Originally from Ethiopia, Dr. Tafesse received his PhD from Utrecht University, The Netherlands. He did his postdoctoral studies at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (MIT) in the lab of Hidde Ploegh where he was an NWO Rubicon fellow, and worked on host-pathogen interaction of viruses, fungi and bacterial toxins. Before joining OHSU, Dr. Tafesse was an Instructor in Medicine, Assistant in Immunology at the Ragon Institute of MGH, Harvard and MIT where he established his research program in host-pathogen interactions. 

His lab studies how dangerous microbes hijack human cells to survive, spread, and cause disease. A major focus of the lab is understanding how ipids (fats) in our cells influence infections such as tuberculosis, Zika, dengue, and HIV, as well as how the immune system responds. By combining cutting-edge tools in lipid biology, imaging, and biochemistry, his team uncovers new ways these pathogens interact with the body. The lab also develops nanobodies - tiny antibody-like molecules - as powerful new tools for studying infection and for creating better diagnostics and treatments.