Scott E. Evans MD, FCCP, ATSF

Dr. Scott Evans is a Professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is specialized in Pulmonary Medicine and Internal Medicine. The entirety of his professional effort, both laboratory and clinical, is focused on the mechanisms that prevent humans from universally succumbing to the microbial pathogens they inhale or aspirate every day. In particular, he is interested in how non-HIV immunocompromised patients respond to the presence of respiratory pathogens.

His goal is to exploit these native mechanisms to provide more comprehensive protection during episodes of peak vulnerability, such as when cancer patients receive chemotherapy. His laboratory is currently engaged full-time in mechanistic studies intended to unravel the means by which his recently described phenomenon of inducible resistance protects against pneumonia. His available data indicate that this protective response occurs via antimicrobial product generation from treated respiratory epithelial cells, rather than through the typical leukocyte effectors of the innate immune system. His long-term objective is to develop a research program focused on the discovery and manipulation of epithelium-derived antimicrobial mediators that can ultimately be translated for clinical benefit.