- Summary
- Publications
- Research
- Media
- Locations
Pia S. Pannaraj, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California and Infectious Disease Specialist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). She serves as the Director of the Pediatric Immunization Advancement Laboratory and CHLA’s Pediatric Global Health Education Program.
Dr. Pannaraj’s global research focuses on maternal and infant vaccinations, optimizing vaccination strategies in the community setting, and improving vaccine immunity. She seeks to better understand infant immune development, responses to mucosal vaccination, and the influence of breast milk and gut microbes on immune responses.
Dr. Pannaraj serves on the Board of Directors for the California Immunization Coalition and has been appointed to an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) expert panel for a Global Immunizations Initiative. She is invited to lecture nationally and internationally on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, maternal vaccinations, neonatal health and the microbiome.
Dr. Pannaraj completed her Infectious Diseases fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Master of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center. She finished medical school and residency training in pediatrics at University of California, San Diego. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics and Biology from the University of Chicago.
Clinical Interests
Global Health
Education
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
University of California, San Diego
Baylor College of Medicine
Accomplishments
Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics; Infectious Diseases, American Board of Pediatrics; American Society of Tropical Medicine, Hygiene Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health
American Academy of Pediatrics; American Medical Association; Infectious Disease Society of America: Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: Association of Pediatric Program Directors
National Institutes of Health K23 Child Health Research Career Development Award, 2013-2018 American Academy of Pediatrics and United Nations Foundation Shot@Life Campaign Minigrant Award, 2013; Thrasher Research Fund Award, 2009-11
Change in Saliva RT-PCR Sensitivity Over the Course of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. JAMA. 2021 Aug 13. Online ahead of print. View in Pubmed
Increased viral variants in children and young adults with impaired humoral immunity and persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection: A consecutive case series EBioMedicine. 2021 Apr 26; 67:103355. View in PubMed
In-depth analysis of laboratory parameters reveals the interplay between sex, age, and systemic inflammation in individuals with COVID-19 Int J Infect Dis. 2021 Apr; 105:579-587. View in PubMed
Saliva Is a Promising Alternative Specimen for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in Children and Adults J Clin Microbiol. 2021 01 21; 59(2). View in PubMed
The Microbiota of the Human Mammary Ecosystem Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2020; 10:586667. View in PubMed
Beyond the Bacterial Microbiome: Virome of Human Milk and Effects on the Developing Infant Nestle Nutr Inst Workshop Ser. 2020; 94:86-93. View in PubMed
Contributions to human breast milk microbiome and enteromammary transfer of Bifidobacterium breve PLoS One. 2020; 15(1):e0219633. View in PubMed
Intervention to reduce carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in a neonatal intensive care unit Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2020 06; 41(6):710-715. View in PubMed
SENTINEL1: Two-Season Study of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Hospitalizations among US. Infants Born at 29 to 35 Weeks' Gestational Age Not Receiving Immunoprophylaxis. Am J Perinatol. 2020 03; 37(4):421-429. View in PubMed
Early exposure to antibiotics in the neonatal intensive care unit alters the taxonomic and functional infant gut microbiome J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2019 Nov 19; 1-9. View in PubMed
Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Children's Hospitals: 2014-2017 Pediatrics. 2019 09; 144(3). View in PubMed
Impact of Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Confirmed Hospitalizations on Caregivers of US Preterm Infants Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2019 07; 58(8):837-850. View in PubMed
Vaccine health beliefs and educational influences among pediatric residents Vaccine. 2019 02 04; 37(6):857-862. View in PubMed
Mother's Milk: A Purposeful Contribution to the Development of the Infant Microbiota and Immunity Front Immunol. 2018; 9:361. View in PubMed
Quantification of variation and the impact of biomass in targeted 16S rRNA gene sequencing studies Microbiome. 2018 09 10; 6(1):155. View in PubMed
Shared and Distinct Features of Human Milk and Infant Stool Viromes Front Microbiol. 2018; 9:1162. View in PubMed
Meta-analysis of effects of exclusive breastfeeding on infant gut microbiota across populations Nat Commun. 2018 10 09; 9(1):4169. View in PubMed
Association Between Breast Milk Bacterial Communities and Establishment and Development of the Infant Gut Microbiome JAMA Pediatr. 2017 07 01; 171(7):647-654. View in PubMed
Vaccines, Epidemiology of Vaccine Preventable Diseases, Maternal Immunizations, Herd Immunity, Microbiome
CBS News - Millions of Americans can't isolate from COVID in the home. Here's what experts suggest.
WebMD - Even With Mild COVID, Obesity May Mean Worse Symptoms
NPR - As Children's COVID Cases Surge, There's Another Virus On The Rise
KCRW - Young teens can get the COVID vaccine. Here’s what you need to know
Los Angeles Times - The flu season is hitting young people particularly hard. And it’s not over
CNN - 'Definitely not an anti-vaxer': Some parents push back against recommended vaccine schedule
Los Angeles Times- Enterovirus D-68 infection confirmed in L.A. County
CNN Health- Flu Can Be Deadly, Even in Healthy Kids
CHLA.org - Investigator at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Awarded $3.4M to Study Rotavirus Vaccine
CHLA Blog
5 Things to Know About COVID-19 Research