Skip to content
Jennifer Nayak, M.D.
UR Medicine Faculty The University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group (URMFG) consists of over 900 specialist and primary care providers spanning 19 departments. URMFG is certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.
Accountable Health Partner Accountable Health Partners (AHP) is a network of over 2,000 community and UR medical faculty and a dozen leading hospitals throughout the region. AHP offers a full range of care.
Accepting New Patients

About Me

Pediatric infectious diseases

Faculty Appointments

Associate Professor - Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases (SMD)

Associate Professor - Department of Microbiology and Immunology (SMD) - Joint

Credentials

Residency & Fellowship

Fellowship, Fellow, Strong Memorial Hospital/University of Rochester. 2007 - 2010

Fellowship, Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Rochester Medical Center. 2007 - 2010

Residency, Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center. 2005 - 2007

Internship, Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center. 2004 - 2005

Education

MD | SUNY at Buffalo-School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (USA). 2004

Awards

Alpha Omega Alpha. 2003

Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society. 1999

Golden Key National Honor Society. 1999

Rush Rhees Scholarship. 1996 - 2000

Bacelli Award.

Merck Manual Award.

Research

My current research interests involve:

• Understanding how a child's early exposure to influenza shapes immunity and poises the immune system to respond to subsequent influenza challenge
• Utilizing CD4 T cell-mediated immunity to improve vaccines directed against pandemic strains of infl...
My current research interests involve:

• Understanding how a child's early exposure to influenza shapes immunity and poises the immune system to respond to subsequent influenza challenge
• Utilizing CD4 T cell-mediated immunity to improve vaccines directed against pandemic strains of influenza
• Understanding how pre-existing CD4 T cells directed against influenza influence the ability of B cells to respond to influenza vaccination

Clinical Trials

AN INTERVENTIONAL, PHASE 1b, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, SPONSOR-OPEN, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED, MULTI-CENTER, DOSE-FINDING STUDY TO EVALUATE SAFETY, TOLERABILITY AND PHARMACOKINETICS OF SISUNATOVIR IN PEDIATRIC PARTICIPANTS UP TO AGE 60 MONTHS WITH RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV) LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTION (LRTI)

Lead Researcher: Jennifer Nayak

The purpose of the study is to learn about the safety and amount of sisunatovir in the blood of infants and children up to age 60 months. These children have Lower Respiratory Tract Infection (LRTI) caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus...

Publications

Journal Articles

Evaluation of mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Children 6 Months to 5 Years of Age.

Anderson EJ, Creech CB, Berthaud V, Piramzadian A, Johnson KA, Zervos M, Garner F, Griffin C, Palanpurwala K, Turner M, Gerber J, Bennett RL, Ali K, Ampajwala M, Berman G, Nayak J, Chronis C, Rizzardi B, Muller WJ, Smith CA, Fuchs G, Hsia D, Tomassini JE, DeLucia D, Reuter C, Kuter B, Zhao X, Deng W, Zhou H, Ramirez Schrempp D, Hautzinger K, Girard B, Slobod K, McPhee R, Pajon R, Aunins A, Das R, Miller JM, Schnyder Ghamloush S,

The New England journal of medicine.. 2022 October 19 Epub 10/19/2022.

Cell-Culture-Based Influenza Vaccines: Don't Put All of Your Influenza Vaccines in the Egg Basket.

Nayak JL, Caserta MT

Pediatrics.. 2022 October 10 Epub 10/10/2022.

Evaluation of mRNA-1273 Covid-19 Vaccine in Children 6 to 11 Years of Age.

Creech CB, Anderson E, Berthaud V, Yildirim I, Atz AM, Melendez Baez I, Finkelstein D, Pickrell P, Kirstein J, Yut C, Blair R, Clifford RA, Dunn M, Campbell JD, Montefiori DC, Tomassini JE, Zhao X, Deng W, Zhou H, Ramirez Schrempp D, Hautzinger K, Girard B, Slobod K, McPhee R, Pajon R, Das R, Miller JM, Schnyder Ghamloush S,

The New England journal of medicine.. 2022 May 26386 (21):2011-2023. Epub 05/11/2022.

The negative effect of pre-existing immunity on influenza vaccine responses transcends the impact of vaccine formulation type and vaccination history.

Moritzky SA, Richards KA, Glover MA, Krammer F, Chaves FA, Topham DJ, Branche A, Nayak JL, Sant AJ

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2022 February 24 Epub 02/24/2022.

IgG Against Human ?-Coronavirus Spike Proteins Correlates with SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike IgG Responses and COVID-19 Disease Severity.

Wang J, Li D, Cameron A, Zhou Q, Wiltse A, Nayak J, Pecora ND, Zand MS

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2022 January 29 Epub 01/29/2022.

Differences in influenza-specific CD4 T cell mediated immunity following acute infection versus inactivated vaccination in children.

Shannon I, White CL, Yang H, Nayak JL

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2020 October 19 Epub 10/19/2020.

Influenza in Children.

Nayak J, Hoy G, Gordon A

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine.. 2019 December 30 Epub 12/30/2019.

Understanding Immunity in Children Vaccinated With Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine.

Shannon I, White CL, Nayak JL

Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.. 2019 December 18 Epub 12/18/2019.

The Importance of Vaccinating Children and Pregnant Women against Influenza Virus Infection.

Misra RS, Nayak JL

Pathogens.. 2019 November 268 (4)Epub 11/26/2019.

Evidence that blunted CD4 T cells responses underlie deficient protective antibody responses to influenza vaccines in repeatedly vaccinated human subjects.

Richards KA, Shannon I, Treanor JJ, Yang H, Nayak JL, Sant AJ

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2019 August 26 Epub 08/26/2019.

