Pediatrics Researcher Awarded K23 Grant for Maternal Influenza Study
October 19, 2021
Anne-Marie Rick, MD, PhD, MPH, from the Division of General Academic Pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine was awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) K23 Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award for a project titled “Infant Protection From Influenza through Maternal Influenza Immunization.”
Dr. Rick’s grant will support research investigating epidemiologic and immunologic protections provided to infants against influenza through immunization during pregnancy. A special focus of the study will be given to the role and efficacy of breastmilk-mediated protection. Data for the study will come from a cohort of 49,000 mother-infant pairs from across the UPMC system.
Dr. Rick's grant is funded through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, under project number 1K23AI159399-01. The grant will provide Dr. Rick with research support through May 2026.
Dr. Rick is mentored by Judith M. Martin, MD, and John V. Williams, MD.
More About Dr. Rick
Anne-Marie Rick MD, PhD, MPH, is an instructor of Pediatrics and Clinical and Translational Science, and she is the director of Newborn Research Support Services (NuRSERy) at the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Rick spends clinical time in newborn care at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Her clinical research is focused on infectious diseases related to maternal-infant health with active studies related to newborn sepsis, perinatal transmission of COVID-19 infections, and passive immune protection from maternal immunization during pregnancy, including influenza. As Director of NuRSERy, Dr. Rick works collaboratively with numerous investigators across the Schools of Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh to facilitate and implement clinical research in the newborn setting. In addition to research activities, Dr. Rick is an avid mentor for clinical research for numerous students at different levels of training across the University of Pittsburgh.
