Infectious Diseases

1. to improve the health of children and adults, through excellence and innovation in research and patient care services;
2. to promote scholarly activity in infectious diseases, through basic and clinical research;
3. to provide training, through teaching and mentorship, for future pediatric scientists and clinicians;
4. and to provide leadership, both at the local and national level, in pediatric medicine and research.

Research interests in the division include viral pathogenesis, the epidemiology of infectious diseases, and preclinical and clinical vaccine and antiviral development and evaluation. The scope of basic science research includes studies of herpes virus latency and vaccines, structure-function relationships of noroviruses, the immunobiology of rotavirus infection, and the molecular pathogenesis of cytomegalovirus infection. Translational research studies, conducted in mouse, guinea pig, and primate models, provide a preclinical assessment of the potential efficacy of vaccines and antiviral therapies for a number of pathogens, including herpesviruses, noroviruses, and rotavirus, and serve as a bridge between basic science and clinical investigation. Clinical research trials evaluating vaccine and antiviral strategies in humans are conducted through our NIH funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU) and industrial agreements. Additional research funding is from the NIH, CDC, National Vaccine Program Office, DOD, March of Dimes and industry sponsors. An active collaboration with the Center of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (Human Milk Program Project) examines the relationship of breastfeeding to a number of clinically important pediatric infectious diseases.

Educational and mentorship programs of the division include research and clinical training for undergraduates, medical students, graduate students, and residents. Division faculty, through adjunct appointments in the Molecular and Developmental Biology and Immunobiology training programs, participate in training and mentorship of future biomedical researchers. Mentorship of clinical fellows in Pediatric Infectious Diseases, conducted through our accredited fellowship training program, continues to be an important aspect of our mission, and research opportunities have also been utilized by clinical and basic research fellows in other at Cincinnati Children's divisions. Clinical care programs include a physician telephone advice service, inpatient and outpatient infectious diseases consultation services, leadership of the Hospital Infection Control and Continuing Medical Education Programs, and a multidisciplinary International Adoption Center. Academic leadership of the division includes representation at local and national levels helping to shape policy for child health, research, and training, including service on NIH study sections and representation to the American Academy of Pediatrics.