Harvard Catalyst Profile</h1> <article> <h1>Harvard Catalyst Profile</h1> <p>sysadmin — Tuesday, May 16, 2023, 9:33pm</p> <p class="text-align-center"> </p> <p class="text-align-center">Visit Dr.Collier's <a data-url="https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/Profiles/display/Person/39233" href="https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/Profiles/display/Person/39233">Harvard Catalyst Profile</a> for further information about her academic background, media links, research activities, funding, and clinical trials. </p> </article> <article> <h1>COVID-19 Vaccination in Pregnant & Lactating Individuals Presentation </h1> <p>sysadmin — Tuesday, May 16, 2023, 9:33pm</p> <drupal-media data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="820380df-87e0-4069-9603-3883e6110e91" data-align="center" data-view-mode="medium" alt> </drupal-media> <figure id="w-node-88299b9b8c11-37fd73f1"> <figcaption> <p class="text-align-center" data-end="716" data-start="201">Dr. Collier was invited to present at the <em data-end="293" data-start="243">International Workshop on COVID-19 Vaccines 2022</em> — Session 2: <strong data-end="334" data-start="307">COVID-19 Vaccine Safety</strong>, organized by Academic Medical Education. Her key counseling messages included the following: COVID-19 infection can worsen pregnancy and maternal outcomes; vaccination is not associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, or increased maternal side effects; vaccination reduces the risk of maternal infection and severe disease; and vaccination provides passive immunity to the neonate.</p> </figcaption> </figure> </article> <article> <h1>Vaccines in Pregnancy Presented by Dr. Collier</h1> <p>sysadmin — Tuesday, May 16, 2023, 9:33pm</p> <p class="text-align-center"> </p> <drupal-media data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="c8914930-6305-43bc-9df5-9f6e3f26ed51" data-align="center" data-view-mode="medium" alt> </drupal-media> <p class="text-align-center">The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health invited Dr. Collier to present on the topic of Vaccines in Pregnancy. Her presentation focused on three main objectives: to discuss the indicators and evidence supporting vaccination during pregnancy, to summarize post-market vaccine safety surveillance, and to outline key areas for future research.</p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Five Questions with Ai-ris Collier</h1> <p>sysadmin — Tuesday, May 16, 2023, 9:33pm</p> <h1>Five Questions with Ai-ris Collier</h1> <h2>Our Postgraduate Education program alum discusses her research on the safety and effectiveness of administering COVID-19 mRNA vaccines to pregnant women.</h2> <p> </p> <p><a href="https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/Profiles/display/Person/39233">Ai-ris Collier, MD,</a> is an instructor in obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she specializes in maternal-fetal medicine. Her research, <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2780202">reported in JAMA</a> earlier this summer, supported the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in pregnant women.</p> <p><strong>What drew you to obstetrics/gynecology and to focus on maternal-fetal medicine and research? </strong></p> <p>I went to Harvard Medical School in the Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program thinking I would specialize in pediatric cardiology or another medical sub-specialty, and then I fell in love with OB/Gyn. I found pregnancy and reproductive health so interesting from basic physiology to patient care, where you become so involved in the most intimate and memorable moments—both happy and sad—of peoples’ lives. Eventually, both my clinical and research interests drew me towards maternal-fetal medicine. In retrospect, I grew up in a very woman-centered family with three younger sisters, so it makes perfect sense!</p> <p>I’ve always wanted to be a scientist, and since medical school, I’ve been interested in cellular immunology and understanding the mechanisms of immune tolerance. I’ve translated what I learned studying immune tolerance in a type one diabetes model and a tumor model to human pregnancy. The maternal adaptive immune tolerance that allows for the fetus to grow is largely still not understood.</p> <p><strong>Did Harvard Catalyst courses help you as a physician-scientist to develop the research side of your interests?</strong></p> <p>I’ve definitely taken advantage of available courses, for example, when I got my K award [an NIH career development multi-year grant], I joined GRASP (<a href="https://catalyst.harvard.edu/courses/grasp/">Grant Review and Support Program</a>). Their annual in-person meetings were super helpful in guiding me, as was their work planning tool. The program helped me understand the grant-writing process, what a NIH biosketch is, and how you can make your personal narrative better.</p> <p>And I would definitely give a shout out to the <a href="https://catalyst.harvard.edu/courses/ecr/">Effectively Communicating Research</a> two-day course. Since completing the course, I’ve received positive feedback at conferences after my presentations. It’s one thing to do great research, but to effectively communicate and engage your audience is super important.</p><drupal-media data-entity-type="media" data-entity-uuid="ad484478-ab88-4349-ba7d-14b68b98f85e" data-view-mode="full_width" alt> </drupal-media><p><em>Ai-ris Collier (center) at Clinical Trials Unit, Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, with clinical research associates Lorraine Bermudez Rivera (left) and Daniel Massillon (right). </em></p> <div class="grid-row collapse-spacing" id="overview"> <div class="grid-col-large-7-10 grid-col-medium-7-10 grid-col-small-1-1 col"> <div class="image-caption-container"> <div class="caption"> <div class="grid-row collapse-spacing" id="overview"> <div class="grid-col-large-7-10 grid-col-medium-7-10 grid-col-small-1-1 col"> <div class="image-caption-container"> <div class="caption"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p><strong>Talk about pivoting to COVID-19 research and what your vaccine findings mean for pregnant women.