The Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s conducts broad-based research focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of childhood infections. Vaccine development and evaluation in both children and adults is a prominent focus of the division, highlighted by the NIH-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) and other sponsored trials within the Gamble Program for Clinical Studies. Additional clinical research focus areas include epidemiology and surveillance of pediatric infections, vaccine safety, clinical research in transplant populations, and analyzing the microbiome of high risk children as a means of predicting invasive disease. Basic science efforts are strong in virology, macrophage biology, and immunity to pediatric infections.

New Center for Inflammation and Tolerance (CIT): The division is the administrative home for this new cross-divisional research center. Led by Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, from the division and Chandrashekhar Pasare, DVM, PhD, from the Division of Immunobiology, CIT is bringing together investigators interested in immune tolerance, mechanisms of inflammation, and basic immune mechanisms relevant to neonatal and pediatric diseases. The center is now recruiting outstanding new faculty.

New Influenza Cohort Study (IMPRINT): The division serves as the home for a large seven-year NIH-funded study designed to elucidate how immunity to influenza infection and vaccination occurs in infants and young children. Mary Staat, MD, MPH, and Ardythe Morrow, PhD, together are leading this highly collaborative study along with Guillermo Ruiz-Palacios in Mexico City, a large team of Cincinnati Children's and University of Cincinnati investigators, and collaborators at Emory University. The study will enroll more than 2000 mother-infant pairs to this exciting new study, and will work with the top influenza investigators globally to address issues of immune imprinting and mechanisms of cross-protection against influenza strains.

Lara Danziger-Isakov, MD, MPH, with help from Grant Paulsen, MD, leads Transplant ID, a growing area of focus, which offers new and exciting areas for research. Some of the areas of study include the pharmacology of new anti-infectives and immune modulators in the transplant population, and vaccine responses in solid organ and BMT populations.