2023 Department of Pediatrics Academic Annual Report

Pediatric Infectious Diseases

PEDIATRIC FACULTY Dr. Richard Whitley................................Co-Director | Professor Dr. David Kimberlin...............................Co-Director | Professor Dr. Suresh Boppana...........................................................Professor Dr. William Britt ..................................................................Professor Dr. Karen Fowler.................................................................Professor Dr. Charlotte Hobbs...........................................................Professor Dr. Cecelia Hutto................................................................Professor Dr. Scott James................................................Associate Professor Dr. Stephanie Moore.........................................................Instructor Dr. Stephen Obaro.............................................................Professor Dr. Swetha Pinninti..........................................Associate Professor Dr. Claudette Poole..........................................Assistant Professor Dr. Shannon Ross...............................................................Professor Dr. Maria Rueda-Altez......................................Assistant Professor

Dr. Veronica Sanchez.......................................Assistant Professor Dr. Sergio Stagno..............................................Professor Emeritus

FEATURED RESEARCH The UAB Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases is internationally known for its studies of congenital and perinatal viral infections as well as its studies of antiviral therapeutics and drug discovery. For 50 years, the division has defined the natural history, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) and neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections and other viral infections in infants. These research programs were started by Dr. Charles Alford in the 1960s, following his return to UAB from training in the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Dr. Thomas Weller. Applying a critical scientific approach to the emerging field of virology, Dr. Alford established UAB as the national leader in congenital and perinatal viral infections. The division consists of eleven physician scientists and three Ph.D. scientists. Collectively, these investigators were responsible for $16.4 million in total research support for grants and contracts active in FY2023. Division faculty currently hold four R awards, three NIH contracts, two CDC grants and three U awards. This is in addition to a thriving clinical service and molecular virology diagnostic laboratory. The legacy of the work initially started in the laboratories of Drs. Weller and Alford continues. Advances in technology promise to take what today is cutting-edge science and make it the foundation upon which tomorrow’s advances stand. CONGENITAL CYTOMEGALOVIRUS PROGRAM Multiple projects extend the division’s studies of CMV infections. A significant effort, led by Suresh Boppana, M.D., Karen Fowler, Ph.D., and Shannon Ross, M.D., builds on the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)–funded CMV and Hearing Multicenter Screening (CHIMES) study. This study enrolled more than 100,000 infants from seven hospitals in the US and was organized and administered by Drs. Boppana and Fowler. Ongoing work continues using the CHIMES study data. Some of the studies include describing the natural history of hearing loss in children with congenital CMV infection, evaluating the increased risk of congenital CMV infection in offspring of adolescent mothers and assessing the role of maternal CMV serostatus in delivering small for gestational age infants. In addition, the CHIMES data is being used to develop state-specific congenital CMV rates and examine social determinants of health and health equity in CMV screening. Dr. Fowler’s current work focuses on behavioral interventions to prevent maternal CMV infections during pregnancy. A past CDC funded behavioral intervention study recruited young pregnant women into a 12-week cognitive-behavioral intervention to increase knowledge about congenital CMV and decrease self-reported risk behaviors. The results demonstrated that it is possible to raise awareness about congenital CMV and reduce CMV risk behaviors in young CMV seropositive pregnant women. Currently, Dr. Fowler is leading an NIH-funded randomized behavioral intervention study evaluating whether CMV prevention behavior changes result in lowering maternal infection during pregnancy, thereby reducing congenital CMV infection rates in their offspring. Swetha Pinninti, M.D., in addition to her vaccination programs, focuses her efforts on defining the prevalence and severity of vestibular and balance disorders in children with congenital CMV infection with hearing loss and those with normal hearing. The goals of this work are to define the burden of vestibular involvement, identify screening methods for detection of children with vestibular and balance disorders, and develop effective intervention measures to improve outcomes.

2023 Academic Annual Report

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