IDCRC Investigator Profile: Flor M. Munoz, MD, MSc

Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine and Medical Director, Transplant Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital
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Dr. Munoz has worked with the Baylor Vaccine Research Center (Baylor’s Vaccine & Treatment Evaluation Unit [VTEU]) since 1998 and has served as lead principal investigator (PI), co-investigator or site PI on nearly 20 studies during this time researching vaccines and treatments for SARS-CoV-2, zika virus, seasonal and pandemic influenza, pertussis and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children and pregnant and non-pregnant adults. Most recently, she led the MOMI-Vax Study, an observational, prospective cohort study of the immunogenicity and safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines administered during pregnancy or postpartum and evaluation of antibody transfer and durability in infants.

“We have a unique opportunity to learn more about maternal immunity after vaccination and the potential for protecting newborns and young infants from COVID-19 through maternal immunization. This is particularly important given that COVID-19 vaccines are not yet available for infants,” says Dr. Munoz, protocol co-Chair and lead site principal investigator.

Of her catalogue of work at the VTEU, she says that “all work related to maternal immunization, particularly the maternal Tdap study supporting the recommendation to vaccinate all women with Tdap during pregnancy, and most recently MOMI-Vax,” has been very impactful. Other highlights were her first VTEU study in 1998 on RSV vaccination in pregnancy and having successfully implemented an international study to address the Zika outbreak.

Dr. Munoz credits the expertise and collaborative nature of the IDCRC network as a strength of the consortium and the work conducted during the pandemic as an example of the importance of the IDCRC in the future.