James Porterfield, MD, PhD

Dr. Porterfield is a physician-scientist focused on understanding the interface between viral infection and changes in immunity at the lymphoid tissue level - the factories that develop and refine antibodies. He obtained his MD and a PhD in Virology at the University of Oklahoma and completed his Internal Medicine Residency, Infectious Disease Fellowship, and NIH Global Health Fellowship at Yale University. His current bench research focuses on HIV and impairment of immunity at the antibody production level. He has several active clinical research programs in four countries focused on improving access to care in remote and at risk populations through capacity building, local and international collaboration, and task shifting. He splits his time between Lexington, Kentucky, where he runs a lab and consults on the Infectious Disease service, and Durban, South Africa where he is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and conducts HIV and TB based research at the Africa Health Research Institute. He is currently a member of several advisory groups responsible for the clinical and research response to the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of Kentucky.