</strong></p> <p>I work in the <a href="https://cvvr.hms.harvard.edu/lab/barouch-laboratory/">lab of my mentor, Dan Barouch</a>, the William Bosworth Castle Professor of Medicine and director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research. After the research shutdown, we pivoted to focus on just COVID. Other parts of the lab were developing vaccines. As a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, I made it my agenda to make sure pregnancy data were included. We needed to be able to provide information on vaccine safety and efficacy for those who are pregnant, lactating, and considering pregnancy.</p> <p>Because pregnant or lactating individuals were not included in any of the vaccine phase 3 clinical trials, I focused on studying vaccinated participants who were pregnant or lactating. <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2780202">Our study published in JAMA</a> included our first 30 pregnant participants. Although the sample size doesn’t allow us to make broad statements about efficacy and safety, it does show that the vaccine works just as well from an immune standpoint in pregnant people as in the non-pregnant. I also tell my patients who are considering vaccination that vaccination in pregnancy likely provides some neonatal protection from the transfer of the mom’s antibodies through the placenta.</p> <p>We continue to enroll pregnant people and follow up on them because there are many other questions to be answered. When is the optimal time to give a vaccine in pregnancy for the best neonatal protection? Do the various types of vaccines have different effectiveness or immunogenicity? How long does immune protection last?</p> <p>We know that pregnancy is a risk factor for worse COVID-19 outcomes, so we’re encouraging people to remember to include them when designing clinical trials for treatments or vaccines. We need more data. It’s a big step that pregnant women will be included in the <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04999111">COVID-19 booster vaccine trial</a> that we’re participating in at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.</p> <p><strong>Have you returned to your other line of research?</strong></p> <p>Yes, I’m also back to my original passion, which is to understand the mechanisms of immune tolerance and how loss of tolerance can lead to pregnancy-related diseases like preeclampsia or fetal growth restriction. I’d like to identify new pathways to better treat or prevent these serious complications. I’m now able to continue enrolling participants with preeclampsia and/or fetal growth restriction and collect blood samples from them on our Labor and Delivery unit. We are also collecting samples from the first trimester.</p> <p><strong>Personally, have there been any silver linings to the pandemic?</strong></p> <p>Everyone now knows how to use video conferencing, which has helped us more easily communicate and arrange meetings across time zones, both professionally and personally. My three sisters, parents, and I are scattered—east coast, west coast, and Arizona—but we now routinely get together virtually. We do cocktail hours and exercise as a group. I’ve been in more frequent contact with them this past year than ever before, when we relied on in-person visits.</p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>Chronic inflammation may cause long COVID</h1> <p>acollier@bidmc.harvard.edu — Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 9:36am</p> <p>News story about the scientific premise behind our clinical trial for Long COVID patients</p> <p>https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06597396</p> </article> <article> <h1>New Studies Show RSV Vaccine Is Safe During Pregnancy</h1> <p>acollier@bidmc.harvard.edu — Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 9:41am</p> <p>https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/news/20250219/cm/new-studies-show-rsv-vaccine-is-safe-during-pregnancy/</p> </article> <article> <h1>Obstetrical outcomes following maternal RSV vaccination</h1> <p>acollier@bidmc.harvard.edu — Wednesday, December 17, 2025, 9:55am</p> </article> <article> <h1>IMUNON Announces New Immunogenicity Data from Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Its DNA Vaccine in Treatment of COVID-19</h1> <p>amichae1 — Friday, December 26, 2025, 11:36am</p> <p>Results of IMNN-101 Proof-of-Concept study demonstrate persistent immunogenicity in trial participants and further validate PlaCCine<sup>®</sup> technology</p> </article> <article> <h1>Reports describe good maternal RSV vaccine, drug uptake in their first season</h1> <p>amichae1 — Friday, December 26, 2025, 11:38am</p> <p>A study today in <em>JAMA Network Open </em>from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), shows a high uptake of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine and the RSV-preventing monoclonal antibody nirsevimab among pregnant women seen during the 2023-24 season, the first RSV season the vaccine and drug were available.</p> <p>A second study, also published today in the same journal, looked at patients seen at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and found a lower uptake of maternal RSV vaccine and nirsevimab (Beyfortus) during the same initial season, but more than half of infants studied were protected.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Virology and Vaccines in Pregnancy</h1> <p>amichae1 — Friday, December 26, 2025, 11:40am</p> <p>Dr. Collier presents "Pregnancy Immunology in Action: Maternal Immune Responses and Infant Protection"</p> </article> <article> <h1>BILH Celebrates 2024 International Day of Women in Science</h1> <p>amichae1 — Friday, December 26, 2025, 11:45am</p> <p>Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) marked the 2024 International Day of Women in Science by highlighting women’s valuable contributions to science and reaffirming BILH’s commitment to greater gender diversity and inclusivity in research and innovation. Hosted by Chief Academic Officer, Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, the virtual celebration brought together more than 175 registered attendees, including established and early-career scientists from across the system to celebrate the accomplishments of the women scientists of Beth Israel Lahey Health research institutions.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Reproductive Sciences Journal Podcast, Society for Reproductive Investigation</h1> <p>amichae1 — Friday, December 26, 2025, 11:47am</p> <p>On this episode, Panicos Shangaris interviews Professor Ai-ris Y. Collier from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston on her paper "Altered Cytokine Production in Human Intervillous Blood T Cells in Preeclampsia".</p> </article> </main></body></html>