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IDCRC Newsletter: July 2026
IDCRC Investigator Spotlight: Sasirekha Ramani, PhD
This month's IDCRC spotlight features Sasirekha Ramani, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine. Read an excerpt below and click the button to read the interview.
How long have you worked with a VTEU?
I have been part of the VTEU since 2020, when I joined the Enteric Infections Expert Working Group as a full voting member.
What is a strength or example of the importance of the IDCRC?The IDCRC is a critical collaborative infrastructure that brings together scientific expertise, clinical trial capacity, mentorship, and public health responsiveness to address infectious disease threats efficiently and at scale. I have personally benefited from the IDCRC’s strong commitment to supporting early-career investigators by creating opportunities to contribute expertise, collaborate across disciplines, and participate in meaningful clinical research.
Training
Call for Mentors and Mentees: IDSA iDMentorship365 Program
iDMentorship365 connects students, residents, fellows, and early-career professionals with experienced mentors in infectious diseases. The program supports mentees in exploring ID careers and expanding their networks while empowering mentors to give back and foster future leaders.
Why apply to be a mentee? Mentees receive structured guidance from experienced ID leaders, curated programming for your stage of training, and a network built on honest connection. From fellowship applications to salary negotiation to finding your niche in ID, this is the support system you've been waiting for.
What will you get out of being a mentor? Mentors shape careers and open doors — all while reconnecting with what drew them to ID in the first place. IDSA provides the resources and support; you bring the experience that only time in this field can give.
News
NFID Announces 2026-2027 Board of Directors
Earlier this month, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) welcomed its 2026-2027 NFID Board of Directors (BoD). Congratulations to the following former and current IDCRC members on their outstanding appointments.
- Monica M. Farley, MD, Emory School of Medicine, began her term as NFID president on July 1.
Wilbur H. Chen, MD, MS, University of Maryland School of Medicine, was named to the BoD.
Flor M. Muñoz, MD, MSc, Baylor College of Medicine, was named to the BoD.
About the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases:
Founded in 1973, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and engaging the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan.
University of Maryland School of Medicine announces
new Director for Clinical Research
Congratulations to Matt Laurens, MD, MPH, who has been appointed Associate Director for Clinical Research at the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD), effective July 1, 2026. Dr. Laurens brings exceptional leadership, scientific expertise, and a deep commitment to advancing clinical research. In this role, he will build on the strong foundation of our clinical research program and help drive its continued growth, innovation, and impact.
UMB also extends their sincere gratitude to Karen Kotloff, MD, for her years of dedicated leadership and invaluable contributions to CVD's clinical research enterprise. Her vision, mentorship, and commitment have been instrumental in shaping the program and advancing its success.
Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative's (ALI) Social Impact Review interviews Helen Chu, MD, MPH
Harvard ALI recently spotlighted Dr. Helen Chu (University of Washington) in a Q&A interview titled "Vaccines, Equity, and Public Trust: A Front‑Line View from Seattle to CDC ACIP." She is interviewed by Tom Mahoney, ALI Senior Fellow ’24, to discuss how vaccine platforms performed in the real world and what a better decision‑making framework might look like going forward.
Read an excerpt below and click the button to read the full story.
Tom Mahoney: You helped detect some of the first community spread of COVID‑19 in Seattle and later served on ACIP, the CDC's vaccine advisory committee. When you look across that journey - from the clinic and lab to national policy - what feels most urgent to re‑examine in U.S. immunization policy today, and why does it matter for families now?
Dr. Helen Chu: One of the most urgent areas is to rethink how we translate evidence into clear, consistent immunization guidance for the public. During COVID-19, we saw how rapidly evolving science - around variants, waning immunity, and booster timing - led to complex and sometimes shifting recommendations. The data changed rapidly, and the communications around the changing data led to confusion and eroded public trust. We need a system that can adapt to the changing information around us but also be able to communicate more clearly about uncertainty to ensure that the public can trust our recommendations but also understand that the information that is given is based on the information available at the time and that is ever evolving.
NYU Radio Women's Health Show features
Angelica Cifuentes Kottkamp, MD, FIDSA
NYU Vaccine Center VTEU co-PI Angelica Cifuentes Kottkamp, MD, FIDSA, was recently interviewed on the Women's Health Show with Dr. Caren Behar. This series was featured on Doctor Radio SiriusXM Channel 110, a dedicated channel for NYU Langone Health.
In this interview, Dr. Kottkamp had the opportunity to discuss vaccines and how people want credible, practical information. Her discussion cited a recent New England Journal of Medicine article, "Childhood Vaccine Hesitancy," with some of the following key takeaways.
- Vaccine hesitancy is often driven by behavioral and social factors, not simply by lack of information.
