Dr Maria Elena Bottazzi | Co-Director, Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development
Baylor College of Medicine | United States

Maria Elena Bottazzi, PhD is the Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She also directs the Research and Administration of the new Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine and leads Product Development for the Sabin Vaccine Institute and Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, which is Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Product Development Partnership (PDP). Dr. Bottazzi is an internationally-recognized scientist with more than 12 years of experience in translational research and vaccine development for neglected tropical diseases. In addition, her major interest is in the role of vaccines as control tools integrated into international public health programs and initiatives. 
 
Dr. Bottazzi is the Editor in Chief of Current Tropical Medicine Reports, Springer, US and an Associate Editor for Public Library of Science (PLoS) Neglected Tropical Disease Journal and is the author or co-author of more than 60 scientific and technical papers in molecular, cellular biology, immunoparasitology, and vaccine development and is the recipient of multiple extramural awards. Dr. Bottazzi is a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Carlos Slim Health Institute in Mexico and a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Product Development (CMC) Working Group. Dr. Bottazzi was recently selected a 2013-14 Fellow of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program.
She is a native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras where she obtained her degree in Microbiology and Clinical Chemistry in 1989, followed by her PhD in Molecular Immunology and Experimental Pathology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL in 1995. Her post-doctoral training in Cellular Biology was completed during 1995-2001 at University of Miami and University of Pennsylvania. She became an assistant professor in 2001 after moving to the George Washington University in Washington DC where she served for 11 years ultimately becoming an Associate Professor and Vice-Chair for Administration in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine.