Dr. Lee’s research focuses on using peptide and protein-based vaccines as platforms to target infectious and chronic diseases. Vaccine platforms derived from self-assembly were exploited in the development of current human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B (HBV) vaccines comprised virus-like particles (VLPs). VLPs make effective vaccines because their particulate geometry and multivalent structure provoke strong immune responses (28-31). Similar to VLPs, peptides that self-assemble into ordered fibril structures can elicit strong immune responses due to the geometrical and multivalent display of peptide antigens along the fibril.

Research goals: to be an independent researcher that focuses on novel peptide-based vaccine development and molecular epidemiology. Dr. Lee plans to use her research to improve the health care of AIAN people through biomedical research, community-based participatory research, STEM education, and mentoring.

Dr. Naomi Lee was awarded the NIH Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) at the University of New Mexico. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology from 2015-2018. She was mentored by Dr. Bryce Chackerian. Her projects focused on the identification and development of potential HPV and gonorrhea vaccine candidates using virus-like particles (VLP).

Previously, Naomi was a postdoctoral fellow in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and mentored by Dr. Steven Jacobson, senior investigator of the viral immunology section. There her research focused on treatment and detection of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6). While a fellow in NINDS, Dr. Lee has also completed an Institutional Review Board (IRB) internship in the Bioethics Department of the NIH clinical center.

Dr. Lee was accepted into the Native Investigator Development Program through the University of Washington and University of Colorado Denver. Her projects focus on estimating STI prevalence and risk factors within Native American communities.

Finally, Naomi is a Captain in the Army National Guard.

Links to learn more about Dr. Lee’s research:

• Lee Lab Research Group website
• experts.nau
• Google Scholar
• NIH OPEN Spotlight: Naomi Lee (May 2024)
• Naomi Lee: ‘The importance of mentoring’ (Jan 2024)
• Council of Undergraduate Research 2024 Silvia Ronco Innovative Mentor Award (video),
• Council of Undergraduate Research 2024 Silvia Ronco Innovative Mentor Award (article)
• Dr. Naomi Lee NAUTV Feature (2020)
• 2018 AISES Professional of the Year