The Emory Children's Center Vaccine Research Clinic received the Emory School of Medicine 2025 Team Excellence Award in Research/Science on December 10, 2025. In 2025, this team conducted 3,800 study visits for 670 participants across 22 research studies that span vaccine clinical trials and infectious disease epidemiology. The team is committed to advancing safe, effective, accessible vaccines and treatments to protect individuals from infectious diseases and to enhance health and wellbeing for all.
The Team Excellence Award in Research/Science recognizes a basic science, laboratory, or clinical research team whose impact is demonstrated through scientific or health advancements, productive interdisciplinary partnerships, or the development of novel and effective approaches to research. The Emory Children's Center Vaccine Research Clinic team truly embodies these ideals. This team of more than 30 clinicians, coordinators, laboratory specialists, analysts, and investigators plays a pivotal role in advancing the development of safe, effective, and accessible vaccines and treatments.
Their work spans 18 active clinical trials funded by the NIH, CDC, Gates Foundation, and industry partners, with significant accomplishments including more than 1,700 participant visits and numerous publications and presentations just this year. The team’s impact is perhaps most evident in their leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. They conducted the first-in-human Phase I trial of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine and contributed to multiple large-scale studies in adults and children—research that directly informed FDA approvals and CDC recommendations, ultimately helping save millions of lives.
Their current projects include two first-in-human Phase 1 rotavirus vaccine trials, one featuring a novel inactivated formulation and another using cutting-edge dissolvable microneedle patch technology. The team has managed every aspect of these studies—from protocol development and statistical plans to AI-supported recruitment and regulatory oversight—demonstrating exceptional innovation, rigor, and collaboration. The Emory Children's Center Vaccine Research Clinic team includes Clair Emily Martin, Khalel De Castro, Alex Dreyer, Lauren Elizabeth Nolan, Kathy Stephens, Lisa Macoy, Theda Gibson, Lui Salazar, Ashley Tippett, Kathryn Zaks, Hui-Mien Hsiao, Gidget Kettle, Etza Ann Smith, Leisa Bower, Anna Siaw-Anim, Molly Tuggle, Wensheng Li, Simone Francois, Humerazehra Nasir Momin, Janelle Spencer-Ramirez, Langdon Smythe DiMaggio, Casiel Tey Gethers, Deanna West Tankoo, Komal Gopchandani, Brianna Rice, DeLisa Hardnick, Anna Katherine Mitchell, Peggy McGarity, Alison Grossman, Lasata Shrestha, Will Gansereit, Jesssica McCaffery, Sylvia Marie Tangney, Lidiya Girma Desta, and Caroline Rose Ciric.
Originally published here.