Lecture Series
The Children’s Research Institute Lecture Series encourages interaction between researchers investigating childhood diseases, and stimulates new research through exposure to cutting-edge, ongoing work.
“Environmental Determinants of RTS,S Malaria Vaccine Efficacy in Children: Investigating Correlates of Protection and Perivaccination Influences”
April 8, 2025
12:00-1:00pm
3116 Mary Ellen Jones or Zoom
Dr. Sahal Thahir is a Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with research interests in vaccine immunology and global health. As a researcher in the Infectious Disease Ecology and Epidemiology Lab (IDEEL), he integrates systems serology, molecular epidemiology, and computational modeling to assess immune responses to early childhood vaccines. His current research focuses on how environmental factors shape immune signatures following RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccination in Kenyan infants, examining how baseline micronutrient deficiencies and co-infections modulate humoral and cellular responses. By identifying immune correlates of protection and mechanisms underlying vaccine hyporesponsiveness in high-burden settings, his work aims to inform strategies for improving malaria vaccine efficacy in vulnerable populations.
Please contact childrensresearch@med.unc.edu for Zoom details.
“Aspiration Risk in Children with Pneumonia in Low- and Middle-Income Countries”
May 13, 2025
12:00-1:00pm
3116 Mary Ellen Jones or Zoom
Dr. Nadia Hoekstra is a pediatric pulmonary fellow at UNC. Nadia grew up in Chapel Hill but spent much of her childhood in Trinidad and Tobago where her mother’s family lives. Nadia attended Boston College where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Hispanic Studies. Following her undergraduate studies Nadia spent two years at the Yale School of Medicine conducting translational research on the mechanisms of acute diarrheal illness, a leading cause of childhood death worldwide. She then went on to graduate from medical school at UNC in 2018. Following medical school, Nadia completed pediatric residency at the University of Colorado where she was a member of the Global Health Track and conducted research on screening practices for pediatric latent tuberculosis infection. Nadia started pediatric pulmonary fellowship at UNC in 2021, and following her first year, she spent one year in Malawi conducting clinical research on severe pneumonia in infants as an NIH Fogarty Global Health Fellow. Nadia plans to pursue an academic career with a focus on improving the health of children with respiratory disease in the United States and globally, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa.
Please contact childrensresearch@med.unc.edu for Zoom details.