Faculty

Helen Y Chu

Professor, Epidemiology
Professor, Medicine - Allergy and Infectious Dis.
Program Lead, Infectious Disease, Brotman Baty Institute, Medicine - Allergy and Infectious Dis.
Term Professorship, Medicine - Allergy and Infectious Dis.
Associate Dean for Research, School of Public Health


Education

MPH Epidemiology, University of Washington, 2012
MD Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 2005
BA Cornell University, 2001

Research Areas

Research Interests

Dr. Chu's research is focused on maternal immunization, in particular vaccines against influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). She studies the virologic and immunologic correlates of protection from respiratory viral infections in pregnant women, infants, and older adults, and performs clinical trials of vaccine candidates in both domestic and international sites, including Nepal and Bangladesh. She has developed immunologic assays to study transplacental transfer and decay kinetics of RSV antibody, and nosocomial and household transmission of respiratory viruses by genotypic analysis and molecular sequencing.

Recent Publications (PubMed)


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Complete definition of how mutations affect antibodies used to prevent RSV.
(2026 Feb 12)
bioRxiv
Simonich CA, McMahon TE, Kampman L, Chu HY, Bloom JD
Science for vaccine policy: Lack of transparency, misinformation, and poor decision processes at the December 2025 ACIP meeting.
(2026 Feb 19)
Vaccine 76(): 128338
Loehr J, Moser CA, Asturias EJ, Shaw AC, Goddard K, Chen LH, Chu HY, Kamboj M, Hawkinson D, Maldonado YA, Talbot HK, Brewer NT
Implementation Does Not Occur in a Vacuum: Sustaining a Comprehensive and Global Vision for HIV Research.
(2026 Feb 2)
J Infect Dis
Gianella S, Lauring A, Paredes R, Croda J, Andes D, Uhlemann AC, Chew K, Stephenson KE, Lewnard JA, John ARO, Leung DT, Clancy CJ, Chu HY, Sears CL, Li JZ
The Erosion of a Pillar of Public Health: ACIP's Role and the Future of U.S. Vaccine Policy Post-June 2025.
(2026 Jan 29)
Clin Infect Dis
Asturias EJ, Schechter R, Talbot HK, Boom J, Brooks OT, Chen LH, Chu HY, Cineas S, Hawkinson DJ, Kamboj M, Loehr J, Lyons KL, Maldonado YA, Moser CA, Roberts MW, Shaw AC, Wiley Z, Zucker JR, Brewer NT
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