After more than 20 years at the helm of the University of Vermont’s Vaccine Testing Center (VTC), infectious disease expert Beth Kirkpatrick, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and professor of medicine, has transitioned the leadership of the center she founded in 2001.

Kristen Pierce, M.D., professor of medicine and microbiology & molecular genetics (MMG) and vice-chair for academic affairs in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Disease, and MMG researcher and analyst Mary Claire Walsh, PA-C, will oversee the VTC and the operations that support its entire research team of faculty and staff. Pierce has more than 15 years of experience in clinical and vaccine research and has served as the clinical Principal Investigator on a wide range of vaccine trials. Walsh has expertise in operations, regulatory management, and clinical care.

The VTC was founded by Kirkpatrick in 2001 as a platform to perform human vaccine research, including domestic and international clinical trials and observational studies, clinical immunology, and human experimental challenge models. Over the subsequent decades, the VTC has continuously expanded its research scope to include the study of multiple pathogens and vaccines, including such globally important infectious diseases and vaccines as Dengue, Zika, rotavirus, cholera, campylobacter, SARS-CoV2, Lyme, and many other pathogens. The VTC team—anchored by key faculty members Jessica Crothers, M.D., Sean Diehl, Ph.D., Benjamin Lee, M.D., Caroline Lyon, M.D., M.P.H., and Pierce—has received competitive external funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, and the Department of Defense, as well as industry partners.

“The UVM Vaccine Testing Center put Vermont on the map, with immense impact nationally and internationally,” said Larner Dean Richard L. Page, M.D. “I give profound thanks to Dr. Kirkpatrick for establishing and leading the center for nearly a quarter century, and I look forward to continued success under the stewardship of Dr. Kristen Pierce and Mary Claire Walsh, PA-C.”

Plans are under way for a celebration of the VTC to be held in June 2025.