Differences in the influenza-specific CD4 T cell immunodominance hierarchy and functional potential between children and young adults.

Shannon I, White CL, Murphy A, Qiu X, Treanor JJ, Nayak JL

Scientific reports.. 2019 January 289 (1):791. Epub 01/28/2019.

Overarching Immunodominance Patterns and Substantial Diversity in Specificity and Functionality in the Circulating Human Influenza A and B Virus-Specific CD4+ T-Cell Repertoire.

Richards KA, Treanor JJ, Nayak JL, Sant AJ

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2018 August 24218 (7):1169-1174. Epub 1900 01 01.

Distinct and complementary roles of CD4 T cells in protective immunity to influenza virus.

Sant AJ, Richards KA, Nayak J

Current opinion in immunology.. 2018 August 53 :13-21. Epub 04/02/2018.

CD4 T cells in protection from influenza virus: Viral antigen specificity and functional potential.

Sant AJ, DiPiazza AT, Nayak JL, Rattan A, Richards KA

Immunological reviews.. 2018 July 284 (1):91-105. Epub 1900 01 01.

Immunization with Pneumocystis Cross-Reactive Antigen 1 (Pca1) Protects Mice against Pneumocystis Pneumonia and Generates Antibody to Pneumocystis jirovecii.

Tesini BL, Wright TW, Malone JE, Haidaris CG, Harber M, Sant AJ, Nayak JL, Gigliotti F

Infection and immunity.. 2017 April 85 (4)Epub 03/23/2017.

Selective pre-priming of HA-specific CD4 T cells restores immunological reactivity to HA on heterosubtypic influenza infection.

Alam S, Chan C, Qiu X, Shannon I, White CL, Sant AJ, Nayak JL

PloS one.. 2017 12 (5):e0176407. Epub 05/11/2017.

The Role of CD4 T Cell Memory in Generating Protective Immunity to Novel and Potentially Pandemic Strains of Influenza.

DiPiazza A, Richards KA, Knowlden ZA, Nayak JL, Sant AJ

Frontiers in immunology.. 2016 7 :10. Epub 01/25/2016.

Seasonal Influenza Can Poise Hosts for CD4 T-Cell Immunity to H7N9 Avian Influenza.

Richards KA, Nayak J, Chaves FA, DiPiazza A, Knowlden ZA, Alam S, Treanor JJ, Sant AJ

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2015 July 1212 (1):86-94. Epub 12/09/2014.

Effect of influenza A(H5N1) vaccine prepandemic priming on CD4+ T-cell responses.

Nayak JL, Richards KA, Yang H, Treanor JJ, Sant AJ

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2015 May 1211 (9):1408-17. Epub 11/06/2014.

Meningitis in a School-Aged Child due to Haemophilus influenzae Type E during the Post-Conjugate Vaccine Era-Monroe County, NY, 2011.

Kennedy BS, Weimer AC, Bedard B, Nayak JL, Sacheli D, Ricci J, Meyer DD, Hubbard D

Vaccines.. 2014 February 132 (1):107-11. Epub 02/13/2014.

Cutting edge: Heterosubtypic influenza infection antagonizes elicitation of immunological reactivity to hemagglutinin.

Nayak JL, Alam S, Sant AJ

The Journal of immunology : official journal of the American Association of Immunologists.. 2013 August 1191 (3):1001-5. Epub 06/21/2013.

CD4+ T-cell expansion predicts neutralizing antibody responses to monovalent, inactivated 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) virus subtype H1N1 vaccine.

Nayak JL, Fitzgerald TF, Richards KA, Yang H, Treanor JJ, Sant AJ

The Journal of infectious diseases.. 2013 January 15207 (2):297-305. Epub 11/12/2012.

The utility and limitations of current Web-available algorithms to predict peptides recognized by CD4 T cells in response to pathogen infection.

Chaves FA, Lee AH, Nayak JL, Richards KA, Sant AJ

The Journal of immunology : official journal of the American Association of Immunologists.. 2012 May 1188 (9):4235-48. Epub 03/30/2012.

T cell immunology for the clinician.

Nayak JL, Sant AJ

The Pediatric infectious disease journal.. 2011 March 30 (3):248-50. Epub 1900 01 01.

Antiviral treatment and prophylaxis of influenza virus in children.

Nayak JL, Treanor JJ

Pediatric annals.. 2009 December 38 (12):667-74. Epub 1900 01 01.

Effects of hyperoxia on tumor necrosis factor alpha and Grobeta expression in newborn rabbit lungs.

Varughese R, Nayak JL, LoMonaco M, O'Reilly MA, Ryan RM, D'Angio CT

Lung.. 2003 181 (6):335-46. Epub 1900 01 01.

Books

Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases (2015)

Chapter: Epiglottitis

Authors: Nayak JL, Weinberg GA

Publisher: Elsevier Saunders, Philadelphia 2015

Contemporary Approaches to Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (2015)

Chapter: Epiglottitis, laryngitis,laryngotracheitis (bacterial tracheitis), and croup (laryngotracheobronchitis)

Authors: Weinberg GA, Nayak JL

Publisher: Future Medicine, London 2015

BMJ Point of Care Monograph (2015)

Chapter: Bronchiolitis

Authors: Nayak JL

Publisher: On-line 2015

Ratings & Reviews

At URMC, we believe that patients should be empowered to make the right decisions regarding their personal healthcare. To do so, transparency is critical. URMC partners with Press Ganey, to survey our patients about all aspects of their care experience. We are now putting this pertinent information at your fingertips by displaying star ratings for our providers along with anonymous patient comments on our website. This will help you make better-informed choices about how and with whom you seek care. Click here to learn more about the surveys used to generate this vital information. Learn more about our survey process.