of Harry's many contributions to the field.

 

Congratulations, Dr. Mobley!