Infectious diseases researcher H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, has been appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
ACIP advises the CDC on adult and childhood immunization, including the age when a vaccine should be given, the number of doses needed, the amount of time between doses, and precautions and contraindications.
Talbot, professor of Medicine and Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, served as a member of ACIP from 2018 to 2023, where she helped chart the use of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. Her two-year appointment as committee chair started in February.
“In advising the government, ACIP evaluates the safety and efficacy of vaccines and their role in personal and public health,” Talbot said. “My hope is to continue to improve immunization guidelines in adults and prevent disease. I am honored to serve as chair of the committee.”
Talbot’s research has focused on viral respiratory illnesses in older adults, with special interest in prevention through immunization.
Talbot joined the VUMC faculty in 2006. She studied ceramic engineering and physiology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her MD is from the Medical College of Georgia, in Augusta, and her Master of Public Health degree is from Vanderbilt. She completed her training at Vanderbilt with an internship, residency and chief residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in infectious diseases. Talbot is a past member of the board of directors of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.