Join us for the next monthly OGHE Global Health Forum on Monday, January 27 from 12-1 pm in Roper Hall (Room 4302) OR online on zoom (https://zoom.us/j/3111814366?omn=97728086196).
RSVP by 12 noon on Thursday, January 23, for a boxed lunch – if joining the in person event.
Sahal Thahir, MD: Immune Inequities: Addressing Malaria, Co-Infections, and Vaccine Challenges in Global Health
Sahal is a Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow in the UNC Department of Pediatrics. He began with IDEEL in December 2019, working under Peyton Thompson and Jonathan Parr on the ASTMH and AVERT studies. Currently, he is focused on the effects of Schistosome exposure on RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine response in Kenyan infants and understanding the role of cumulative malaria exposure in childhood on the durability of humoral responses to routine early childhood vaccines.
Sahal received his medical degree at Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and his B.S. degree in Biochemistry at Virginia Tech (VT). Outside of being an OGHE Global Scholar, Sahal is a Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP) Scholar by the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, Carolina Child Health Scholar, and a recipient of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund/ASTMH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Tropical Infectious Diseases.
Abstract: Childhood infectious diseases disproportionately affect children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where vaccine-preventable diseases account for significant morbidity and mortality. Despite global efforts, the efficacy of vaccines such as RTS,S/AS01 for malaria remains reduced in these regions, posing critical challenges to achieving equitable health outcomes. This disparity is influenced by complex environmental and socioeconomic factors, including endemic co-infections like Schistosoma mansoni and soil-transmitted helminths, which modulate host immune responses and reduce vaccine effectiveness.
Our work investigates how these co-endemic infections impact humoral and cellular immune responses to the RTS,S vaccine in young children. Using a systems serology approach, we analyze antibody effector functions and immunomodulatory profiles, aiming to identify immune signatures associated with protection. Additionally, we explore the influence of socioeconomic inequities, pathogen burden, and access barriers on vaccine performance.
We will also host it live on zoom if you cannot attend in person (no need to RSVP for zoom attendance – just join at the time of the event)- https://zoom.us/j/3111814366