Training

2017-2023: PhD in Immunology, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
2016: Post-baccalaureate, University of Kansas Medical Center.
2015 REP certificate earned - Research Education Program at University of Kansas
2010-2015: Bachelor of Science in Organismal Biology, University of Kansas.

Research

Neuro-immune interactions and immune-mediated neuropathogenesis

Grants Awarded

• 01/2025 – current: PI, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Hanna H. Gray Fellowship.
• 08/2023 – 06/2024: T32 AI007260 – Trainee, Iowa Interdisciplinary Immunology Postdoctoral Training Program.
• 08/2021 – 08/2023: R25 NS089462 – Trainee, Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP): Preparing the Next Generation of Neuroscience Leaders.
• 08/2020 – 07/2022: F31 NS116924 – PI, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Service Award.
• 09/2019 – 08/2020: T32 AI007425 – Trainee, Mayo Clinic Ph.D. Training Program in Basic Immunology.
• 07/2017 – 07/2019: R25 GM055252 – Trainee, The Mayo Clinic IMSD: Developing scientists through disease-relevant research.
• 07/2016 – 06/2017: R25 GM078441 – Trainee, KU Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program
• 07/2009 – 07/2010: National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talen (SMART) Grant, KU. US Department of Education.
• 07/2008 – 07/2009: National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant, KU. US Department of Education.

Awards

• 2025: Travel Award, Neuroimmune Communication in Health and Disease Gordon Conference
• 

  2025: AAI Trainee Poster Award, American Association of Immunologists (AAI)

• 2025: Best Poster Award, 2^nd Annual T Cells in the Brain Symposium.
• 2024: Cover of Brain journal, February 2024 edition.
• 2023: AAI Trainee Abstract Award, American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
• 2022: Carl Storm Underrepresented Minority Fellowship, 2022 Gordon Research Conference Barriers of the CNS
• 2021: AAI Trainee Abstract Award, American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
• 2020: Inducted into Sigma Xi-Scientific Research Honor Society.
• 2019: Travel Award, American Association of Immunologists (AAI) Minority Scientist Travel Award
• 2019: Nomination, Researcher spotlight; detailed write-up in STEMCELL scientific resources
• 2019: Award, First place winner of the Mayo Clinic 2019-2020 Catalog Cover Contest
• 2019: Scholar, American Association of Immunologists Advanced Course
• 2018: Travel Fellowship, John Wallace Fellowship, Autumn Immunology Conference 2018
• 2017: Travel Award, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science Conference 2017
• 2017: Fellowship, The Dean’s Fellowship, Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
• 2016: Certificate of merit, John’s Hopkins University, Cancer Biology with honors
• 2015: Certificate of merit, Received the Research Experience Program (REP) Certification, University of Kansas
• 2014: Award, Outstanding Presentation Award, 2014 KU Undergraduate Research Symposium
• 2013: Nominated into Honors Biology Program, University of Kansas
• 2008-2010: Grant, two-time recipient of the National Science & Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) Grant, US Department of Education.
• 2008: Inducted into Phi Theta Kappa Research Honors Society.
• 2007: Scholarship, three-time recipient of Scholarly Award Scholarship, Johnson County Community College.

In the News

Brain endothelium class I molecules regulate neuropathology ...
Fain selected for Howard Hughes cohort
Dr. Cori Fain selected by Howard Hughes Medical Institute as 2024 Hannah Gray Fellow
Postdoctoral research fellow Cori Fain, PhD, is the first- ...
Celebrating Cori Fain's Remarkable Ph.D. Triumph and ...
Cori Fain | Hanna Gray Fellow | 2025-Present
Cori Fain - IEEE WIE Leadership Summits 2021
Cori Fain: New Drug Targets for Cerebral Malaria
As Commencement Approaches, Ph.D. Graduates Share The ...
Winners Announced for 2021 Sigma Xi Student Research ...
Overcoming Life Circumstances to Pursue Neuroimmunology Research

