Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, Marshall University School of Medicine, August 2009
M.S. Biological Sciences, Marshall University, May 2006
B.S. Biological Sciences, Marshall University, December 2002
2019- Board of Directors member, International Bordetella Society
2018- Director, Vaccine Development Center at WVU Health Science Center
2017-2018 Co-Director of the Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis Graduate Program
2014- Assistant Professor. West Virginia University, School of Medicine, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Cell Biology, Morgantown, WV, USA
2014 Research Associate. PI Erik Hewlett, University of Virginia, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2013 Postdoctoral Research Fellow. PI Erik Hewlett, University of Virginia, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2013 Postdoctoral Research Fellow. PI Ian Glomski, University of Virginia, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2010-2013 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow. PI Joanna Goldberg, University of Virginia, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2009-2010 Research Scientist for Genetic Engineering. Progenesis Technologies, LLC Huntington, WV, USA
2004–2009 Doctoral Student. Regulation of Alginate Production of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. PI Hongwei Yu, Marshall University School of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Huntington, WV, USA
2003-2004 Graduate Research Assistant. Isolation and Characterization of Vinyl Chloride Degrading Bacteria. PI Charles Somerville, Marshall University, Department of Biology, Huntington, WV, USA
2002-2003 Analytical Chemist. Supervisor Ronald Gain, Ph.D. Microbiological Consultants, Huntington, WV, USA
2003 Graduate Teaching Assistant. Marshall University, Department of Biology, Huntington, WV, USA
2000 Undergraduate Work Study Assistant. Forest Ecosystems. Richard Thomas, PhD, West Virginia University, Department of Biology, Morgantown, WV, USA
2019-2021 CDC Contract Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 75D301-19-R-67835 Characterization of currently circulating Bordetella pertussis isolates to facilitate next generation pertussis vaccine development
2019 WVCTSI Pilot Award Development of a Monoclonal Antibody Therapy against Serratia marcescens
2019-2024 1 R01 AI137155-01A1, "Development of mucosal vaccines to protect against pertussis" Damron (PI)
2018-2022 Research Challenge Grant, "Foundation of the WVU Vaccine Development Center" Damron (PI)
2018-2020 CF Foundation Research Award, "Development of a Multivalent Acellular FpvA Vaccine Against P. aeruginosa" (Co-I)
2018-2023 Subcontract of R01, Mechanistic Characterization and Regulation of the Non-redundant Phu and Has Heme Uptake
2017-2021 Subcontract of R01, "Systematic evaluation of B. pertussis ACT's role as a protective antigen" (Co-I)
2016-2020 Subcontract of R01, "Role of PrrF and PrrH Regulation in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Pathogenesis" (Co-I)
2017-2018 EPSCoR College-University Collaboration Program, Schmitt (PI) and Damron (Co-PI).
2015-2016 WV-INBRE Next Generation Sequencing Grant, Damron (PI). "Transcriptional response to Bordetella pertussis"
2015-2016 WV EPSCoR Research Seed Grant, Damron (PI). "Production of adenylate cyclase toxin"
2014-2017 Respiratory Pathogens Research Center Innovation Grant, Eby (PI) and Damron (Co-PI)
2014-2017 Respiratory Pathogens Research Center Innovation Grant, Hewlett (PI) and Damron (Co-PI)
2013-2014 IVY Foundation Biomedical Innovation Fund Grant, Damron (Co-PI). "Developing living antibiotics".
