Infectious Disease

The Infectious Disease (ID) Research Program is dedicated to discovering better ways to diagnose, treat and prevent infectious diseases. Comprised of clinical investigators, research associates, nurses, microbiologists and laboratory technicians, our research program has had a considerable impact on the practice of clinical medicine, including changes in national and international policy and recommendations on the treatment and prevention of diseases in children.

Clinical Trials Within ID

At any given time, there could be 25 to 50 studies underway within ID ranging from small projects enrolling one to two patients with special needs to large studies involving thousands of subjects. Examples include:

• Studies defining the epidemiology of infectious disease pathogens
• Interventional trials of new antibiotics, antivirals or antifungals aimed at treating viruses, bacteria or fungi
• Molecular studies of pathogen transmission and spread within diverse settings, including the hospital, transplant units, daycare and communities - both in the United States and in developing countries
• Investigations determining the dosing and safety of new antiretroviral medications for HIV-infected children and interventions to improve the long-term health of HIV-infected children and adolescents

The Seattle Children’s Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Group, directed by Dr. Janet Englund, continues to study SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the disease known as COVID-19. Dr. Englund’s group is working with researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Seattle Flu Study to better understand COVID-19 in children and teenagers.

You Can Make a Difference: Take Part in a Clinical Trial

Infectious diseases are the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in children and many of them are either preventable via vaccines or treatable with anti-infectives. Clinical research and trials focused on infectious diseases are essential to improving the health of children locally and globally. To take part in a clinical trial, please contact one of our research staff members, Amanda Adler or Kirsten Lacombe, MSN.

Help us answer questions about childhood health and illness, and help other children in the future. Learn more.

Our Researchers

Janet A Englund, MD I study the impact of respiratory virus infections in children and adults, with a special interest in patients at high risk for severe disease. I have studied the diagnosis, epidemiology, and prevention of respiratory diseases using novel diagnostic tests, vaccines, antivirals, and other therapeutics, and evaluated respiratory diseases in diverse populations, including neonates, pregnant women, immunocompromised children, and communities in the USA and developing countries. I have worked to improve prevention of viral diseases around the world. My recent work with the Seattle Flu Study (SFS) and Public Health WA and King County has resulted in landmark studies of SARS-CoV-2 in the community. We have conducted large-scale respiratory virus surveillance using innovative online recruiting and self-swabbing, resulting in identification of early SARS-CoV-2 community spread.