Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB)

Overview/Mission

MPIDB supports domestic and international research, as well as research training and career development programs related to the epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of HIV and its complications in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women. As the HIV epidemic has evolved and other infectious diseases have emerged in the United States and globally, the branch has ensured that its funded research reflects these changes and addresses important opportunities and gaps as they arise, including HIV-associated co-infections such as tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, and malaria.

To meet the needs and ongoing challenges of other significant infectious diseases, MPIDB coordinates research on the epidemiology, natural history, pathogenesis, transmission, treatment, and prevention of congenital infections, such as Zika virus and cytomegalovirus (CMV); emerging infectious diseases, such as COVID-19; and vaccine-preventable disease in infants, children, adolescents, and women.

Congruent with the branch’s mission, MPIDB supports a number of research programs and networks to improve health outcomes among populations of interest. Two major priorities for branch-funded clinical research networks are: HIV (and TB) therapeutics in infants, children, adolescents, and pregnant women; and epidemiologic research in individuals living with HIV or at risk for HIV, including infants, children, adolescents, and young adults who were exposed to HIV in utero.

Adolescent HIV Acquisition and Disease: Focuses on understanding HIV transmission dynamics, the course of disease, and its management in youth, including those who acquire HIV perinatally
Youth with Perinatally Acquired HIV: Examines the long-term effects of HIV and its treatment on the growth and development, sexual maturation, organ function, and socialization of adolescents and young adults with perinatally acquired HIV, both domestically and internationally
Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV and HIV-Related Co-Infections in Infants, Children, and Adolescents: Investigates optimizing linkage to care, monitoring of therapy, adherence and durability of therapy, development of drug resistance, short- and long-term outcomes, epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of important co-infections, and other issues
Epidemiology and Natural History of HIV and HIV-Related Co-Infections in Women: Focuses on gender-specific manifestations of HIV, including natural history, impact of therapy, transmission, and interactions with hormones
HIV and Other Infections in Pregnancy and the Prevention of Perinatal Transmission: Aims to prevent and eliminate perinatal transmission and includes studies during pregnancy, effects of in utero drug exposures on the fetus, long-term follow-up, and evaluation of long-term adverse consequences of exposure
Non-HIV Infectious Disease Research: Addresses research gaps in children and pregnant women related to many HIV-associated co-infections
Therapeutic Research in HIV and Related Comorbidities: Evaluates new and improved therapies for treatment of HIV and its associated complications in pregnant women, infants, children, and adolescents
Prevention and Treatment through a Comprehensive Care Continuum for HIV-affected Adolescents in Resource Constrained Settings (PATC³H): Works on an international scale to prevent and treat HIV among adolescents and young adults in seven African countries and Brazil
Centers for AIDS Research: Provides administrative and shared support to synergistically enhance and coordinate high-quality AIDS research projects
International epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA): Collects and analyzes maternal and pediatric HIV/AIDS data from seven international regional data centers: four in Africa and one each in the Asia-Pacific region, the Central/South America/Caribbean region, and North America
International Maternal, Pediatric, Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network: Evaluates potential therapies for HIV and its related co-infections (e.g., TB) in infants, children, and adolescents and during pregnancy, including clinical trials of HIV/AIDS interventions for prevention of perinatal transmission
NICHD Domestic & International Pediatric & Maternal HIV & other High-Priority Infectious Diseases Clinical Studies Network: Conducts trials related to preventing and treating HIV and its complications in newborns, infants, children, and adolescents and during pregnancy
Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study: Examines long-term safety of fetal and infant exposure to antiretroviral therapy and effects of perinatally acquired HIV in adolescents and young adults
Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/Women’s Interagency HIV Study Combined Cohort Study: Investigates ways to understand and reduce the impact of chronic health conditions that affect people with HIV in the United States

Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) Initiative: Supports activities to reduce preventable causes of maternal death and improve maternal health
Research Challenges and Competitions: These mechanisms encourage research, development, and innovation among communities that do not traditionally apply for funding support
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) HIV website: CDC provides information on HIV-related health topics
HIVinfo @ NIH: Contains information on HIV-related health topics, treatment and prevention guidelines, approved and investigational HIV drugs, vaccine research, and a search tool for HIV-specific clinical trials
WHO consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: recommendations for a public health approach : Provides practice guidelines related to antiretroviral therapy

Sonia Lee, Branch Chief
Main Research Areas: Adolescent HIV; neurodevelopment and assessment; behavioral science, including HIV acquisition and HIV exposure in infants, children, and adolescents; programs and networks
Denise Russo, Deputy Branch Chief
Main Research Areas: HIV in women; infant immunity
Ayanna Brummell, Extramural Scientific Assistant
Samantha Calabrese, Public Health Analyst
Main Research Areas: Portfolio analysis methodology; epidemiology; Zika
Allahna Esber, Program Officer
Main Research Areas: HIV in women and adolescents; epidemiology; cohort studies; vaccines; HIV coinfections
Maria Hill, Extramural Staff Assistant
Eric Lorenzo, Program Officer
Main Research Areas: HIV cure; HIV persistence/latency and reservoirs
Sai Majji, Program Officer
Main Research Areas: Immune development in early life; effects of chronic and acute maternal infections (e.g., HIV, TB, malaria, CMV); immune-prophylactics and therapeutics in pregnant and non-pregnant women and pediatrics; regulatory affairs; clinical trial monitoring and data sharing and management
Jack Moye, Medical Officer
Main Research Areas: Laboratory quality assurance; biospecimen repository management; virology and immunology research; epidemiologic cohort studies and clinical trials
Tracy Hepburn, Program Analyst
Franklin Yates, Medical Officer
Main Research Areas: Adolescent HIV prevention and treatment; adult and pediatric infectious diseases; emerging infectious diseases; viral hepatitis prevention and treatment in children and pregnant women

Highlights

Maternal Mental Wellness and Women's Health. Learn about NICHD research efforts related to maternal mental health, including depression and anxiety during and up to 1 year after pregnancy.
Get to Know NICHD! Learn more about what inspired MPIDB Chief Dr. Sonia Lee and Public Health Analyst Samantha Calabrese to pursue science and how their decisions and experiences led them to their careers with NICHD.
MPIDB leads and participates in many activities for NICHD related to COVID-19 research in children, during pregnancy and postpartum, and with underserved populations. Learn more on the COVID-19 Research and NICHD website.
- Predicting Viral-Associated Inflammatory Disease Severity in Children with Laboratory Diagnostics and Artificial Intelligence (PreVAIL kIds), is part of NIH’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative to speed innovation in the development, commercialization, and implementation of technologies for COVID-19 testing.
News Release: NIH announces winners of data challenge to identify risk factors for first-time pregnancies. Awarded projects of the Decoding Maternal Morbidity Data Challenge seek to reduce pregnancy complications and prevent maternal deaths.
Subscribe to the MPIDB newsletter or read previous issues in the newsletter archive.

Breadcrumb

Maternal and Pediatric Infectious Disease Branch (MPIDB)

Overview/Mission

Branch Research Programs and Networks

Branch-Funded Projects

Researcher Tools and Resources

Program Scientists, Staff, and Research Areas

Highlights

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