TalkTime: The Vaccine Guru
Dr. Rafi Ahmed, a world-famous immunologist and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is Director of the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta. Given his accomplishments—he is working on immunotherapy treatments for cancer and a universal flu vaccine—it’s hard to believe that he chose his vocation without making an informed decision.
Your first stop in the United States
was in Idaho. What was that experience
like?
It was 1970. I was coming from Hyderabad
and I did not know the difference
between Idaho and Iowa. It was one
of those situations where I applied, and I
got in, and it was very affordable. It’s been
a wonderful journey, and those four years
were very helpful. I ended up getting an
undergraduate degree in Microbiology.
I had a wonderful host family that I am
still in touch with and visit now and then.
Why pick microbiology?
In India if you’re doing science, you
either took math-physics-chemistry combination
or you could do botany-zoologychemistry.
It wasn’t much of an option. I
wasn't particularly good in mathematics,
so I chose the biological sciences. I found
botany and zoology to be very boring.
But then there was a little bit about
microbiology that we learned about
microbes, and I thought that was interesting.
I said, “Well, okay, let’s do microbiology.”
It really wasn’t a very informed
decision. (Laughs)
How did you get into vaccines from
then on?
A big turning point for me really
was working for a very famous biologist
at McGill University in 1974, Angus Graham.
He offered me a position to work
as a technician or a research assistant
in his lab. He gave me a very strong letter
of recommendation for Harvard, so I
ended up going for my Ph.D. at Harvard. I
was only in Montreal for two years, but
those two years really pointed me in the
right direction.
I went on for a postdoc at Scripps Research Center to really learn more about in vivo pathogenesis, immunoresponses, and it was a wonderful experience for three years. And then I was recruited to UCLA to start my own lab. So my training was as a virologist looking at viral infections and studying viruses. My postdoctorate training was looking at how viruses interact with the immune system. Starting from 1984 on, my goal really became understanding immunological memory. That, of course, is the goal of all vaccines. Then I was recruited in 1995 to head the Emory Vaccine Center.
Speaking to the broader question of
vaccines in general, why do you think
there’s an increasing distrust of vaccines?
We have two challenges. One is to
make vaccines where vaccines don’t
exist, but also educate the people to take
the damn things. People who become
part of the antivaccine lobby, it’s not
that they're bad. I think there’s a lot of
misinformation.
You’re seeing more of it recently in the press because after Trump won the election, Robert Kennedy, Jr. was asked to evaluate vaccines. That raised an alarm because this is not a person who's a scientist and certainly has been very antivaccine, so people were concerned. I think everyone would be in favor of there being a more in-depth analysis of this, and there needs to be more education of the public. But it should really be led by an impartial group of people and not by somebody who is not a physician or a scientist.
It’s not that the antivaccine lobby is against vaccines or against scientists; they’re very often against Big Pharma. The reality is that Big Pharma actually makes very little money on vaccines. They’re lucky if they break even.
Where else has your work taken
you?
I feel very strongly about "giving back
to your country," so we have a lot of collaboration
in India. The Emory Vaccine
Center has a lab in New Delhi working on
dengue infections. As you know, dengue
is a big problem in India. We also work
very closely with people in Vellore at the
Christian Medical College. I spend a lot of
time and effort interacting with scientists
in India—that’s also been very satisfying.
Do you travel there often?
I go at least two or three times a year.
Do you still play cricket as you used
to in India?
I follow along but haven’t played after
coming here. In LA there was an active
cricket league and I used to go watch
once in a while, but I don’t have a full day
anymore to play cricket. (Laughs).
Poornima Apte is a Boston-area freelance writer and editor. Learn more at WordCumulus.WordPress.com.
Website Bonus Feature
Videos:
1)
Distinguished Faculty Lecture Award Presentation 2016 – 2017
Published on Feb 13, 2017
Introduction and award presentation before presenting the Distinguished Faculty Lecturer, Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D., GRA Eminent Scholar and Director of the Emory Vaccine Center.
The Distinguished Faculty Lecture recognizes excellence among university faculty. A Faculty Council committee provides a nomination to the university president and provost for approval. In keeping with Emory's commitment to broadening knowledge within the university and wider Atlanta communities, the selected faculty member delivers a public lecture in the spring of each academic year.
February 7, 2017
https://youtu.be/_SbUugNsJBE
2)
Distinguished Faculty Lecture by Rafi Ahmed 2016-2017
Published on Feb 13, 2017
Honoree: Rafi Ahmed, Ph.D., GRA Eminent Scholar and Director of the Emory Vaccine Center
Dr. Rafi Ahmed is the Georgia Research Alliance Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Director of the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. He earned his undergraduate degree from Osmania University, India and his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. After completing his postdoctoral training in the Department of Immunology at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, CA, he joined the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He was at UCLA from 1984-1995 and moved to Emory University in 1995. His research efforts are directed towards: 1. Understanding the mechanisms of immunological memory and using this knowledge to develop new and more effective vaccines. 2. Defining the mechanisms of T cell exhaustion during chronic viral infections and cancer and developing strategies for restoring function in exhausted T cells. Dr. Ahmed is a member of the National Academy!
of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.
The Distinguished Faculty Lecture recognizes excellence among university faculty. A Faculty Council committee provides a nomination to the university president and provost for approval. In keeping with Emory's commitment to broadening knowledge within the university and wider Atlanta communities, the selected faculty member delivers a public lecture in the spring of each academic year.
February 7, 2017
https://youtu.be/ZUzYTikVtBI
Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine? Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine.
