Faculty Profile

Betsy Foxman

Betsy Foxman, PhD, MSPH

  • Hunein F. and Hilda Maassab Professor of Epidemiology
  • Director, Center for Molecular and Clinical Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases
  • Director, Integrated Training in Microbial Systems
  • Director, Certificate in Healthcare Infection Prevention & Control (CHIP)

Dr. Foxman's research focuses on understanding the transmission, pathogenesis, ecology and evolution of infectious agents. Since 2006 her research has focused largely on projects that characterize the microbes that colonize the human body: the microbiome. In particular, she examines how the microbiome can enhance or resist colonization by pathogens with the goal of identifying new diagnostics, prognostics and potential interventions. Her work includes assembling, testing and analyzing population-based samples using next generation sequencing and and qPCR, and applying cutting edge analytic methods that enable microbiome characterization. Ongoing studies include describing the oral microbiome in health and disease, measuring the associations between the nose/throat microbiome and risk of respiratory infection, and developing methods to surveil wastewater for antibiotic resistant organisms. Dr. Foxman is a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America,  the American College of Epidemiology and the American Academy of Microbiology.

  • PhD, University of California Los Angeles, 1983
  • MSPH, University of California Los Angeles, 1980
  • BS, University of California Berkeley, 1977

Research Interests:
Infectious disease, the human microbiome, antibiotic resistance, wastewater surveillance

Research Projects:
Analysis of the oral microbiome among children and adult participants in Center for Oral Health Research in Appalachia cohort studies. Current project include using meta genomic analysis to predict functions of salivary and plaque microbiomes among those with and without dental caries.

Ongoing study of transmission of oral pathogens and the associations with nose/throal microbiome compositions among residents in a skilled nursing facility.

Developing methods to surveil wastewater for antibiotic resistant bacteria, antibiotic resistant genes, Candida, and other pathogens of public health importance.

Blostein F, Zou T, Bhaumik D, Salzman E, Bakulski KM, Shaffer JR, Marazita ML, Foxman B. Bacterial Community Modifies Host Genetics Effect on Early Childhood Caries. J Dent Res. 2023 Sep;102(10):1098-1105. doi: 10.1177/00220345231175356.  Epub 2023 Jul 3. PMID: 37395259; PMCID: PMC10552462. 

Foxman B, Davis E, Neiswanger K, McNeil D, Shaffer J, Marazita ML. Maternal factors and risk of early childhood caries: A prospective cohort study. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2023 Oct;51(5):953-965. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12794. Epub 2022 Sep 28. PMID: 36168961; PMCID: PMC10043047.

Ammerman ML, Mullapudi S, Gilbert J, Figueroa K, de Paula Nogueira Cruz F, Bakker KM, Eisenberg MC, Foxman B, Wigginton KR. (Norovirus GII wastewater monitoring for epidemiological surveillance. PLOS Water 2024. 3(1):e0000198. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pwat.0000198 

Wang J, Foxman B, Rao K, Cassone M, Gibson K, Mody L, Snitkin ES. Association of patient clinical and gut microbiota features with vancomycin-resistant enterococci environmental contamination in nursing homes: a retrospective observational study. Lancet Healthy Longev. 2023 Nov;4(11):e600-e607. doi: 10.1016/S2666-7568(23)00188-5. PMID: 37924841. 

For a complete list of publications can be viewed at https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=HsyuOW8AAAAJandhl=en 

Email: bfoxman@umich.edu 

For media inquiries: sph.media@umich.edu 

Areas of Expertise: Child Health,  Genomics,  Infectious Disease,  Maternal Health,  Respiratory Viruses,  Women’s Health