The Nominations Committee is delighted to announce the results of the 2025 ICIS Leadership elections! Joining ICIS President-Elect Curt Horvath, Ph.D., Northwestern University, who ascends to the role of President next month, this year’s incoming leaders bring unique perspectives from across the globe and share a deep commitment to supporting the cytokine research community. We sat down with each of them to learn more about their scientific journeys, their vision for the Cytokine Society, and what makes them tick outside the lab.
Karen Mossman, Ph.D. – President-Elect
McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Karen Mossman’s connection to the Cytokine Society runs deep. A member since the society’s formation and a former council member and treasurer of ISICR during its merger with ICS to form ICIS, she helped organize the inaugural ICIS conference in San Francisco. Last year, she received the ICIS Honorary Lifetime Membership Award.
Her research journey began during her Ph.D. when she studied how poxviruses subvert host responses, specifically working on M-T7 from myxoma virus—a secreted homolog of the interferon gamma receptor. “The rest is history,” she says. Her lab has continued focusing on virus-host interactions and the interferon pathway, but the context has evolved dramatically. Today, her work explores how disruptions in these pathways create opportunities for oncolytic viruses to function as novel immunotherapies. Her research has even expanded to bats, studying how their enhanced innate responses enable them to carry diverse pathogens without showing signs of infection.
What does Karen value most about ICIS? “I most value the community,” she says simply. Attending her first ISICR meeting just months after starting as an Assistant Professor, she immediately felt welcomed into a network that was “generous with ideas, advice and reagents and which truly supported trainees and early career researchers.” Twenty-five years later, that remains true.
Looking ahead, Karen identifies a major challenge facing not just cytokine research but all of science: “the rise of misinformation and distrust, fueled largely by current geopolitics,” coupled with eroding funding and support for collaborative research. Her priority as President-Elect is clear—ensuring continued support for trainees and early career researchers despite these challenges, while advocating for the importance of research to both funding agencies and, critically, the general public.
When she’s not in the lab, Karen is an avid swimmer and certified diver who enjoys yearly diving trips with ICIS’s current president.
Elia Tait Wojno, Ph.D. – Treasurer
University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
Elia Tait Wojno’s fascination with cytokines began early in her graduate career. “The complex, flexible, and context-specific nature of cytokine regulation of inflammation was (and is!) fascinating to me,” she explains. She remains captivated by how the immune system enables “almost any immunological conversation” involving not just immune cells but also structural and functional tissue cells. Her interests have since expanded to incorporate how eicosanoids—enzymatically-encoded bioactive lipids—tune, enhance, or dampen cytokine signaling in tissues.
An ICIS member since 2013, Elia has served on multiple committees and brings valuable experience in meeting organization and finances, having organized the Woods Hole Immunoparasitology Meeting and currently serving on the Finance Committee for the Midwinter Conference of Immunologists. She credits the Society with being “incredibly supportive” throughout her career, from her trainee years to her current position as a mid-career investigator.
As Treasurer, Elia’s goal is straightforward: “to ensure that the Society is well-positioned financially to continue its mission, maintain a vibrant annual meeting, and expand its reach.” She envisions achieving this through smart financial management, partnerships with industry and donors, and an expanding membership—all to consistently deliver “an exceptional scientific home for cytokine scientists at all career stages.”
She also sees an ongoing challenge in communicating the importance of cytokine research to the public, viewing ICIS as crucial in helping scientists create “outward-facing content that showcases the cytokine-related work in academia and industry that saves and changes lives.”
Outside the lab, Elia loves to hike, garden, and waterski—though she admits she doesn’t get to do it very often!