2010-2013 Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
2006-2009 NASA Graduate Student Research Program Three year fellowship
2007-2008 West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship
2006-2007 West Virginia Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship "λ-RED recombineering in Pseudomonas aeruginosa"
D. T. Boehm, M. A. Wolf, J. M. Hall, T. Y. Wong, E. Sen-Kilic, H. D. Basinger, S.A. Dziadowicz, M. P. Gutierrez, C. B. Blackwood, S. D. Bradford, K. A. Begley, W. T. Witt, M. E. Varney, M. Barbier and F. H. Damron. Intranasal acellular pertussis vaccine provides mucosal immunity and protects mice from Bordetella pertussis Nature Vaccines volume 4, Article number: 40 (2019) PMID: 31602318
E. Sen-Kilic, C. B. Blackwood, D. T. Boehm, W. T. Witt, A. C. Malkowski, J. R. Bevere, T. Y. Wong, J. M. Hall, S. D. Bradford, M. E. Varney, F. H. Damron, M. Barbier. Intranasal peptide-based FpvA-KLH conjugate vaccine protects mice from Pseudomonas aeruginosa acute murine pneumonia Frontiers in Immunology In press
D. T. Boehm, M. E. Varney, T. Y. Wong, E. S. Nowak, E. Sen-Kilic, J. M. Hall, S. D. Bradford, K. A. Begley, J. U. Bevere, M. S. Epperly, J. A. Maynard, E. L. Hewlett, M. Barbier, F. H. Damron. Characterizing the innate and adaptive responses of immunized mice to Bordetella pertussis infection using in vivo imaging and transcriptomic analysis. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/674408v2
T.Y. Wong, J.M. Hall, E. S. Nowak, D. T. Boehm, L. A. Gonyar, E. L. Hewlett, J. C. Eby, M. Barbier, and F. H. Damron. Analysis of the in vivo transcriptome of Bordetella pertussis during infection of mice. mSphere. 2019 Apr 17;4(2). pii: e00154-19. doi: 10.1128/mSphereDirect.00154-19. PMID: 30996109
L.A. Gonyar, P.E. Gelbach, D.G. McDuffie, A.F. Koeppel, Q. Chen, G. Lee, L.M. Temple, S. Stibitz, E.L. Hewlett, J.A. Papin, F.H Damron, and J.C Eby In vivo gene essentiality and metabolism in Bordetella pertussis mSphere. 2019 May 22;4(3). pii: e00694-18. doi: 10.1128/mSphere.00694-18. PMID: 31118307
C. L. Hoffman, L.A. Gonyar, F. Zacca, F. Sisti, J. Fernandez, T. Wong, F.H. Damron, E. L. Hewlett EL4. Bordetella pertussis Can Be Motile and Express Flagellum-Like Structures MBio. 2019 May 14;10(3). pii: e00787-19. doi: 10.1128/mBio.00787-19. PMID: 31088927
M.E. Varney, D.T. Boehm, K. DeRoos, E.S. Nowak, T.Y. Wong, E. Sen-Kilic, S.D. Bradford, C. Elkins, M.S. Epperly, W.T. Witt, M. A. Barbier and F. H. Damron. Bordetella pertussis Whole Cell Immunization, Unlike Acellular Immunization, Mimics Naïve Infection by Driving Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Expansion in Mice. Frontiers in Immunology 2018 vol: 9 pp:2376 PMID: 30405604
D.T. Boehm, J.M. Hall, T.Y. Wong, A. DiVenere, E. Sen-Kilic, J. R. Bevere, S. D. Bradford, C.B.Blackwood, C. Elkins, K. A. DeRoos, M.C. Gray, C. G. Cooper, M.E. Varney, J. A. Maynard, E. L. Hewlett, M. Barbier, and F.H.Damron. Evaluation of adenylate cyclase toxoid antigen in acellular pertussis vaccines using a Bordetella pertussis challenge model in mice. Infection and Immunity 2018 Sep 21;86(10). pii: e00857-17. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00857-17 PMID: 30012638
M.Barbier, J. Bevere, F.H.Damron. Chapter 7: In Vivo Bacterial Imaging Using Bioluminescence. Methods in Molecular Biology Vol 1790 Reporter Gene Imaging
A. Little , Y. Okkotsu , A. Reinhart , F.H. Damron , M. Barbier , B. Barrett , A. G. Oglesby-Sherrouse , J. B.Goldberg, W. L Cody , M. Schurr , M. L. Vasil, M. J. Schurr. Pseudomonas aeruginosa AlgR Phosphorylation Status Differentially Regulates Pyocyanin and Pyoverdine production. MBio 2018 Jan 30;9(1). pii: e02318-17. doi: 10.1128/mBio.02318-17 PMID: 29382736
