The research interests of Dr. Douglas Dr. focus on the cellular immunology of HIV/AIDS, primary immune deficiency diseases, and cellular immunopathologies. In addition, he has had significant involvement in studies related to immunological interactions.

He is a core director in the NIMH-funded Penn Mental Health AIDS Research Center, and the PI for laboratory biomarkers quantitative pharmacology neuroimaging and neurobehavioral characterization core.

Dr. Douglas, the author/coauthor of over 500 peer-reviewed publications, has a robust research program that has led to numerous scientific contributions to his field. He discovered that human lymphocytes pokeweed mitogen differentiated into plasma cells and delineated the immune function of human lymphocytes and lymphocyte function in primary immune deficiency diseases. He observed that human lymphocytes of the T cell subset formed unique rosettes with sheep erythrocytes, a marker for these lymphocytes. His studies demonstrated that lymphocyte responses were impaired in primary immune deficiency, and this technique was used to identify disorders of lymphocytes.

In addition, Dr. Douglas was first to isolate and culture human monocytes from peripheral blood, enabling the discovery and technology to study monocyte receptors for immunoglobulin and complement, as well as disorders of monocyte in long-term culture.

He discovered human monocyte macrophage and lymphocytes receptors for substance P; was the first to show that macrophages were infected with HIV; and discovered that there are abnormalities in macrophage immunity, and cells can be manipulated by drugs that  affect both the brain and the immune system.

Dr. Douglas has also contributed scientific knowledge on the effects and design of new therapeutics for HIV, using antagonist Neurokinin-1. He discovered that substance P antagonists inhibit HIV through its physiologic receptor NK1R, and demonstrated that treatment with substance P antagonists leads to decreased inflammation in some patients infected with HIV.

AB, Cornell University (Zoology), 1959

MD, Cornell University, 1963

Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco (Immunology), 1969

Section Chief for Immunology

Medical Director, Immunogenetics Laboratory

Professor of Pediatrics

American Academy of Microbiology, Fellow

American Association of Immunologists

American Federation for Clinical Research

American Society for Clinical Investigation

American Society for Microbiology

American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research

Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists, Fellow

Interurban Clinical Club

Society for Leukocyte Biology

Henry Kunkel Society

American Society for Microbiology/Abbott Laboratories Award in Clinical & Diagnostic Immunology, 1997

Erwin Neter Award, Assn. of Medical Laboratory Immunologists, 2000

Honorary Life Member, Society for Leukocyte Biology, 2000

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow, 2003

Paradigm Builder Award of the International Society for Neurovirolgy, 2015