Dr. Katharine Bar, M.D. (She/Her)

Associate Professor of Medicine

Dr. Katharine Bar completed her medical training at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, was chief resident in Internal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia, and an Infectious Disease fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in the lab of Drs. George Shaw and Beatrice Hahn. Dr. Bar joined the University of Pennsylvania faculty in 2012 and is currently an Associate Professor of Medicine, an Infectious Disease physician, and a translational physician-scientist. Dr. Bar studies the basic mechanisms and impact of virus transmission, pathogenesis, and persistence of HIV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and other viral pathogens.

Bar Lab Members

Himanshu Garg, Ph.D. (He/Him)

Senior Research Investigator
Himanshu earned his Ph.D. in Immunology at North Carolina State University in the lab of Dr. Wayne Tompkins. Himanshu has experience as gene therapy researcher, molecular virologist and immunologist with more than 20 years of research experience and training in regulatory affairs. He published extensively on gene therapy vector design, cell line development, vaccine development, antiviral assay development including PRNT, microneutralization assays, novel assays for virus infectivity, antiviral drug screening, and clinical and translational science, including observational human subject studies. He has trained in molecular biology, virology, cell biology, multi-color flow cytometry, high content microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy, small animal studies, advanced statistical analysis, and IRB protocol development. HImanshu also trained at the FDA in regulatory affairs.
Suvadip Mallick, Ph.D. (He/Him)

Postdoctoral Researcher
Suva’s experience during his Ph.D. focused on experimental therapeutics against Visceral Leishmaniasis. For his postdoctoral training, Suva moved into virology/immunology and worked on the neuropathogenesis and neuro-inflammation of Encephalitis caused by neuro-invasive viruses (JEV, CHPV). Suva's postdoctoral training was undertaken in India as a National Post Doc Fellow (Science and Engineering Research Board, India) at the National Brain Research Centre, at Tulane National Primate Research Center, USA, and at SouthWest National Primate Research Center (Biomed Research Institute, USA.) in Texas. Suva is fascinated with host-pathogen interaction, reservoir and viral rebound studies with the HIV model of Non-Human Primates (SIV/SHIV).
Jake Robinson, Ph.D. (He/Him)

Postdoctoral Researcher
Jake joined the lab in April 2024 after postdoctoral training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he studied the role of vaginal microbes in immune activation during pregnancy and the role of intrauterine inflammation in in utero brain injury and immune dysfunction. Jake is an academic scientist interested in viral and bacterial infections during pregnancy. He received his doctoral degree in biomedical sciences from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. His graduate training focused on accelerated cardiovascular disease in people with HIV. His studies were in women with HIV, SIV-infected rhesus macaques, and HIV-infected humanized mice to identify the role of osteopontin in the development of cardiac fibrosis during HIV disease progression.
Kevin Newcombe, B.S. (He/Him)

Ph.D. Student
Kevin graduated from the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley in 2017 with a double-major in Physics and Biology. Following this, he worked as a research technician at Weill Cornell Medical College, investigating the role of cellular metabolism on HIV-1 replication. During his Post-Bac at the University of Pennsylvania, Kevin used CAR-T cells to target HIV-1 infected T cells as part of an immunotherapy approach to controlling HIV-1 infection. In Katie’s lab at The University of Pennsylvania, Kevin is researching how gene editing tools can be used to target and clear HIV-1 infections.
Noah Beratan, B.A. (He/Him)

Ph.D. Student
Noah earned his BA in biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2023, where he performed research on HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders. He is currently a PhD student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Gene Therapy and Vaccine Program at Penn. Noah joined the Bar lab in August 2023 and his research will focus on using therapeutic mRNA vaccines to boost autologous neutralizing responses after early ART initiation in NHP models. Outside of lab, Noah loves biking, cooking, and exploring Philadelphia.
Ryan Krause, B.S. (He/Him)

Research Specialist
While completing his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at Rowan University, Ryan studied prospective therapeutics targeting microbial biofilm under Dr. Lark Perez. Upon completing his B.S., Ryan served in the Peace Corps in rural Zambia for three years where he facilitated community-health programs to mitigate the disease burden of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and mother and child heath. Ryan joined the Bar Lab as a Research Specialist in January 2022 where he characterizes viral evolution, viral fitness, and autologous neutralizing antibody development. In his free time, Ryan enjoys cooking, antiquing, and doing any outdoor activity.
Hannah Schrader, B.S. (She/Her)

Research Specialist
Hannah earned her BS degree in Marine Biology from Roger Williams University in 2019. After college, she worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Narragansett, RI for three years. While at the EPA, her research was focused on Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and the impacts of these chemicals on marine environments. After working in environmental research for a couple of years, she transitioned into the public health/molecular virology field. She started an APHL fellowship with the NJ Department of Health in Ewing, NJ where she standardized and implemented the surveillance of seasonal influenza strains using Illumina-based sequencing platforms. This position further piqued her interest in infectious disease research and so, after completing her fellowship, she moved to Philadelphia and joined the Bar lab in September 2023. In her spare time, she loves traveling, exploring the city, going to the beach, and hiking/being outdoors.
Richard "Webb" Camp, M.S, M.P.H. (He/Him)

Research Specialist
Webb earned his MS in Microbiology from Colorado State University in 2020 and his MPH from Tulane University in 2023. After working in public health for 5 years in both environmental health and communicable disease epidemiology Webb decided to return to his interest in laboratory research. He joined the Bar lab in September of 2023. HIs primary interest in the field of virology is cellular entry and fusion as well as host-pathogen interaction and pathogenesis as well as disease ecology. In his free time Webb enjoys hiking, road trips, scuba diving and exploring random spots with his dog Arnoux.
Alexander McFarland, Ph.D. (He/Him)

Bioinformatician
Alex is a Bioinformatician in the Bushman Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. He also joined the Bar lab as a part time bioinformatician. Alex helps the Bar lab with all the bioinformatics related analysis. Alex has a PhD in Biological Sciences and his Interests are: genomics, soccer, and scuba diving.
Hunter Courtney, B.S. (He/Him)

Research Specialist
Hunter joined the Bar lab as an undergraduate student in April 2023 before transitioning to being a research specialist upon his graduation in May 2024. Hunter received his B.A. in Biochemistry and Chemistry as a Roy and Diana Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. He is co-mentored in the Bar lab and the Vella lab, situated adjacent at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His scientific interests lie in the maturation of anti-HIV-1 neutralizing antibody responses and collaboration of CD4+ T and B lymphocytes to refine these antibodies for neutralization breadth and potency. He hopes to enroll in a Medical Scientist Training Program (MD/PhD) in human immunology to continue his passion for HIV-1 research and care for people with HIV. Outside the lab, Hunter enjoys going to coffee shops, reading, trying new food, and rewatching shows with 15+ seasons.
Prableen Kaur (She/Her)

Undergraduate Researcher
Sita Kottilil (She/Her)

Undergraduate Researcher
Sita is a rising senior at Yale University pursuing a B.A. in Political Science. Sita joined the Bar lab in June 2024 as a SPIDR summer scholar. Her interests include chronic diseases and systemic effects of inflammation, immunology and autoimmunity, and systems metabolism. She hopes to pursue an MD/PhD, and become a practicing physician-scientist. Outside of lab, Sita loves to go to the movies, watch musical theatre, and cheer on Baltimore sports teams.