Patrick Han, Ph.D. – Councilor for Inclusion and Training
Yonsei University, Incheon, Korea
Patrick Han’s path to cytokine research took an unexpected turn. Beginning graduate school with plans to study nanomaterials for renewable energy, everything changed when he took a course called Immunoengineering. He quickly became fascinated by the immune system and cell-cell communications that define health and “self.” His doctoral research focused on immunotherapeutic drug delivery platforms, encapsulating therapeutic cytokines to enhance immunotherapeutic potency in dendritic cells. He then pivoted to synthetic biology, using barcoded libraries and genetic circuits to test large protein libraries and guide cell fate changes. Now, as a PI, he’s working to reprogram immune cells to overcome differentiation cues—including cytokines—that inhibit therapeutic immune functions.
For Patrick, who started as an Assistant Professor at Yonsei University in 2024, the Cytokines conference holds special significance as the first conference he attended as a PI. The coincidental co-hosting with the Korean Association of Immunologists conference provided an immediate introduction to both Korean immunology researchers and the ICIS community, particularly through the ECR Networking event.
Patrick sees both challenges and opportunities on the horizon. Given recent policy changes and funding challenges in the U.S., he anticipates many early career researchers will be looking outward for opportunities—a time of heightened insecurity but also potential for global institutions to attract top talent. “More than ever, it may mean that ICIS needs to, through programming and other mechanisms, take on the role of promoting engagement and participation from globally diverse constituents of the society,” he notes.
His immediate goals include growing ECR programming through increased participation in the Networking event and developing mentorship programs. He’s also passionate about highlighting global diversity and career opportunities in underrepresented parts of the world, potentially through faculty candidate sessions where trainees can network with hiring departments worldwide.
Patrick’s hidden talents? He’s remarkably good at falling asleep on flights (usually before take-off) and can smell celery from a mile away—and it smells bad to him.
Javier Mora, Ph.D. – Nominations Committee
University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica
Javier Mora has been passionate about immunology from the start of his career. During his Ph.D. in Germany, he had the thrilling experience of identifying the role of the then-novel IL-38, discovering it to be the ligand of an orphan receptor his supervisor’s lab was studying. Since establishing his research group in Costa Rica, he has remained focused on immunology and cytokine research, expanding into cancer and tropical diseases.
The Cytokine Society conference was one of the first major scientific meetings Javier attended during his Ph.D., and he was deeply inspired by the breadth of knowledge shared. As someone who describes himself as not naturally extroverted, networking at large conferences has been challenging—which is precisely why he’s excited about this opportunity to contribute more actively to the Society.
Javier’s perspective on inclusion is informed by personal experience navigating both high-resource European institutions and resource-limited settings in Latin America. He sees promoting global collaboration as key for advancing cytokine research, especially given recent challenges faced in different countries. His main goal is to “enhance the visibility of our research and expand networking opportunities, fostering collaboration from a truly global perspective,” while strengthening inclusion of scientists from countries with limited resources.
Despite the limitations of conducting research in Costa Rica, Javier appreciates being surrounded by incredible nature and beautiful beaches. He enjoys hiking and spending time by the ocean, especially paddleboarding and sometimes kitesurfing.
Incoming President Curt Horvath shares his enthusiasm about the new leadership team: “I’m thrilled to work alongside this exceptional group of colleagues. Their deep expertise, global perspectives, and shared dedication to supporting our community at all career stages will be invaluable as we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead for the Society and cytokine research.”
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The Nominations Committee extends gratitude to all candidates for their willingness to serve the ICIS community and to all members who participated in the voting process. These new leaders bring fresh perspectives, global diversity, and a shared commitment to supporting cytokine researchers at all career stages while navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.
2025 Nominations Committee:
- Claudia Nold, Ph.D., (Chair, 2024 – 2026), Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, Australia
- Ana Gamero, Ph.D., (2024 – 2026), Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA
- Rune Hartmann, Ph.D., (2022 – 2027), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Ekaterina Koltsova, Ph.D., M.D., (2024 – 2026), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA
- Lydia Lynch, Ph.D., (2022 – 2027), Princeton University, Princeton, USA
- Shruti Naik, Ph.D., (2023 – 2025), New York University, New York, USA
- Andreas Wack, Ph.D., (2024 – 2026), Francis Crick Institute, London, UK