Laura Edison Kallen

A dark silhouette of a city skyline set against a cloudy sky. Tall buildings with distinctive shapes are visible, including skyscrapers and what appears to be a tower. The skyline creates a stark contrast with the lighter sky above.

Children smile and excitedly wash their hands with soapy water near a bright red container outdoors. Two kids, one wearing a striped shirt and another in a camo shirt, look on while an adult helps pour water from a bottle. Other children observe in the background.

Jul 01, 2023

How does soap actually work?

There's more to handwashing with soap than meets the eye.

A highly magnified microscopic image showing a cluster of cylindrical, fungus-like structures in beige, with one structure highlighted in yellow and red. The surface appears textured and organic.

Dec 16, 2021

'Super Bif’ to the rescue! How the infant gut microbiome helps fight infections

Beneficial bacteria in an infant's gut - fed by breast milk - are key to helping fight infections such as diarrhea.

A person wearing a white lab coat and gloves is looking through a microscope in a laboratory setting. There are various lab equipment and containers on the table, and a window with natural light in the background.

Oct 06, 2021

New frontiers for the enteric vaccine pipeline: Better data, better models, better policy

The VASE Virtual Symposium featured updates on disease burden and vaccines against ETEC, Shigella, Cryptosporidium, and Salmonella.

Infographic showing potential lives saved from 2020-2029 by introducing rotavirus vaccines in MICs: China (3,647), Egypt (6,509), the Philippines (4,539), Iran (1,045).

Aug 18, 2021

Newer rotavirus vaccines offer advantages for middle-income countries

Middle-income countries ineligible for Gavi support have lagged in introducing rotavirus vaccines. Low-cost vaccines offer a cost-effective option for these countries.

A newborn baby lies in a hospital crib, wearing a white onesie. Medical tubes are attached to the baby. The background shows colorful printed blankets and medical equipment.

Jul 30, 2020

Breastfeeding is a team sport

Breastfeeding requires many layers of support. For some babies, that includes donor milk.

A healthcare worker in a white coat and gloves administers an oral vaccine to a baby lying on an examination table. A woman, possibly the baby's mother, stands beside the table, gently holding the baby's arm. A computer screen is visible in the background.

Feb 27, 2019

India’s rotavirus vaccines are going global

What’s better than one rotavirus vaccine? Four rotavirus vaccines.

Three people stand in front of a backdrop that reads "Toilet Talks," "Join the movement." They hold speech bubble props with phrases: "Stop the cycle!" "Break the poo taboo!" and a prop shaped like a giant toothbrush. All are smiling and wearing name tags.

“Is advocacy for diarrhea vaccines my job as a scientist?”

Well, whose job is it if it isn’t yours?

A scientist in a lab coat and blue gloves is working in a laboratory. She is holding a test tube and surrounded by lab equipment, colorful liquids, and sample containers on the bench. The lab is bright and well-organized with various scientific instruments.

A key to ETEC infection may be in your blood

If you have blood type A, you may be more at risk of diarrhea from enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). This finding was just published in a human challenge model study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation—and it has potentially widespread implicati...

A woman holds a baby wrapped in a blanket, while two men stand beside her. One man holds a scientific image of smallpox virus particles. All are dressed in lab coats, suggesting a medical or scientific setting.

Apr 12, 2018

Throwing it back: Before we had rotavirus vaccines

Ruth Bishop changed the game when she discovered rotavirus in 1973.

A circular glass award stands on a surface, featuring the text "FROM RESEARCH TO REALITY, Celebrating the partners of ROTAVAC®, MARCH 12, 2018" with icons of a test tube and a vaccine syringe flanked by illustrative hands.

Celebrating ROTAVAC: a rotavirus vaccine success story for India and the world

The ROTAVAC® story

A group of smiling children outdoors, two in the foreground gesturing enthusiastically towards the camera. One child holds a plastic container. The background features more children and a dirt-covered, rural setting. The scene exudes joy and energy.

Nov 10, 2017

Killing two bugs with one strategy

If pneumonia and diarrhea—the two biggest infectious killers of children worldwide—were personified as serial killers, I imagine that they would look very different. Pneumonia might be tall and spindly, with long, wispy fingers. Diarrhea, on the ...

A scenic view of a rocky coastline bathed in sunlight, with a clear blue sky and the sun shining brightly overhead. People are walking along a path, enjoying the view of the calm ocean and the rugged landscape. Shrubs and rocks are scattered along the cliffside.

Apr 20, 2016

Why climate change doesn’t have to be a sh*t storm

Climate change poses both threats and opportunities for the future of human sanitation, nutrition, and diarrheal disease.