IDCRC Newsletter: February 2026

Announcing the 2025-2026 IDCRC Pilot Award Recipients

Congratulations to our new Pilot Award recipients! We are thrilled to welcome the following researchers to this program. The Pilot Grants program provides one year of funding to support research projects and career development activities that will enhance the applicant’s ability to compete successfully for an independent R- or K-series award. The projects can address a variety of topics, including vaccinology, therapeutics, laboratory studies, and statistics. 

(Awardees pictured above in alphabetical order, left to right)

Hannah Bahakel, MD, clinical fellow, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Project Title: “Immunogenicity of PCV20 in Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients”

Jennifer Clinton, PhD, assistant professor, Baylor College of Medicine
Project Title: “Harnessing host immunomodulation: CXCR3 antagonism as a novel flavivirus therapeutic”

Lauren Jatt, MD, infectious disease fellow, physician, University of Washington 
Project Title: “Identification of cellular correlates of protection from malaria challenge trials”

Brett Jagger, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Saint Louis University 
Project Title: “Cross-clade Humoral Immune Responses elicited by H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Vaccines”

Esther Ndungo, PhD, postdoctoral fellow, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Project Title: “Contribution of the breast milk microbiome to Shigella incidence in young children”

IDCRC Spotlight: PROMISE Study NYU
Site Principal Investigator, Lalitha Parameswaran, MD, MPH

This month's IDCRC investigator spotlight features Lalitha Parameswaran, MD, MPH, NYU Langone Health Vaccine Center site principal investigator for the PROMISE study. 

"The depth of expertise and collaborative structure within the IDCRC is a major strength. I have learned through collaborating during cross-site meetings, publication efforts, and also through the mentee program. Having the chance to join and work with such experts mid-career was something I could have never predicted when I completed my fellowship. I found the IDCRC’s networked model to be unique, enabling rapid start-up, consistent operations, and inclusive research that advances public health while supporting and fostering the next generation of scientists."

Annual Meeting

Deadline Extended to Friday, March 6:
2026 Annual IDCRC Awards Nominations

Nominations are still open! The IDCRC presents annual awards to acknowledge the work of VTEU members who have made exceptional contributions to the IDCRC and VTEU missions. Nominations can be made by any IDCRC LG or VTEU member. 

Deadline Extended to Friday, March 6:
2026 Annual Meeting Poster Session

2026 Annual Meeting Goals 

2026 Meeting Goals

• Review IDCRC activities and plans 2025-2026, and the six-year work of the network
• Update of NIAID/DMID perspectives and future directions
• Highlight specific VTEU accomplishments
• Highlight the Mentoring Program and Early-Stage Investigator research
• Promote continued networking and relationship building among IDCRC and NIAID
• Continue to foster potential multisite collaborations.
• Recognize contributions of IDCRC and VTEU members

Publications

NOTE: Please include the following citation in any publications resulting from direct or indirect IDCRC support: 

"Supported by the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium through the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, under award number UM1AI148684. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health."

View recent publications and updated quick stats below:

• Development and Concordance of Binding and Neutralizing Assays to Determine SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Activity in Human Milk
• Potential biomarker and composite efficacy readout for human clinical trials of schistosomiasis vaccine in Africa
• Safety and immunogenicity of four sequential doses of NVX-CoV2373 in adults and adolescents: A phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (PREVENT-19)

Manual of Procedures Sections

View the recently revised IDCRC Manual of Procedures (MOP) section that describes the structure, operating policies, roles, and responsibilities of entities and individuals within the unit/consortium:

• Section 21: Publications Requirements and Procedures 

Training

IDCRC Mentee Profile: Nina Prasanphanich, MD, PhD

"This year especially, as investigators face more uncertainty than even before, being a part of this passionate and highly motivated group of individuals has helped keep me grounded in our shared academic mission."

Call for Applications: Integrated Training Program in Vaccinology 

Applications are now open for the 2026–2027 cohort of the Integrated Training Program in Vaccinology (ITP-Vax) at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Center for Vaccine Development & Global Health.

Program Overview:

The Integrated Training Program in Vaccinology (ITP-Vax) is a novel training program that will give college graduates and master’s level graduate students a 9-month research experience with mentorship from Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) investigators. Trainees will learn concepts in vaccinology and receive professional development skills. Trainees will also receive hands-on experience to help equip them for future success in a career in vaccinology. A stipend will be available for all accepted research fellows.

Applications close Friday, March 6. Click below for more information and to apply.

News

Pedro Piedra, MD, named 2027 recipient of the Chanock Award 

University of Rochester Newsroom 

Flu Season 2026: At-Home Flu Tests, Vaccines, and the Variants to Watch 

How Long Does the Measles Vaccine Last? What to Know About Measles in 2026 

Emory Health Digest | Shots That Change the World

Vaccines have saved an estimated 154 million lives—the equivalent of six lives every minute of every year—over the past 50 years. The vast majority of those saved were infants and young children, who fell victim to infectious diseases due to their vulnerable immune systems. These public health successes are not accidents of history—they are the result of decades of research, strong public trust, and sustained investment. Yet vaccines are coming under attack from growing and vocal groups of people. Vaccine hesitancy groups are gaining strength. 

NYU Langone featured for Contagion Live Media Day

Recently, NYU Langone hosted Contagion and shared about their institution's ongoing vaccine research, treating and seeing patients with zoonotic and vector-borne illnesses, and its work with the pediatric population. Check out this video series, including the following videos featuring NYU Langone VTEU co-prinicpal investigator Angelica Cifuentes Kottkamp, MD.

Job Postings

Newly Posted! Infectious Diseases Research Job Openings

• Cincinnati Children’s - Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Jain) Infectious Diseases 
• County of Los Angeles - Public Health Microbiologist
• Emory University, School of Medicine, The Hope Clinic  - Lead Research Specialist 

• Fred Hutch - Post-Doctoral Research Fellow 

• Johns Hopkins University - Research Specialist (DOM Infectious Disease) 

• Loudoun County Government - Epidemiologist

Visit the IDSA Career Center to browse other ID job postings.

Funding Opportunities

IDCRC Studies

Fully Enrolled Studies in Follow-up

• A Phase 4 Study of a 3-Day vs. 7-Day Regimen of Doxycycline for the Treatment of Chlamydial Infection (DMID 22-0019)
• 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 Phase 1 Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of an Inactivated West Nile Virus Vaccine, HydroVax-001B WNV in Healthy Adults (DMID 24-0008)

• 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)

IDCRC Concept Quick Stats

Communication Resources

Please submit IDCRC news to idcrc@emory.edu for inclusion in the monthly newsletter and IDCRC.org.