About PIDS

Kristina Bryant, MD is Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Louisville, Director of the Kosair Charities Fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiologist at Norton Children’s Hospital. The majority of her professional activity is devoted to clinical service, education of fellows and residents, and oversight of infection control and hospital epidemiology at Norton Children’s Hospital. Dr. Bryant’s research interests include vaccine clinical trials and prevention of healthcare-acquired infections. She has been a member of PIDS since 2000. Dr. Bryant has served on the PIDS Training Programs Committee since 2004 (member, 2004-2008, and chair or co-chair, 2008-present). Also since 2008, she has served as the moderator or co-moderator of the annual Pediatric Fellows’ Day Program held during IDWeek. She completed a four-year term on the PIDS Board of Directors in 2016 and currently serves as the PIDS liaison to the SHEA Board of Trustees. She also represents PIDS on the IDSA Training Programs Committee, and is the PIDS liaison to the Council of Pediatric Subspecialties.

Paul Spearman, MD is the Albert B. Sabin professor and director of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. His laboratory studies fundamental aspects of HIV biology and develops new vaccines for human pathogens. HIV assembly processes are a major focus of the laboratory, including the trafficking of the HIV envelope glycoprotein and its interaction with essential host factors. A related project studies the role of tetherin in restricting HIV replication, and is defining how the viral protein Vpu counteracts this important host restriction factor. A novel mucosal HIV vaccine based on parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV5) priming and virus-like particle boosting is under evaluation in macaque models. Dr. Spearman and his colleagues are engaged in the design and performance of clinical trials for new vaccines in adults and children, with a special interest in employing cutting-edge technologies to define innate and adaptive immune responses to vaccines.

Before moving to Cincinnati, Dr. Spearman was professor and vice chair for research in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University, and chief research officer for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. While there he also served as co-director of the Emory Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU). Dr. Spearman currently serves on the Board of Scientific Counselors for NCI and frequently serves on study sections for NIAID. Beyond his research interests, Dr. Spearman is a pediatric ID clinician and enjoys caring for children and mentoring future leaders in Infectious Diseases.

C. Buddy Creech, MD, MPH is Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, and Director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Research Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Creech is Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit and co-PI for the CDC-funded Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Project. His work focuses on the evaluation of new vaccines and therapeutics targeting a number of pathogens, including S. aureus, influenza, RSV, C. difficile, and pertussis. Dr. Creech serves as President-Elect for PIDS and chair of the PIDS Research Affairs Committee.

Susan E. Coffin, MD, MPH is Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  She is the co-clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  Dr. Coffin’s area of expertise focuses on the epidemiology and prevention of healthcare-associated infections.  She serves as the Medical Director of the Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimicrobial Resistance Program at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and conducts healthcare epidemiology research in international and domestic settings.