Dr. Eleonora Forte is a Research Assistant Professor in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where she also serves as Director of the Abdominal Organ Transplant Biobank. She earned her PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of Perugia and completed postdoctoral training at Duke University and Northwestern University. Her early research focused on viral latency and oncogenic mechanisms in herpesviruses, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi’s Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Before joining UIC, Dr. Forte was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery- Organ Transplantation at Northwestern University and served as Director of Immunoproteomics at the Northwestern Proteomics Center of Excellence. Her work at Northwestern focused on top-down proteomics and biomarker discovery in transplant rejection, liver disease, and viral infections, as well as investigations on molecular and epigenetic mechanisms regulating Cytomegalovirus (CMV) latency and reactivation. Her current research integrates transplant immunology, virology, and omics approaches to study transplant-associated kidney disease and viral complications.