Marcia Hobbs

Marcia Hobbs, PhD, is a Research Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and joint faculty in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. She earned her PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 1988 to 1993. Throughout her career at UNC Chapel Hill, Hobbs has conducted translational research spanning clinical and basic science investigations of non-viral sexually transmitted pathogens. Her laboratory focuses on Trichomonas vaginalis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and Mycoplasma genitalium. As part of the North Carolina Sexually Transmitted Infections and Southeastern Sexually Transmitted Infections Cooperative Research Center, her team develops genotyping systems for T. vaginalis to understand genetic diversity in clinical isolates and supports clinical studies with molecular detection assays for bacterial sexually transmitted pathogens N. gonorrhoeae, C. trachomatis, and M. genitalium.

Hobbs co-leads UNC's experimental human gonococcal infection program, providing a unique model for studying Neisseria gonorrhoeae pathogenesis and host immune responses. Her international collaborations include clinical research projects in North Carolina, Jamaica, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe. Key publications include "Experimental Gonococcal Infection in Male Volunteers: Cumulative Experience with Neisseria gonorrhoeae Strains FA1090 and MS11mkC" (Frontiers in Microbiology, 2011), "Methods for Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in the Male Partners of Infected Women: Implications for Control of Trichomoniasis" (Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2006), "HIV-associated vaginal microbiome and inflammation predict genital HIV shedding" (Scientific Reports, 2022), and "Post-randomization Differences in Condomless Vaginal Sex Among Women in Sub-Saharan Africa" (AIDS and Behavior, 2022). In 2021, Hobbs and Joseph Alex Duncan received a five-year, $3.9 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to investigate the serogroup B meningococcal vaccine's effect on gonorrhea. She was awarded the Basic Science Teaching Excellence Award by the UNC School of Medicine Academy of Educators in 2014. Her research has advanced STI diagnostics, epidemiology, and vaccine development strategies.

Professional Email: mmhobbs@med.unc.edu