Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health

Congratulations to Alexander Laurenson, MD/PhD Student, on receiving an F30 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award from NIAID!

His funded project, “In Silico Prediction of Plasmodium falciparum Epitopes as Vaccine Candidates,” builds on his recent publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41775037/

Alex is mentored by CVD faculty member Matt Laurens, MD, MPH, Professor of Pediatrics.

We’re excited to see the impact of this work. Congratulations, Alex and we look forward to your continued success!

CVD Faculty Honored at Annual Awards Ceremony!

We’re proud to celebrate two CVD faculty members recognized at the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium (IDCRC) Annual Awards Ceremony!

A.D. Hammershaimb, MD, MS received the Early Career Investigator Award, recognizing outstanding research contributions by a recent graduate or current participant in the IDCRC Mentoring Program that advance the VTEU and IDCRC missions.

Wilbur H. Chen, MD, MS was awarded Best Scientific Publication of the Year for a high-impact IDCRC-cited Lancet publication that has significantly influenced the scientific community and contributed to policy change.

Read the winning publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40086461/

Congratulations to Drs. Hammershaimb and Chen on these well-deserved honors!

Stayin' alive with science!

Join a study using wearable devices to detect malaria symptoms.

Looking for interested adults 18-50 years old.

Compensation may be up to $2715 for qualified volunteers.

Learn more: www.CVDTrials.org/InfectionDetection

Last week, Stefan Kappe, PhD (CVD Director), Kirsten Lyke, MD (Professor of Medicine), and Devin Fisher, PhD (Marketing Lead), represented the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at a event on Capitol Hill.

Hosted by Malaria No More and United to Beat Malaria, in partnership with the Malaria Roundtable, the event brought together leading researchers and innovators from across the U.S. committed to eliminating malaria worldwide.

CVD was proud to showcase its research, expertise, and continued leadership in the fight against this devastating disease.

Learn more: https://www.malarianomore.org/story/american-led-innovation-is-taking-on-malaria

If you owned cassette tapes, you may be eligible to take part in a Next Gen COVID Vaccine Study.

We’re looking for healthy adults aged 18-64 to participate in our study.

Compensation may be up to $1,300 for qualified volunteers.

Learn more: www.cvdtrials.org/NextGen

CVD Celebrates World Immunization Week!

“Vaccines don’t just save lives—they preserve what a life can make possible for the future. The global rise in childhood survival is one of vaccination’s greatest achievements. By preventing devastating diseases before they strike, vaccines have added decades of healthy life to children worldwide.” - Wilbur Chen, MD, MS, Frank M. Calia, MD Endowed Professor, Chief of Geographic Medicine

CVD Celebrates World Immunization Week!

“World Immunization Day traces back to Vaccination Week in the Americas campaigns in the early 2000s, when countries recognized that measles does not respect borders and requires a coordinated response. That lesson still holds: vaccination protects individuals, but broad participation helps protect communities and the most vulnerable among us.” – Justin Ortiz, MD, Professor of Medicine

CVD Celebrates World Immunization Week!

“Vaccines have prevented an excess 154 million deaths in the last 50 years but the guardrails to ensure vaccine testing and safety are under threat. Global inequity remains in regard to vaccine access and work to equalize availability of vaccines is critical.” – Kirsten Lyke, MD, Professor of Medicine

CVD Celebrates World Immunization Week!

“We all know vaccines save lives, but did you also know that they can save money? The return on investment for vaccines is among the highest of all health interventions we have — preventing not only costs from medical care but also missed work and school. Vaccines are good for both our bodies and our budgets.” – Meagan Fitzpatrick, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine

CVD Celebrates World Immunization Week!

“The progress made through vaccination shows what’s possible when science and commitment align. At CVD, we’re focused on sustaining that momentum by generating the evidence needed to ensure vaccines reach the communities that need them most, equitably and at scale.” – Matthew Laurens, MD,MPH, Professor of Pediatrics