Pia Pannaraj, MD, MPH

Bio

Pia S. Pannaraj, MD, MPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego and Infectious Disease Specialist at Rady Children’s Hospital. She serves as the Director of the Pediatric Immunization Advancement Laboratory and Immunization Consultant for the San Diego County Department of Public Health.

Dr. Pannaraj’s global research focuses on maternal and infant vaccinations. She seeks to better understand infant immune development, responses to mucosal vaccination, and the role of human milk and gut microbes on immune responses.

Dr. Pannaraj serves as President of the California Immunization Coalition and has been appointed to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) expert panel for Global Immunizations Advocacy Initiative, for which she has advised national pediatric societies in Ethiopia, Uganda, Indonesia, and Suriname. She also serves on the AAP Red Book Committee. She is invited to lecture nationally and internationally on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, maternal vaccinations, neonatal health and the microbiome.

Dr. Pannaraj completed her Infectious Diseases fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine and Master of Public Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center. She finished medical school and residency training in pediatrics at University of California, San Diego. She received her undergraduate degree in Economics and Biology from the University of Chicago.

Outside of work, she and her husband raise 3 very active children. They enjoy soccer, outdoor nature activities, and traveling adventures.

Pediatric Immunization Advancement Laboratory