Nina Prasanphanich, MD, PhD

My clinical specialty is pediatric infectious diseases. Infectious disease doctors treat children with common infections as well as those with chronic illnesses. Each is an opportunity to help a child get back to their best health. I also talk to parents and children about preventing future infections. We all live with and among viruses and bacteria. There is always more to learn about them and how to live better with them (or without them!).

I am also a researcher supported by the Pediatric Scientist Development Program. I research how maternal immunity fights infections in pregnant women and babies. Specifically, I am investigating the antibacterial properties of maternal natural killer cells during pregnancy.

Infections passed from mom to baby (congenital infections) or acquired shortly after birth (neonatal sepsis) can have an enormous impact on a baby's long-term outcome. Optimizing maternal immunity and treating infections in this critical window of time can impact a child's entire life. I want to understand how maternal immunity prevents the transmission of infections to babies and use this knowledge to prevent infections in babies at the highest risk.