Home Department: Chemistry
Mentor: Michael J. Rosen (Pediatrics - Gastroenterology)

“Impact of COVID-19 Vaccines on the Adaptive Immune Response of Children Diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease”

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) impacts ~80,000 US children with incidence rates rising from 2.4%-5.2% within the past decade. Little is known about the adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in pediatric IBD populations, and guidance to inform the number of vaccine doses is scarce. Jessica’s project will involve measuring immune responses to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and evaluating ethnic immunological diversity, hypothesizing that children with IBD will require 2-3 additional COVID-19 immunizations to reach immunological protection.