Sarahi Hernandez is interested in understanding how methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) responds to stress and survives during infection. In collaboration with Oscar Villasana Espinosa, Sarahi and Oscar have identified several genes that are important for intracellular survival during macrophage infection. Sarahi’s follow-up work is investigating how these genes regulate MRSA survival during macrophage phagocytosis, which will provide insights into MRSA pathogenesis and persistent infection.