Steven S. Witkin, Ph.D.

Professor of Immunology and the Director of the Division of Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Steven S. Witkin, Ph.D. is a professor of immunology and the director of the Division of Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City. Witkin received his undergraduate degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York, a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles. Before joining the Cornell faculty in 1981, Witkin spent eight years as an associate at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. Witkin has more than 240 publications in peer-reviewed journals, is on the editorial board of journals published in the United States, Europe and South America and is a member of the National Institutes of Health Obstetrics Study Section. Witkin’s expertise spans the areas of genetic, immune and infectious aspects of women’s health. His work highlights the importance of the fetal genome, not only the genome of the mother, in influencing pregnancy outcomes. His studies have uncovered immune regulatory mechanisms in the fetus that protect against premature expulsion birth. He is currently investigating the influence of genetic variations on the consequences of exposure to infectious and non-infectious agents in pregnancy as well as the effect of fatty acids on immune functions in the amniotic cavity. In non-pregnant women, Witkin has identified specific genetic variations in some women that greatly increase their susceptibility to develop recurrent vaginal candidiasis and fallopian tube occlusion following a Chlamydia trachomatis infection. His work has also contributed to the understanding of genetic and immune factors that increase susceptibility to develop vulvar vestibulitis syndrome.