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Dr. Karron is a Professor in the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Director of the Center for Immunization Research and of the Johns Hopkins Vaccine Initiative (JHVI). Dr. Karron is a pediatrician, trained in infectious diseases, who has extensive experience in the evaluation of respiratory virus vaccines (including vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza viruses, and avian influenza) in adult and pediatric populations. Her other interests include the epidemiology of respiratory virus infections in resource-poor settings and public policy issues related to vaccine development and distribution. She has served on a number of national and international committees and advisory boards, and chaired the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee from 2006-2008. | 
Dr. Harro directs the clinical development and evaluation of enteric vaccines and challenge models for bacterial and viral pathogens associated with infectious diarrhea. Previously, he collaborated with the National Cancer Institute to design and conduct the first ever Phase I/II human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 vaccine trials in North America. He also served as the PI for more than 30 NIH and industry sponsored Phase I/II preventive HIV vaccine studies, establishing the CIR Washington, DC vaccine clinic as part of these efforts. He has additional industry-sponsored trial experience with S. aureus, influenza, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and anthrax vaccines. Dr. Harro also has interests in the principles of clinical trial conduct and operations and their application in developing country settings. Since 2000, he has been a site development and Good Clinical Practice training consultant to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the WHO Global Training Program, and Fogarty International. | 
Dr. Durbin’s primary research activities involve clinical trials with vaccines against dengue viruses and malaria. She has evaluated several live attenuated dengue virus vaccines in the hopes of identifying candidates for an attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine. She has also evaluated different candidate blood-stage and transmission blocking vaccines for the prevention of malaria. Dr. Durbin is characterizing the cellular and humoral responses of volunteers to a live attenuated dengue virus to better understand the immunological basis of severe dengue disease. Additionally, she is investigating the immunopathogenesis of dengue infection and disease through the development of an animal model. | 
Dr. McKenzie has led efforts in the development and testing of vaccines for enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and Shigella, focusing on needle-free methods of vaccination. She helped conduct trials in Baltimore which supported the FDA licensure of rifaximin as a new antibiotic for the treatment of travelers' diarrhea. She has also helped to pioneer Phase III field trials of transcutaneously delivered ETEC vaccine in U.S. language students going to Guatemala or Mexico. Dr. McKenzie’s clinical responsibilities include attending in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, the Moore Clinic, and the Travel Medicine Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital. | 
Karen Charron is an Instructor on the faculty of the Global Disease Epidemiology and Control program in the Department of International Health where she coordinates the Master in Health Science Program. She has served as co-investigator for numerous Phase I/II adult and pediatric vaccine trials of hepatitis B vaccines, preventive and therapeutic HIV vaccines, respiratory syncytial virus vaccines, rotavirus vaccines, and influenza virus vaccines. Since 2001, Ms. Charron has directed an international training program in vaccine trial conduct and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) in multiple developing country settings. She created an eight-week online course, “Clinical Vaccine Trials and Good Clinical Practice,” in 2000, through which she has trained over 700 professionals. Additionally, she is a consultant to International AIDS Vaccine Initiative for several educational and training projects.
| Dr. Talaat has experience in clinical and basic research investigating the impact of coinfections. She joined the faculty at the Center for Immunization Research in July 2007. As part of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan, she will be executing Laboratory of Infectious Disease, NIAID-sponsored Phase I trials evaluating the safety and immunogenicity of a number of avian influenza vaccine candidates targeting strains with pandemic potential. Dr. Talaat also has interests in tropical medicine and international health. | 
Roberta Casey is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and a certified Research Professional by the Society of Clinical Research Associates. Since joining the CIR in 1984, she has followed a cohort of patients in the Harriet Lane Clinic at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She serves as a co-investigator on NIAID-sponsored pediatric trials at the CIR and is the principal investigator for the Pediatric Screening protocol. She also functions as one of the pediatric program coordinators on multiple vaccine protocols, and she supervises many of the pediatric and adult nursing staff. Ms Casey has additional research interests in the informed consent process and ethics in the research setting. | Mr. Thumar’s primary responsibility is to develop new laboratory assays to assess the systemic, mucosal and cellular immunogenic responses to the variety of experimental vaccines tested at the CIR. He has developed serologic assays for immune responses against influenza viruses, Q fever, canary pox-rabies, vaccinia-HIVgp160 recombinant viruses, and RSV. Currently, Mr. Thumar is developing assays for use in avian recombinant influenza, parainfluenza type III and dengue vaccine trials. He also coordinates all functions of the CIR laboratories, including screening volunteers for antibody, virus cultures, and serological assays, as well as preparing vaccines for administration. | Dr. Sabundayo joined the faculty of the Center for Immunization Research in July 2008 and serves as manager of pharmaceutical services for multiple vaccine protocols. Since joining the faculty of Johns Hopkins University in 1998, she has served as co-investigator and study coordinator for multiple HIV/AIDS studies and HIV/HCV co-infection studies, with a focus in patient and provider education as well as adherence to complex therapies. In 2002, she founded the Pharmacotherapy Clinic in the Division of Infectious Diseases’ Moore Clinic. |
Amber Bickford Cox is a Research Associate with the Centers for Immunization Research (CIR). She is the co-instructor of JHSPH Clinical Vaccine Trials and Good Clinical Practices (GCP) course offered through the CIR and co-instructor for the JHSPH Vaccine Science and Policy Certificate and Special Topics in Vaccine Science Seminar. She serves as Clinical Monitor for the JHSPH Enterics Monitoring Group. She also served as the Project Coordinator for the Clinical Vaccine Trials Training Program providing novel GCP training workshops in the US, Africa, Asia and Europe. After studying African History in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Amber graduated from Smith College with a Bachelors degree in African History in 2000. Amber received a Master of Public Health in 2004 from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine with a concentration in International Health and Development/Complex Emergency Situations. Amber worked in South Africa in 2002 with the US Peace Corps designing and implementing trainings with local non-governmental organizations to reduce HIV transmission. She also has experience working as a reproductive and contraceptive health counselor in the United States. | |
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