Publications  Pubmed

1. Mix MR, van de Wall S, Heidarian M, Escue EA, Fain CE, Pewe LL, Hancox LS, Arumugam SA, Sievers CM, Badovinac VP, Harty JT. Repetitive antigen stimulation in the periphery dictates the composition and recall responses of brain-resident memory CD8+T cells. Cell Rep. 2025 Feb 3;44(2):115247. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115247. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39903666.
2. Mix MR, Kreitlow BL, Berton RR, Xu J, Fain CE, van de Wall S, Pewe LL, Hancox LS, Hassert MA, Kannan SK, Arumugam SA, Sievers CM, Buchanan GF, Griffith TS, Badovinac VP, Harty JT. Physiological microbial exposure normalizes memory T cell surveillance of the brain and modifies host seizure outcomes. Nat Immunol. 2025 Jun 13. doi: 10.1038/s41590-025-02174-y. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40514419.
3. Fain C.E., Zheng J., Jin F., Ayasoufi K., Wu Y., Lilley M.T., Dropik A.R., Wolf D.M., Rodriguez R.C., Abudumijiti A., Tritz Z.P., Bouchal S.M., Pewe L.L., Urban S.L., Chen Y., Chang S.Y., Hansen M.J., Kachergus J.M., Shi J., Thompson E.A., Jensen H.E., Harty J.T., Parney I.F., Sun J., Wu L.J., Johnson A.J. Discrete class I molecules on brain endothelium differentially regulate neuropathology in experimental cerebral malaria. Brain. 2024 Feb 1;147(2):566-589. PMID: 37776513. doi: 10.1093/brain/awad319.
4. AZ Aibaidula, C. Fain, LC Garcia, & IF Parney (2023). Spectral flow cytometry identifies distinct non-neoplastic plasma extracellular vesicle phenotype in glioblastoma patients. Neuro-Oncology Advances. PMID: 37638345 PMCID: PMC10457026
5. Tritz, Z. P., ... Fain, C. E., & Johnson, A. J. (2023). Anti-PD-1 and extended half-life-IL-2 synergize for treatment of murine glioblastoma independent of host MHC Class I expression. Cancer Immunology Research, CIR-22. PMCID: PMC10239322 (available on 2023-12-02) DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-22-0570
6. Ayasoufi, K., Wolf, D. M., … Fain, C.E. ... & Johnson, A. (2023). Brain resident memory T cells rapidly expand and initiate neuroinflammatory responses following CNS viral infection. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. PMID: 37236326 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.05.009
7. Fain, C. E., Zheng, J., Jin, F., Ayasoufi, K., Wu, Y., Lilley, M. T., ... & Johnson, A. J. (2022). Antigen presentation by discrete class I molecules on brain endothelium dynamically regulates T-cell mediated neuropathology in experimental cerebral malaria. bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/2022.10.30.514412
8. Zhang, X., Pearsall, ...Tritz, ZP, Fain, CE…Schafer, M. J. (2022). Rejuvenation of the aged brain immune cell landscape in mice through p16-positive senescent cell clearance. Nature communications, 13(1), 1-17. PMID: 36167854 PMCID: PMC9515187
9. Himes, B. T., Fain, C. E., Tritz, Z. P., Nesvick, C. L., Jin-Lee, H. J., Geiger, P. A., ... & Parney, I. F. (2022). Use of heparin to rescue immunosuppressive monocyte reprogramming by glioblastoma-derived extracellular vesicles. Journal of Neurosurgery, 1(aop), 1-11. PMID: 36115048 DOI: 10.3171/2022.6.JNS2274
10. A Aibaidula, CE Fain, Luz Cumba Garcia, Mi-Yeon Jung, Aaron J. Johnson, Ian F. Parney. Demonstrating large plasma extracellular vesicle separation and concentration from glioblastoma patients using full spectrum flow cytometry. Currently under review at the Journal of Extracellular Vesicles.
11. K Ayasoufi, DM Wolf, SL Namen, ZP Tritz, F Jin, CK Pfaller, EN Goddery, CE Fain, …AJ Johnson. (2022) Brain Resident memory T cells rapidly expand and initiate neuroinflammatory responses following CNS injury and viral infection. Currently under review at BBI.
12. K Ayasoufi, DM Wolf, SL Namen, ZP Tritz, F Jin, CK Pfaller, EN Goddery, CE Fain, LR Gulbicki, RH Khadka, LT Yokanovich, MJ Hansen, AJ Johnson. (2022) Brain Resident memory T cells rapidly expand and initiate neuroinflammatory responses following CNS injury and viral infection. bioRxiv.
13. Goddery, E.N., Fain, C. E., Lipovsky, C. G., Ayasoufi, K., Yokanovich, L. T., Malo, C. S., ... & Johnson, A. J. (2021). Microglia and perivascular macrophages act as antigen presenting cells to promote CD8 T cell infiltration of the brain. Frontiers in Immunology, 3428. PMID: 34526998 PMCID: PMC8435747
14. Ayasoufi K, …Fain CE, Yokanovich LT, Himes BT, Jin F, Zheng J, Schuelke MR, Hansen MJ, Tung W, Parney IF, Pease LR, Vile RG, Johnson AJ. Brain cancer induces systemic immunosuppression through release of non-steroid soluble mediators. Brain. 2020 Dec
15. Ayasoufi, K., …Fain, CE... & Johnson, A. J. (2020). Severe and multifaceted systemic immunosuppression caused by experimental cancers of the central nervous system requires release of non-steroid soluble mediators. bioRxiv.
16. Tritz ZP, Orozco RC, Malo CS, …Fain CE, Khadka RH, Goddery EN, Yokanovich LT, Settell ML, Hansen MJ, Jin F, Pavelko KD, Pease LR, Johnson AJ. Conditional Silencing of H-2Db Class I Molecule Expression Modulates the Protective and Pathogenic Kinetics of Virus-Antigen-Specific CD8 T Cell Responses during Theiler's Virus Infection. J Immunol. 2020 Sep PMID: 32737149 PMCID: PMC7981782
17. Tritz, Z. P., Orozco, R. C., Malo, …Fain, C. E., ... & Johnson, A. J. (2019). Conditional silencing of H-2Db class I molecule expression on dendritic cells modulates the protective and pathogenic kinetics of virus-antigen specific CD8 T cell responses during Theiler’s Virus infection. bioRxiv, 632265.
18. Beadnell TC, Fain C, Vivian CJ, King JCG, Hastings R, Markiewicz MA, Welch DR. Mitochondrial genetics cooperate with nuclear genetics to selectively alter immune cell development/trafficking. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis. 2020 May 1.