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SearchIn newly created role, Dr. Ross will lead development of new vaccines for pathogens
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Ted Ross, Ph.D., has been appointed Global Director of Vaccine Development at Cleveland Clinic.
In this newly created role, he will lead the development of novel vaccine platforms for a variety of infectious diseases, including influenza, HIV and COVID-19. A highly renowned scientist with expertise in virology, vaccines, immunology and microbiology, Dr. Ross’ research focuses on the design of new vaccines and the implementation of new vaccine trials.
“Ted is one of the preeminent vaccine researchers in the world,” said Serpil Erzurum, M.D., Chief Research and Academic Officer, Cleveland Clinic. “His groundbreaking translational research will accelerate our efforts to develop critically needed new treatments and vaccines for pathogens and virus-induced cancers.”
Dr. Ross will be based at Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art research facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He will closely collaborate with researchers from across Cleveland Clinic, including the Global Center for Pathogen & Human Health Research, part of the Cleveland Innovation District, which is focused on broadening understanding of viral pathogens and the immune response to prepare and protect against COVID-19 and future public health threats.
Dr. Ross joins Cleveland Clinic from the University of Georgia where he was the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Infectious Diseases and director of the Center for Vaccines and Immunology. Prior to that, he was director of Vaccines and Viral Immunity at the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute of Florida.
A major focus of Dr. Ross’ research is developing a more advanced and longer-lasting flu vaccine to protect against multiple strains of the virus. He holds a leadership role in the prestigious Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVIC) network of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for work on designing next generation, universal influenza vaccines. He also collaborates with the INCENTIVE program with the European Union and the government of India on the development of novel universal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr. Ross has published more than 230 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on infectious disease and vaccine development. He participates in several vaccine working groups, including at the NIH, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization. He is an editorial board member of Vaccine. He is the President of the International Society for Vaccines.
For his scientific achievements, Dr. Ross received the Phoenix Award for Outstanding Academic-Industry Partnership with Sanofi Pasteur in 2017 and the 2019 Golden Helix Award. In addition, he was honored with the 2020-2021 Charles Dobbins Award for Excellence in Service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Ross completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in zoology and microbiology at the University of Arkansas. He received his doctorate from Vanderbilt University and was awarded the inaugural Sidney P. Colowick Award in Outstanding Graduate Research. Dr. Ross performed post-doctoral fellowships at Duke University and at Emory University.
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 81,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,743 salaried physicians and researchers, and 20,160 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,690-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, 276 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2023, there were 13.7 million outpatient encounters, 323,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 301,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 132 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/CleClinicNews. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
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