By current estimates, 25-35% of all human cancers are of viral origin or require viral infection as an essential cofactor. The goal of our research is to understand viral tumorigenesis, specifically, cancers that are caused by Human Papillomavirus and herpesvirus (KSHV/HHV-8). These diseases are ultimately fatal as they affect internal organs and, in the U.S., are seen in the context of immune suppression such as HIV-positive individuals or transplant patients. Dr. Dittmer is a member of the AIDS Malignancy Consortium's Kaposi Sarcoma Working Group and the Laboratory Working Group.

• Freie University Berlin (Germany) Diplom Summa cum laude 1985-90 Biochemistry
• Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Ph.D. 1990-94 Molecular Biology
• Stanford University, Stanford, CA Postdoc 1994-96 Virology
• UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA Postdoc 1996-99 Cancer Research