Wilbur H. Chen, Md, Ms

Biography

Dr. Chen is an adult infectious disease physician-scientist with a specific interest in clinical vaccinology. He is Chief of the Adult Clinical Studies section within the Center for Vaccine Development and Director of the UMB Travelers' Health Clinic. His research is concentrated on two areas of global health importance. First, he is devoted to developing vaccines for enteric pathogens, infectious diseases chiefly of resource poor and economically disadvantaged countries and populations. Second, he is interested in developing improved vaccines for the elderly, a rapidly growing segment of the global population which is susceptible to many infections and a special population that generally responds poorly to vaccination. Dr. Chen is active investigator within the NIAID-supported Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit (VTEU), composed of 9 academic centers throughout the U.S., and was the principal investigator of the NIAID-supported Food and Waterborne Diseases Integrated Research Network Clinical Research Unit (FWD IRN CRU). He has been a PI on vaccine trials for: influenza viruses (Seasonal, Pandemic 2009 H1N1, Avian H5N1, and Avian H7N9 influenza), agents of bioterror (Tularemia and Staphylococcal enterotoxin B), and enteric pathogens (typhoid, cholera and enterotoxigenic E. coli)-including human experimental challenge studies with wild-type V. cholerae and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). In collaboration with PATH (an international nonprofit organization, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health), Dr. Chen has imminent research projects evaluating a meningococcal vaccine, Shigella vaccines, and developing a human challenge model with heat-stable enterotoxin (ST)-only expressing ETEC. With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Chen is also developing a human challenge model with Cryptosporidium hominis.

Research Interest

Infectious diseases, vaccinology, clinical trials, enteric pathogens, ETEC, influenza, meningitis, shigella, bioterrorism, human challenge model, and VTEU.