A. Reinhart, A. T. Nguyen, L. K. Brewer, J. Bevere, J. W. Jones, M. A. Kane, F. H. Damron, M. Barbier and A. G. Oglesby-Sherrouse. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa PrrF Small RNAs Regulate Iron Homeostasis During Acute Murine Lung Infection. Infection and Immunity. 2017 Apr 21;85(5). pii: e00764-16. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00764-16. PMID: 28289146
T.Wong, J. Hall, D. Boehm, M. Barbier, F. H. Damron. Development Of RNAseq Methodologies To Profile The In Vivo Transcriptome Of Bordetella pertussis During Murine Lung Infection bioRxiv 140632; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/140632
F. H. Damron, A. Oglesby-Sherrouse, A. Wilks, M. Barbier. Dual-seq transcriptomics reveals the battle for iron during Pseudomonas aeruginosa acute murine pneumonia. Scientific Reports 2016 Dec 16;6:39172 PMID: 27982111
M. Barbier, D.T. Boehm, E. Sen-Kilic, C. Bonnin, T. Pinheiro, C. Hoffman, M. Gray, E. Hewlett, F.H. Damron Modulation of pertussis and adenylate cyclase toxins by sigma factor RpoE in Bordetella pertussis. Infection and Immunity 2016 Dec 29;85(1) PMID: 27849178
C. Hoffman, J. Eby, M. Gray F. H. Damron, P. Cotter, E. Hewlett. Bordetella adenylate cyclase toxin interacts with filamentous hemagglutinin to inhibit biofilm formation in vitro. Mol Microbiol. 2016 Oct 12. PMID: 27731909
M. Barbier M, F. H. Damron. Rainbow Vectors for Broad-Range Bacterial Fluorescence Labeling. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 3;11(3):e0146827. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0146827. eCollection 2016. PubMed PMID: 26937640; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4777285
J. Varga J., Barbier M., Mulet X, Bielecki P, Bartell J, Owings J, Martinez-Ramos I, Hittle L, Davis MR Jr, Damron F.H., Liechti G, Puchałka J, Dos Santos V, Ernst R, Papin J, Albertí S, Oliver A, Goldberg J. Genotypic and phenotypic analyses of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronic bronchiectasis isolate reveal differences from cystic fibrosis and laboratory strains. BMC Genomics 2015 Oct 30; 16(1):883 PMID 26519161
Dai, H. Wei, C. Tian, F. H. Damron, J. Zhou, D. Qiu. An extracytoplasmic function sigma factor-dependent periplasmic glutathione peroxidase is involved in oxidative stress response of Shewanella oneidensis. BMC Microbiology 2015 Feb 18;15(1):34. doi: 10.1186/s12866-015-0357-0. 25887418. PMID 25887418
M. Barbier*, F.H. Damron, P. Bielecki, M. Suárez-Diez, J. Puchałka, S. Albertí, V. dos Santos, J. B. Goldberg. From the environment to the host: re-wiring of the transcriptome of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from 22°C to 37°C PLOS ONE 9(2): e89941. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089941 * M.B. and F.H.D contributed equally to this publication. PMID 24587139
F. H. Damron* and M. Barbier* Predatory bacteria: Living Antibiotics, Biocontrol Agents, or Probiotics? Journal of Postdoctoral Research Dec. 2013 * M.B. and F.H.D contributed equally to this publication. Link to article – http://dx.doi.org/qnz
M. Barbier* and F.H. Damron.* A Recipe for a Successful Postdoctoral Research Symposium. Journal of Postdoctoral Affairs Link to article * M.B. and F.H.D contributed equally to this publication
Y. Yin, F. H. Damron, T. R. Withers, C. L. Pritchett, X. Wang, M. J. Schurr and H. D. Yu. Expression of mucoid induction factor MucE is dependent upon the alternate sigma factor AlgU in Pseudomonas aeruginosa BMC Microbiology 13:232. PMID 24138584
F. H. Damron, M. Barbier, E. S. McKenney, M. J. Schurr and J. B. Goldberg. Genes Required for and Effects of Inducible Alginate Overproduction by Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on PIAAMV. Journal of Bacteriology 195:4020-4036. PMID 23794622
