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Infectious Diseases - Research

Overview and Faculty Research Interests
 

The Section of Infectious Diseases has an active basic and translational research program with more than five million dollars of federal funding yearly. The Section has 22 full-time faculty engaged in a broad range of research, including respiratory viral pathogens, enteric viral diseases, hospital epidemiology, international health, HIV, TB, Kawasaki disease, Staph toxin disease, and vaccine-preventable diseases. We participate in multiple national clinical trials of antiviral agents, antiretroviral medications, and vaccines.


FACULTY RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dr. Mark Abzug directs clinical research on patients with viral infections, infections in immune-compromised patients, and chronic sinusitis. He is involved in several national collaborative clinical trials of antiviral therapies.

Dr. Marsha Anderson performs clinical research on vaccines, vaccine-preventable disease, and Kawasaki disease.

Dr. Edwin Asturias conducts clinical and epidemiological research on the efficacy and safety of vaccines for children in developing countries. He is the Vice-chair for the Global Advisory Committee for Vaccine Safety at WHO, and an active participant in several international collaborative networks for vaccine issues and infectious diseases in children.

Emily Barr, PNP, CNM, has a research focus on adherence to HIV medications, long-term effects of antiretroviral exposure, prevention of perinatal transmission of HIV, HIV in pregnancy, and international HIV treatment trials.

Dr. Sam Dominguez's research focuses on the epidemiology, disease associations, and pathophysiology of newly discovered human and bat coronaviruses, and he is interested in emerging pathogens. He also pursues laboratory and clinical studies on the etiology and epidemiology of Kawasaki disease and pediatric respiratory viral infections.

Jennifer Dunn, MS, RN, FNP-BC, has a research focus on pediatric HIV disease and treatments as well as adolescent HIV and maternal-to-child transmission of HIV.

Dr. Mary Glodé is involved in clinical studies of the etiology, epidemiology, and therapy of Kawasaki disease and is also involved in national vaccine policy development as a member of the Red Book Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Heather Heizer, MPAS, PA-C, manages the outpatient Infectious Diseases Clinic at The Children’s Hospital. She is interested in numerous aspects of infectious diseases and currently has clinics that include PICC line/bone and joint infections as well as a clinic dedicated to MRSA and to Kawasaki disease. She currently is also involved in developing studies with other faculty members in the department to examine the natural history and therapy of MRSA.

Tara Kennedy, APRN, has a research focus on HIV care for pregnant women, prevention of mother-to-child-transmission, and HIV disease, treatment, and complications in adolescents and young adults with a special focus on youth with behaviorally-acquired HIV.

Dr. Lila Kimel participates research evaluating the effects of HIV infection and antiretroviral treatment on the cognitive, language, neurological, psychological development of infants, children, and teens infected or exposed to HIV.

Dr. Katherine Lee is focused on identifying host factors important to varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection and pathogenesis. She is also interested in the development of an in vitro model based on induced pluripotent stem cells to study VZV latency and reactivation.

Dr. Myron Levin is studying the immune response to herpes virus infections and methods of treating and preventing such infections, including antiviral therapy and active immunization. He does basic research on the nature of latency of herpes viruses in human neurons. A vaccine to prevent shingles in elderly individuals has been developed and licensed through his clinical research, and further investigations of this vaccine are in progress. Additional vaccine trials of common childhood vaccines are underway in HIV-infected children in resource-poor countries.

Dr. Shaobing Li’s research focuses on molecular diagnosis for viral infections.

Dr. Robin McEvoy participates in research evaluating the effects of HIV infection and antiretroviral treatment on the cognitive, language, neurological, psychological development of infants, children, and teens infected or exposed to HIV.

Dr. Elizabeth McFarland is studying the maturation of immunity in normal and HIV-infected infants, immune responses to HIV vaccines, the role of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of HIV infection, pediatric HIV clinical trials of antiretroviral therapy and vaccines, outcomes of infants born to HIV infected mothers, and complications of HIV and treatment.

Dr. Ann-Christine Nyquist serves as Medical Director for Infection Control at Children's Hospital Colorado. Her research focus includes antimicrobial utilization and resistance, immunization and hospital epidemiology/infection control.

Dr. Sean O'Leary's research interests include immunization delivery, vaccine safety, and vaccine hesitancy.

Dr. Sarah Parker is director of the fellowship program and medical director of the antimicrobial stewardship program. Her research interests are in molecular diagnosis, management and mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance.

Suzanne Paul, MSN, RN, FNP-C, has a research focus on pediatric HIV disease and treatments as well as adolescent HIV and maternal-to-child transmission of HIV.

Dr. Daniel Reirden’s current research interests include sexually transmitted infections in adolescents, particularly among HIV-infected adolescents and young adults.

Dr. Eric Simões studies the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and prevention of the short- and long-term effects of respiratory tract infections in children. His focus is on pneumococcal infections, respiratory syncytial virus and influenza virus infections, both domestically and in developing countries.

Dr. James Todd’s research interests are in diagnostic microbiology, staphylococcal and streptococcal infections, data-driven hospital and community epidemiology, and outcomes.

Dr. Adriana Weinberg is studying cellular and humoral immune responses to microbial organisms and regulation of immune responses with emphasis on HIV and opportunistic infections. She is also studying the effect of hormonal contraceptives on immune responses.

Amy Witte, RN, MSN, FNP-C, has a research focus on HIV disease, treatment, and complications in adolescents and young adults with a special focus on youth with behaviorally-acquired HIV.