Dr. Thielen’s lab seeks to promote the respiratory health of all children globally through the development and equitable deployment of novel prevention and treatment tools for respiratory viral pathogens. To do this, the lab studies factors that influence the severity of respiratory viral infections, including viral sequence variants, respiratory microbiota composition, and host genetics. The presentation will present data from several active projects addressing these questions:

• We are currently conducting a longitudinal cohort study (MINNE-LOVE) in which are studying how the respiratory microbiome influences the frequency and severity of respiratory viral infections among Minnesota children under 5.
• We are preparing to launch a new longitudinal household-based study (MINNE-LOVE-2) of respiratory viral molecular epidemiology across the state as part of the new Pathogen Genomics Center of Excellence based at the Minnesota Department of Health.
• This study will focus on engagement of traditionally underrepresented populations across the state. We are conducting a study of viral causes of fever in children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala, Uganda.