Maria Elena Bottazzi | Co-Director of Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development
Baylor College of Medicine

Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi is an internationally recognized tropical and emerging disease vaccinologist, global health advocate and cocreator of a patent-free, open science COVID-19 vaccine technology that led to the development of Corbevax in India and IndoVac in Indonesia, and with approximately 100 million doses delivered. She pioneers and leads the advancement of a robust infectious and tropical disease vaccine portfolio tackling diseases such as coronavirus, hookworm, schistosomiasis, and Chagas that affect disproportionally the world’s poorest populations. She also has established innovative partnerships in Latin America, Middle East and Southeast Asia, making significant contributions to innovative educational & research programs, catalyze policies and disseminate science information to reach a diverse set of audiences.  She is a former Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine Scholar from the US National Academy of Medicine (NAM), a Leshner Leadership Institute Public Engagement Fellow in Infectious Diseases of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Fellow. As global thought-leader she has received national and international highly regarded awards, has more than 250 scientific papers and participated in more than 300 conferences worldwide. In 2023, she was awarded the Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare and the Rachael Schneerson - John Robbins Prize. For three years in a row, Forbes selected Dr. Bottazzi as one of 100 Most Powerful Women in Central America. In 2022, alongside Dr. Peter Hotez, she was nominated by Texas Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher for the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Bottazzi obtained her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Honduras and a doctorate in Molecular Immunology and Experimental Pathology from the University of Florida. Her post-doctoral training in Cellular Biology was completed at University of Miami and Pennsylvania, where afterwards worked at the George Washington University prior to relocating to Texas.