Associate Professor
University of Rochester Medical Center
Disclosure(s): Merck, Inc.: Grant/Research Support; Moderna, Inc.: Grant/Research Support; Pfizer, Inc.: Grant/Research Support
Dr. Jennifer Nayak is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. She serves as Division Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Rochester. Her research program is focused on understanding the immune response to influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses. The primary goal of her research to understand factors that influence the magnitude, specificity, and function of the anti-viral CD4 T cell response and determine how this affects B cell reactivity, with a focus on how early childhood infections and vaccinations affect development of long-term anti-influenza immunologic memory. In addition, she is involved in clinical trials evaluating novel pediatric vaccines and therapeutics, including vaccines against SARS-CoV-2, hMPV, and RSV.