Center for Immunization Research (CIR)
Leaders in vaccine development, research and education since 1985.
Welcome to the Center for Immunization Research
CIR was founded to facilitate the development of new vaccines against infectious diseases of global importance. Here you can find the latest evidence-based updates about vaccines, learn about clinical studies, read journal articles by our infectious disease experts, and more.
Important Message from the Faculty
We at the Center for Immunization Research are deeply troubled by the CDC’s sudden decision to change language on its website with respect to vaccines. Decades of rigorous and scientifically sound research have demonstrated that vaccines do not cause autism. The misleading and false statements on the CDC website are dangerous and will decrease vaccine uptake leading to an increase in the incidence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Our Research
Join a clinical study
Project SAVE (Support a Vaccine Effort) is the adult recruitment program at the Center for Immunization Research. The program is used to screen adult potential study participants to help determine their eligibility for specific clinical vaccine studies at the CIR.
New and Noteworthy
Our stance on the current Hepatitis B vaccine recommendations
We as the faculty in the Center for Immunization Research strongly disagree with the ACIP's change in recommendation regarding Hepatitis B vaccination of newborns and believe the extensive high-quality evidence supporting the safety and effectiveness of routine administration of hepatitis B vaccination to newborns. We agree with the Maryland Department of Health’s position which can be found here:
Butantan Institute's dengue vaccine, the world's first single-dose vaccine, has been approved by Anvisa.
The Center for Immunization Research conducted 30 Phase 1/Phase 2 clinical trials, in collaboration with the NIH, in the development of this vaccine.
Next-gen leaders in diarrheal disease: Q&A with Brittany Feijoo
Brittany Feijoo, MSN, FNP-BC, a research associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, is one of those next-generation leaders. We talked to Brittany about her path from nursing to global health, her research on Shigella in Kenya, and her role models both inside and outside the scientific community.
How do drug trials really work? I got dengue fever to find out
Max Bernhart volunteered to participate in a Phase 2 clinical trial to test a treatment for dengue fever. This is what he learned in his time as a human test subject.
Measles Update and ACIP News
CIR director Dr. Anna Durbin details the current outbreak and how recent changes to public health entities could affect vaccine policies.
Controlled human infection models in vaccine development: what’s new in 2025?
Join us Thursday, May 29th at 11 am for this webinar about controlled human infection models (CHIMs). CHIMs can speed up vaccine development by rapidly eliminating unsuccessful candidates and de-risking later clinical trials. CIR director, Dr. Anna Durbin, joins the panel of experts to discuss the opportunities and challenges of CHIMs in 2025 and beyond.
Meet our Faculty
Our dedicated faculty members work together to carry out CIR’s mission by applying public health expertise to their individual infectious diseases areas of interest. Learn more about their important work on the BSPH faculty pages.
Anna Durbin, MD, studies experimental vaccines for SARS-CoV-2, dengue, West Nile, Zika, malaria, and more in human clinical trials and in controlled human infection studies.