M. Barbier, J. P. Owings, I. Martinez-Ramos, F. H. Damron, R. Gomila, J. Blazquez, J. B. Goldberg, and S. Alberti. 2013. Lysine Trimethylation of EF-Tu Mimics Platelet-Activating Factor To Initiate Pseudomonas aeruginosa Pneumonia. MBio 4. PMID 23653444
F. H. Damron, E. S. McKenney, M. Barbier, G. W. Liechti, H. P. Schweizer, and J. B. Goldberg. 2013. Construction of Mobilizable Mini-Tn7 Vectors for Bioluminescent Detection of Gram-Negative Bacteria and Single-Copy Promoter lux Reporter Analysis. Applied Environmental Microbiology 79:4149-53. PMID 23584769
T. R. Withers, F. H. Damron, Y. Yin, H. Yu. Truncation of type IV pilin induces mucoidy in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO579. 2013. Microbiology Open 2:459-70. PMID 23533140
F. H. Damron, E. McKenney, H. P. Schweizer, J.B. Goldberg. 2013. Construction of a Broad-Host-Range Tn7-Based Vector for Single-Copy PBAD-Controlled Gene Expression in Gram-Negative Bacteria. Applied Environmental Microbiology 79: 718-721. PMID 23124231
F. H. Damron and J. B. Goldberg. 2012. Proteolytic regulation of alginate overproduction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Molecular Microbiology 84:595-607. PMID 22497280
F. H. Damron, J. P. Owings, Y. Okkotsu, J. J. Varga, J. R. Schurr, J. B. Goldberg, M. J. Schurr and H. D. Yu. 2012. Analysis of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa Regulon Controlled by the Sensor Kinase KinB and Sigma Factor RpoN. Journal of Bacteriology 194: 1317-1330. PMID 22210761
J. Rao*, F. H. Damron*, M. Basler, A. DiGiandomenico, N. E. Sherman, J.W. Fox, J. Mekalanos, and J. B. Goldberg. 2011. Proteomic analysis of nonmucoid and mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates from a cystic fibrosis patient. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2: 162 *J.R. and F.H.D contributed equally to this publication. PMID 21863142
F. H. Damron, M. R. Davis Jr., T. R. Withers, R. K. Ernst, J. B. Goldberg, G. Yu, and H. D. Yu. 2011. Vanadate and triclosan synergistically induce alginate overproduction by Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1. Molecular Microbiology. 81: 554-570. PMID 21631603
F. H. Damron and H.D. Yu. 2011. Pseudomonas aeruginosa MucD regulates alginate pathway through activation of MucA degradation via MucP proteolytic activity. Journal of Bacteriology. 193, 286-291. PMID 21036998
F. H. Damron, J.Napper, M.A. Teter and H.D. Yu. 2009. Lipotoxin F of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an AlgU-dependent and alginate-independent outer membrane protein involved in resistance to oxidative stress and adhesion to A549 human lung epithelia Microbiology 155, 1028 – 1038. PMID 19332805
F. H. Damron, D. Qiu and H.D. Yu. 2009. The Pseudomonas aeruginosa sensor kinase KinB negatively controls alginate production through AlgW-dependent MucA proteolysis. Journal of Bacteriology 191, 2285-2295. PMID 19168621
D. Qiu*, F. H. Damron*, T.Mima, H.P. Schweizer, H.D. Yu. 2008. PBAD-Based shuttle vectors for functional analysis of toxic and highly regulated genes in Pseudomonas and Burkholderia spp. and other bacteria. Applied Environmental Microbiology. 74:7422-7426.* D.Q. and F.H.D contributed equally to this publication. PMID 18849445
2008 H. D. Yu, F. H. Damron, and D. Qiu. 2008. Methods for producing bacterial alginates, pending U.S. patent (application No. 61/048,858) filed on April 29, 2008
2011 H.D. Yu and F.H. Damron. 2011. Methods and compositions for producing alginate and for detection of virulent bacterial strains, pending U.S. patent filed on March 30, 2011