Lauren

Lauren Wood

Dr. Lauren V. Wood

Dr. Lauren V. Wood

Clinical Director, Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research
National Cancer Institute

African American
Undergraduate: Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH
Medical School: Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals, Houston, TX
Fellowship: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD

Dr. Lauren V. Wood is a graduate of Oberlin College and Duke University School of Medicine. She completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals in Houston, TX, with further subspecialty training in Allergy and Immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, MD and subsequently became board certified in all three disciplines. Her early career research in the laboratory of Dr. Anthony Fauci investigating HIV-specific cellular and humoral immune responses provided the foundation for her ensuing clinical research focus investigating antiretroviral agents and immune-based therapies in HIV-infected children, adolescents and young adults following her recruitment to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by Dr. Philip Pizzo. She was involved in the initial studies of multiple antiretroviral agents that led to Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval for their use in children, in addition to studies investigating recombinant IL-2, HIV therapeutic vaccines and adherence to antiretroviral treatment, as well as the infectious, malignant and psychosocial complications of pediatric HIV disease. In 2005 Dr. Wood joined the NCI Vaccine Branch to initiate and develop a translational clinical research program. Initially serving as Head of the Clinical Trials Team and now as the Vaccine Branch Clinical Director, she is responsible for the bench-to-bedside clinical translation and implementation of first-in-human studies investigating novel vaccine platforms and immune-based therapies for both cancer and HIV infection. Her current principal area of scientific interest focuses on personalized cellular therapeutic vaccines designed to harness the immune system to control and eradicate cancer and HIV infection. Dr. Wood is also a Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service.

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