Jennifer Totonchy obtained her PhD in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Oregon Health and Science University in 2010 and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Oregon Health and Science University from 2010 to 2013 and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City from 2013 to 2016. She is currently an associate professor of Immunology and Immunotherapeutics and the Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs at the Chapman University School of Pharmacy. Her research interests include Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) and particularly establishing how KSHV enters a human host by infection of cells in the oral lymphoid tissues. Her laboratory's work on the fundamental virology of Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus infection in human tonsils has been supported by multiple awards from the NIDCR and NCI since 2016.