Sallie Robey Permar

Sallie Robey Permar

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pathology

Dr. Permar's work focuses on the development of vaccines to prevent vertical transmission of neonatal viral pathogens. She has utilized the nonhuman primate model of HIV/AIDS to characterize the virus-specific immune responses and virus evolution in breast milk and develop a maternal vaccine regimen for protection against breast milk transmission of HIV. In addition, Dr. Permar's lab has advanced the understanding of HIV-specific immune responses and virus evolution in vertically-transmitting and nontransmitting HIV-infected women, defining maternal immune responses that may protect against neonatal transmission of HIV. Importantly, Dr. Permar has established a nonhuman primate model of congenital CMV infection adn is using this model to establish the maternal immune responses that are necessary for protection against placental virus transmission. Finally, Dr. Permar is studying the impact and prevention of postnatal CMV transmission in preterm infants.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pathology
  • Associate Dean for Physician-Scientist Development
  • Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute
  • Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society

Contact Information

Education

  • Children's Hospital Boston, 2009
  • Children's Hospital Boston, 2007
  • Ph.D. Johns Hopkins University, 2004
  • M.D. Harvard Medical School, 2004

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • American Society of Clinical Investigation Inductee. ASCI. 2016
  • Young Investigator Award. Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. 2015
  • Young Investigator Award. Society for Pediatric Research. 2014
  • Young Investigator Award. Society for Pediatrics Research. 2014
  • Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. President of the United States of America. 2012

Courses Taught

  • IMMUNOL 494: Research Independent Study

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Mahant, AM; Trejo, FE; Aguilan, JT; Sidoli, S; Permar, SR; Herold, BC, Antibody attributes, Fc receptor expression, gestation and maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection modulate HSV IgG placental transfer., Iscience, vol 26 no. 9 (2023) [10.1016/j.isci.2023.107648] [abs].
  • Semmes, EC; Miller, IG; Rodgers, N; Phan, CT; Hurst, JH; Walsh, KM; Stanton, RJ; Pollara, J; Permar, SR, ADCC-activating antibodies correlate with decreased risk of congenital human cytomegalovirus transmission., Jci Insight, vol 8 no. 13 (2023) [10.1172/jci.insight.167768] [abs].
  • Crooks, CM; Chan, C; Permar, SR, Leveraging preclinical study designs to close gaps in vaccine development for perinatal pathogens., J Exp Med, vol 220 no. 7 (2023) [10.1084/jem.20230184] [abs].
  • Toor, RK; Semmes, EC; Walsh, KM; Permar, SR; Giulino-Roth, L, Does congenital cytomegalovirus infection contribute to the development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children?, Curr Opin Virol, vol 60 (2023) [10.1016/j.coviro.2023.101325] [abs].
  • Schleiss, MR; Permar, SR; John, CC, What are the key pediatric public policy priorities as the COVID-19 pandemic persists?, Pediatr Res, vol 93 no. 6 (2023), pp. 1451-1455 [10.1038/s41390-023-02529-x] [abs].