In 2018, the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences (SIVS) was renewed as the PAHO/WHO (Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization) Collaborating Center (WHO CC) for Vaccine Research, Evaluation and Training on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Alan Barrett continues as the Director.
WHO Collaborating Centers support WHO to investigate public health issues from many perspectives, ranging from basic science
and preclinical studies to clinical trials, public policy, training and funding. UTMB is recognized as one of the most important international leaders in vaccine research and development. As such, the world experts on vaccine development at UTMB received
international recognition acknowledging their role in emerging infectious diseases, and vaccine research, education and training.
In 2014, UTMB’s Sealy Center for Vaccine Development (now designated the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences) was named a World Health Organization Collaborating Center (WHO CC) for Vaccine Research, Evaluation and Training on Emerging Infectious
Diseases . The designation by the
World Health Organization
(WHO) makes UTMB one of seven universities in the world to receive a WHO designation for vaccine expertise. Further, UTMB is one of three universities in the Western Hemisphere to receive a designation in the field of vaccinology. The other two
universities are: the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; and the Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. The other university vaccinology WHO CCs include: the University of Antwerp
in Belgium; the University of Geneva in Switzerland; the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, and the University of Zurich in Switzerland.
The terms of reference for the UTMB WHO CC are:
- To track progress and provide analysis of the vaccine pipeline against emerging infectious diseases.
- To conduct research on the development, evaluation and use of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases of public health importance.
- To provide education and training for future investigators in the field of vaccinology.