Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Group’s COVID-19 Research

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.

• Read: Everything You Need to Know About Fall and Winter Vaccinations – Q&A With Seattle Children’s Pediatric Infectious Disease Research Group
• Watch: Talk to your children about what to expect when they get the vaccine

Most recently, Englund was a co-investigator for the CASCADIA study, which studied how well COVID-19 vaccines protect participants against infection in the community. The study was conducted by the University of Washington School of Medicine and Seattle Children’s Hospital in Seattle and the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, and was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

COVID-19 Research Studies and Vaccine Clinical Trials

Dr. Englund’s research team may be reached at IDResearch@seattlechildrens.org.

Pfizer COVID-19 Booster Study

The Pfizer COVID-19 Booster study will look at how the most recent vaccine booster aims to protect against the COVID-19 illness. Researchers at Seattle Children’s are conducting a COVID-19 vaccine research study for children up to 12 years of age who have never had a COVID-19 vaccine.

•  To learn more about this study, view the study page or download the study flyer.

Picasso Study

The Picasso study will investigate new methods to protect kids from RSV. Researchers at Seattle Children’s are conducting an RSV vaccine research study for children between the ages of 2 and 17.

• To learn more about participating in the Picasso study, email the study team at IDResearch@seattlechildrens.org or call 206-884-1100.
• You can also view the study brochure.

Investigating the Virus That Causes COVID-19

Research lead by Dr. Englund and the team have contributed key research to better understand the virus that causes COVID-19 and its effect on the community:

• Children infected with SARS-CoV-2 can make antibodies that can neutralize the virus and are likely to have a protective effect against COVID-19.
• Home testing to detect respiratory viruses in early 2020 led to the first documented U.S. case of community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the time.
• Home-based surveillance using online participant enrollment and specimen self-collection is a safe and feasible method for community-level monitoring of influenza and other respiratory pathogens, which can readily be adapted for use during pandemics.
• What happened to influenza during the pandemic?
• Partnership with Seattle Public Schools supplement a report on school-based interventions to increase vaccination coverage amongst school-aged children.
• In a 2023 publication, Seattle Children's researchers found the COVID-19 vaccine to be safe and effective for young children In protecting against the virus.

Investigator Biographies

Dr. Janet Englund is a professor of infectious diseases in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a principal investigator at the Center for Clinical and Translational Research at Seattle Children’s. Her research interests include the study of vaccine-preventable diseases and viral respiratory diseases in young children and immunocompromised hosts, including transplant recipients. She studies new viral vaccines and novel methods of antiviral therapy for respiratory viruses including influenza, adenovirus, parainfluenza viruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

As a leader in the field of infectious diseases, respiratory viruses, and infections in children, Englund is interested in assessing the epidemiology of the study of viral infections and assessing vaccine effectiveness. She is part of the New Vaccine Surveillance Network of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, participating in respiratory and gastrointestinal viral surveillance in collaboration with Dr. Eileen Klein to direct protocol development and patient enrollment to assess viral epidemiology and vaccine effectiveness for acute respiratory and gastrointestinal disease. Englund’s research group also is actively involved in the follow-up of pregnant women and a longitudinal study of children infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Over the past 30 years, Englund has had extensive experience in initiating, managing, and analyzing clinical trials, vaccine studies, and national and international research protocols, in addition to a track record for successful collaborative research. She has held leadership roles in multicenter, federally sponsored networks and research trial units, including the NIH-sponsored AIDS Clinical Trials Unit, the Vaccine Treatment and Evaluation Unit, and New Vaccine Surveillance Network. Her interest in protecting patients from viral diseases has contributed to national and international policies regarding pediatric immunization with rotavirus and papillomavirus vaccines, and maternal immunization with respiratory syncytial virus, influenza and pertussis vaccines. She is enthusiastic about work to further understanding of important respiratory and enteric viral infections and to contribute to controlling the spread of SARS-CoV-2. 

Dr. Alpana Waghmare is a pediatrician who specializes in the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases with a focus on respiratory infections and their impact on vulnerable populations. Her work is on viral infections in immunocompromised patients, and she studies both viral and host factors that might serve as disease severity biomarkers to help clinicians assess risk for their patients, develop prevention and treatment strategies, and carry out clinical trials for development of better drugs and vaccine. She is working on numerous COVID-19 projects, such as studying infections in cancer patients who have received transplants or CAR T-cell therapy, and she is working to understand immune responses of children after exposure to the virus.