COVID Force


A COVID FORCE (Feasibility and Optimization of Research at Children’s) Collaborative was formed in March 2020. The mission of the COVID FORCE collaborative is to provide strategic coordination to facilitate the best possible research and remove barriers to move all research in this area forward. The collaborative has helped to provide feasibility analyses, harmonized IRB requests, coordinated sample and data utilization and sharing, helped with resource identification and allocation, and more.

All investigators engaged in COVID projects or interested in submitting new projects are asked to submit their information via the REDCap COVID survey. This is for any projects conducted by Department of Pediatrics or Children's Healthcare of Atlanta researchers, and/or that will take place in Children's facilities or will involve Children's patients or data. As of June 12, 2020 this collaborative is tracking 65 COVID-related studies. 

The COVID FORCE leadership team:

  • Ann Chahroudi, MD, PhD
  • Stacy Heilman, PhD
  • Miriam B. Vos, MD, MSPH
  • Rajit Basu, MD, MS, FCCM
  • Evan Anderson, MD
  • Evan Orenstein, MD
  • Ann Mertens, PhD
  • Nitika Gupta, MD

​For all other non-COVID related research efforts during this time, please refer to your appropriate IRBs, sponsors, and PIs regarding individual research study recruitment, enrollment, visit changes, etc. Note that this situation is rapidly changing, and links and documents will be updated frequently. ​

Emory's Department of Pediatrics intranet site has a section on Clinical Research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Note that you will need your Emory ID to login to this site.

Emory's Office of Research Administration page is regularly updated with information from sponsors and others regarding research during this time. 

Should you have any questions or difficulties accessing these pages, please reach out to Ada Chong.

COVID Force Seminar Series

Characterization of Cytokine, Genomic, and Transcriptomic Profiles Associated with Clinical Response Variability in Pediatric COVID-19 Patients

PIs: Ann Chahroudi, MD, PhD and Samya Chakravorty, PhD
Collaborators: Anne Spaulding, MD, MPH

COVID Convalescent Plasma to Optimize Treatment of COVID-19+ Patients at Very High Risk for Mortality Due to Immune or Pulmonary Disease

PIs: Cassandra Josephson, MD and Preeti Jaggi, MD
Collaborators: Kirsten Williams, MD; Inci Yildirim, MD, PhD; and John Roback, MD, PhD

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Children & Young Adults with Cancer and Blood Diseases

PIs: Inci Yildirim, MD, PhD, MSc and Marianne Yee, MD
Collaborators: Larry Anderson, MD; Mark Gonzalez, PhD; and Pratik Patel, MD

CRISIS: COVID Risk Stratification Scoring System

PIs: Rajit K. Basu, MD, MS, FCCM
Collaborators: Rahul Damania, MD; Andi Shane, MD, MPH, MSc; Matt Linam, MD, MS; Preeti Jaggi, MD; Grace Gombolay, MD; Nabihah Mahmood, MD; and Kaitlin Jones, BSN, RN, CPEN

Emergent Phlebotomy

PI: Evan Anderson, MD
Collaborators: Kristy Rostad, MD; Jens Wrammert, MD; Larry Anderson, MD; Inci Yildirim, MD, PhD, MSc

Mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 Entry

PI: Gregory Melikian, PhD
Collaborators: Stefan Sarafianos, PhD; Larry Anderson, MD and Jens Wrammert, PhD

Pediatric Coronavirus Disease-19(COVID-19) Epidemiology and Outcomes

PIs: Preeti Jaggi, MD and Carol Kao, MD
Collaborators: Andi Shane MD, MPH, MSc and Matt Linam, MD

Phase I, Open-Label, Dose-Ranging Study of the Safety and Immunogenicity of 2019-nCoV Vaccine (mRNA-1273) in Healthy Adults

PI: Evan Anderson, MD
Collaborators: Inci Yildrim, MD, PhD, MSc; Christina Rostad, MD; and Carol Kao, MD

Remdesivir Use in Severe Pediatric COVID-19: A Case Series

PIs: Carol Kao, MD and Preeti Jaggi, MD 
Collaborators: Omayma Amin, MD, MBBS and Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, MD

RSV in Older Adults and Pregnant Women Study (ROAPS)

PI: Evan Anderson, MD
Collaborators: Multiple including but not limited to Inci Yildirim, MD, PhD, MSc; Kristy Rostad, MD; Carol Kao, MD; and Larry Anderson, MD

Surveillance of Healthcare Workers for COVID-19 Antibodies

PIs: Claudia R. Morris, MD and Miriam B. Vos, MD, MSPH
Collaborators: Travis Sanchez, DVM, MPH; Patrick Sullivan, MD; Andres Camacho-Gonzalez, MD, MSc; Wendy Little, MD; Brittany Murray, MD; Srikant Iyer, MD, MPH; Brad Hanberry, PhD; Mehul Suthar, PhD; and Jens Wrammert, PhD