Biography

Dawn M. Wetzel, M.D., Ph.D., is a board certified infectious disease specialist at Children’s Health℠ and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Biochemistry at UT Southwestern. She specializes in the research and treatment of parasitic and other pediatric infectious diseases.

She earned her medical degree and Ph.D. in Molecular Microbiology from Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Wetzel completed her pediatrics residency training at Children’s Hospital of New York-Presbyterian (Columbia University) and her fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases at Yale University.

In addition to her patient care efforts, Dr. Wetzel runs her own research laboratory at UT Southwestern. As a principal investigator, her research focuses on molecular and biochemical parasitology and studying parasitic infections like the protozoan disease leishmaniasis — one of the World Health Organization-designated neglected tropical diseases. Her additional interests include drug discovery for the broader group of single-celled trypanosomatid parasites.

Dr. Wetzel has earned multiple awards including the Young Physician-Scientist Award, grants and national recognition for her research and holds a patent for anti-parasitic medicines she developed.

She is a member of Eastern Society for Pediatric Research, American Medical Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Biography