Dr. Proal is a microbiologist who studies the molecular mechanisms by which bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens dysregulate human gene expression, immunity and metabolism. Her work further examines how dysbiosis of the human microbiome and/or the human virome can contribute to chronic inflammatory disease processes. As a member of the research team at Autoimmunity Research Foundation, she has authored papers and written book chapters for organizations like the J.Craig Venter Institute and The Autoimmunity Network, and lectured at the NIH and numerous USA/international conferences. Proal graduated from Georgetown University in 2005 with a degree in biology. In 2012, she obtained a PhD in microbiology from Murdoch University in Australia. Her graduate thesis focused on “Autoimmune disease re-examined in light of metagenomic concepts.”