Wenbo Ma, an IIGB/CEPCEB associate professor of plant pathology and microbiology, has been selected as a “2012 Schroth Faces of the Future Symposium” speaker at the annual meeting of the American Phytopathological Society (APS), which is scheduled to take place in Providence, RI, in early August.

In her talk, Ma will discuss her research, which focuses on using a group of essential virulence proteins produced by bacterial pathogens to understand pathogenesis and facilitate disease detection. Knowledge obtained from Ma’s research is expected to contribute to the development of sustainable and novel disease intervention strategies.

She said her talk in Providence also will discuss the recent progress in her laboratory to use effectors to develop novel diagnostic methods for endemic bacterial diseases, such as the severe citrus diseases including Huanglongbing and citrus stubborn disease.

The APS is the premier society dedicated to high-quality, innovative plant pathology research.