- Open-ended, respectful communication is more effective than confrontation. The article highlights the value of asking parents what they’ve heard, listening actively, summarizing their concerns, and responding without judgment.
- Motivational interviewing can help build trust. Rather than trying to “win” the conversation, clinicians can ask permission to share evidence, validate emotions, and support autonomy while still giving a strong recommendation.
Phase 2 Trial of WRSs2 Shigella Vaccine Shows 89% Protection, Offering Hope Against Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogen
Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Emory, Walter Reed, and the National Research Council, with NIAID DMID support, have reported that WRSs2, a live-attenuated oral vaccine candidate against Shigella sonnei, achieved 89% protective efficacy in a phase 2 controlled human infection trial — the highest level of protection reported for any Shigella vaccine candidate to date.¹
The findings were published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases and represent a significant step in a field that has sought a licensed Shigella vaccine for over 100 years.² The results support advancing WRSs2 into larger trials, including populations at highest risk for severe disease.
Job Postings
Newly Posted! Infectious Diseases Research Job Openings
- Baylor College of Medicine - Infectious Disease (Instructor)
- Johns Hopkins Medicine - Manager, Hospital Epidemiology & Infection Control
Visit the IDSA Career Center to browse other ID job postings.
Events
Upcoming NIH Webinar:
Understanding NIH's Unified Funding Strategy
Understanding NIH's Unified Funding Strategy: What the Research Community Needs to Know
Thursday, August 14 | 10-11 a.m. | Virtual
Attend this webinar to hear from NIH leadership on the Unified Funding Strategy. This meeting will offer clarity on the approach’s rationale, goals, and implementation across NIH. The discussion will also address misconceptions and help foster communication between NIH staff and applicants, recipients, researchers, and the wider research community.
Attend the NFID Awards Gala
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) Annual Gala
Monday, October 26 | 6:30 p.m. | Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream (Washington, D.C.)
You're invited to join the NFID's Annual Gala, celebrating excellence in public health. This event will bring together partners, colleagues, and supporters dedicated to advancing healthier lives for all through evidence-based prevention and treatment.
During this event, the following individuals will be honored for their significant and lasting contributions to public health.
- Richard J. Hatchett, MD, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award
- Shabir A. Madhi, MMed, PhD, Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement
- Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, John P. Utz Leadership Award
All tickets include a donation to support NFID’s work in providing trusted, evidence-based information to empower individuals to make good decisions about their health and protect communities from preventable diseases.
Register today for IDWeek 2026
IDWeek 2026
Wednesday, October 21-Saturday, October 24, 2026 | Hybrid: Walter E. Washington Convention Center or virtual
Register today for IDWeek 2026! Whether you attend in person in Washington, D.C., or virtually, save your spot to celebrate the latest breakthroughs in ID alongside thousands of your colleagues.
Funding Opportunities
2026 Deadline:
Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award (Parent F99/K00 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
NEW*
Deadline: Saturday, August 8, 2026
(additional standard due dates through April 2029)
The Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine
NEW*
Nomination Submission Deadline: Monday, September 14
NIAID Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement (U01 Clinical Trial Required)
NEW*
Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2026
2027 Deadline:
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Research to Stimulate Development of Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Vaccines for Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV)
Deadline: Wednesday, April 6, 2027
Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (Parent K08 Independent Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
Deadline: Saturday, May 8, 2027
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Systems Modeling of Infection and Immunity Across Biological Scales
Deadline: Wednesday, September 8, 2027
NIH Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings (Parent R13 Clinical Trial Not Allowed
Deadline: Wednesday, September 8, 2027
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Advancing Research Needed to Develop a Universal Influenza Vaccine
Deadline: Sunday, November 17, 2027
Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): Accelerating Malaria Vaccine and Monoclonal Antibody Discovery
Deadline: Sunday, November 17, 2027
IDCRC Studies
Fully Enrolled Studies in Follow-up
- A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Phase 1 Trial to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Immunogenicity, and Efficacy of Sanaria(R) PfSPZ-LARC2 Vaccine, a Late-Arresting, Replication-Competent, Genetically Attenuated Plasmodium Falciparum Vaccine by Controlled Human Malaria Infection in Malaria-Naïve Healthy Adults Conditions (DMID 23-0010)
- Efficacy Study of IM Administered CssBA+dmLT Against Moderate-severe Diarrhea in Human Infection Model With ETEC Strain B7A in Healthy Adults (DMID 23-0006)
- A Prospective, Randomized, Open-label Phase 4 Study of the Immunology and Safety of Maternal RSV Vaccination (ABRYSVOTM), Infant Nirsevimab (BEYFORTUSTM) Immunization, or Both Products During the First Year of Life (PROMISE) (DMID 24-0003)
Communication Resources
Please submit IDCRC news to idcrc@emory.edu for inclusion in the monthly newsletter and IDCRC.org.
