For more than a decade, the Center for Research in Vaccines and Infections (CRVI) has been involved in a wide array of research initiatives studying the safety, immunogenicity, efficacy, and effectiveness of vaccines against influenza and other respiratory viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2, and other infectious diseases.
Research led by the CRVI principal investigator is managed through Baylor Scott & White Health Research Institute, which serves as the research and innovation arm of Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit healthcare system in Texas. Since its inception in 2008 under the leadership of Dr. Manjusha Gaglani, the Inaugural Josephine Ballard Endowed Chair and Professor of Pediatrics, Chief Section of Infectious Diseases at Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Hospital in Temple, the CRVI's work has helped to examine influenza vaccine effectiveness in children and adults in the ambulatory setting and inpatient adults, and factors that influence influenza vaccine choice, antibody response to vaccine, and vaccine effectiveness in healthcare workers involved in direct patient care.
CRVI projects past and present include respiratory virus infection surveillance and vaccine effectiveness monitoring for influenza, RSV, and SARS-CoV-2, among others. For over 10 years, CRVI has also served as the only site in Texas facilitating the US Centers for Disease Controls' seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness studies in the ambulatory setting and for over 6 years for adults in the inpatient setting.
Projects
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Baylor Scott & White Health US flu vaccine effectiveness network study: 2011- present
The U.S. Flu Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) network is designed to provide estimates of effectiveness of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 vaccines by age group, and influenza vaccines by influenza type and subtype in the ambulatory setting.
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CDC-Vanderbilt-Baylor Scott & White Health influenza and other viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network study: 2021-present
The Investigating Respiratory Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) network currently consists of 26 medical centers in 20 U.S. states. Prior to diciembre 2022, the network was known as the “Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill network.” IVY was created initially in 2019 to estimate how well influenza (flu) vaccines work to prevent severe flu illness among intensive care unit (ICU) patients. In 2021, IVY expanded to also assess how well flu vaccines work to prevent severe flu and how well COVID-19 vaccines work to prevent severe COVID-19 among hospitalized patients. In 2022, patients hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were added to begin monitoring severe RSV disease among adults hospitalized in anticipation of forthcoming RSV vaccines.
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CDC-Abt Associates-Baylor Scott & White Health RECOVER-PROTECT cohort studies: 2020-2023
RECOVER Cohort Study: 2020-present
The RECOVER Cohort study examines the efficacy of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infection respectively among healthcare personnel, first responders, essential workers, and other frontline workers.
- Research on the Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in Essential Response Personnel
- Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines in Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Frontline Workers Before and During B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant Predominance
PROTECT Cohort Study: 2021-present
The PROTECT Cohort study enrolls children 4 months to 17 years and examines the effectiveness of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in preventing SARS-CoV-2 and influenza infection respectively among children 0-4 years and 5-11 years, and adolescents aged 12-15 and 16-17 years of age.
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CDC-Westat-Baylor Scott & White Health VISION Network study: 2021-2023
Established in 2019, the VISION Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) Network is a research collaboration between CDC, Westat, and multiple sites with integrated clinical, laboratory, and vaccination records in the United States that evaluate how well seasonal influenza (flu) vaccines protect people against flu and how well different COVID-19 vaccines protect against COVID-19.
Read more about VISION Vaccine Effectiveness Network
Read more about the Effectiveness of a Third Dose of mRNA Vaccines
Research team
Director
Dr. Manjusha (Manju) Gaglani, MBBS, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS
Director, Center for Research in Vaccines and Infections
Josephine Ballard Endowed Research Chair and Professor (with Tenure), Department of Pediatrics at Baylor Scott & White Health and Medical Center – Temple, and Baylor College of Medicine – Temple, Professor of Medical Education and Practice at Texas A&M University College of Medicine – Temple, Section Chief, Pediatric Infectious Diseases at BSW McLane Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Gaglani has served as the principal investigator for numerous NIH-, CDC- and industry-sponsored large phase 3 clinical vaccine trials at - Baylor Scott & White Health. Her work spans clinical vaccinology projects for both children and adults and cover infectious diseases, including Influenza, Meningococcal ACWY, TdaP, Hepatitis A and Herpes Simplex vaccines. She has over 100 publications in peer-reviewed medical journals including four publications in the New England Journal of Medicine and one in the Journal of American Medical Association.
Dr. Gaglani is a graduate of Seth GS Medical College, University of Bombay, India and completed her first pediatric residency training at Wadia Children’s and K.E.M. Hospitals in Mumbai and her second residency at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore. She completed her fellowship training in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Currently, Dr. Gaglani serves as a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Pediatric - Infectious Disease Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics, as well as the Chair-Emeritus of the Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee of the Texas Pediatric Society, the Texas Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Laboratory co-investigators
- Dr. Arundhati Rao
- Dr. Manohar Mutnal
- Dr. Sheila Dobin
CRVI clinical co-investigators
- Dr. Jason Ramm
- Dr. Tresa McNeal
- Dr. Shekhar Ghamande
- Dr. Madhava Beeram
- Dr. Keith Stone
- Dr. Cristie Columbus
- Dr. Robert Gottlieb
- Dr. Catherine Raver
BSWRI leaders
- VP Research Operations: Jennifer Thomas
- Clinical Informatics Director: Elisa Priest
- Clinical Research Administration Director, North Texas: Tammy Fisher
CRVI core biostatisticians
- Manager: Dr. Monica Bennett
- Supervisor: Courtney Shaver
- Dr. Mufaddal Mamawala
- Dr. Kempapura Murthy
- Chandni Raiyani
CRVI core data programmers
- Core Data Manager: Jason Ettlinger
- Leah Odame Bamfo
- Deepika Konatham
- I-Chia Liao
CRVI core clinical research operations team
Central Texas team:
- Clinical Research Manager: Michael Smith
- Supervisor: Spencer Rose
- Nicole Calhoun
- Amanda McKillop
- Jenica Aldas
- Seretha Wallace
- Joselyn Cravens
- Paula Harkins
North Texas team:
- Clinical Research Manager: Mariana Hurutado-Rodriguez
- Supervisor:Taryn Kruse
- Alexis Wright
- Symone Dunkley
- Daniela Gonzalez
- Denisse Mariscal
- Alyse Dowell
North Texas infection prevention epidemiologists:
- Ashley Bychkowski
- Manager: Gabriela Perez
- Therissa Grefsrud
CRVI core research lab team:
- Britan Jorgensen
- Martha Zayed
- Ashley Graves
News and publications
Clinical publications and reports:
- Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in ambulatory and inpatient care settings
- Prevention and attenuation of COVID-19 with the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccines
- CDC.gov reports by Dr. Gaglani
- Waning of vaccine effectiveness against moderate and severe COVID-19 among adults in the US from the VISION network: test negative, case-control study
- Effectiveness of trivalent and quadrivalent inactivated vaccines against Influenza B in the United States, 2011–2012 to 2016–2017
- Effect of repeat vaccination on immunogenicity of quadrivalent cell-culture and recombinant influenza vaccines among healthcare personnel aged 18–64 years: A randomized, open-label trial
- Vaccine effectiveness against acute respiratory illness hospitalizations for influenza-associated pneumonia during the 2015–2016 to 2017–2018 seasons: US hospitalized adult influenza vaccine effectiveness network (HAIVEN)
- Association between mRNA vaccination and COVID-19 hospitalization and disease severity
- Prevention and attenuation of COVID-19 with the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccines
News and other media: