Kazuko Yamamoto

Kazuko Yamamoto, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor and chair of First Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Medicine. Her research focuses on understanding immune response between microbes and host in the respiratory infectious diseases such as pneumococcal pneumonia or COVID-19. To accomplish this, her research group combines wet lab bench work, epidemiologic data sets and pursue clinical study to translate findings from in vitro models to the population level. She has been involved in drafting and editing guidelines for pneumonia, COVID-19, and nontuberculous mycobacterial disease in Japan, as well as in developing guidelines for pneumococcal vaccination. Recently, she has given numerous lectures on vaccines for respiratory infections and is one of the leaders driving cross-disciplinary awareness campaigns.