“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A huge team of over 100 Vaccine Center faculty and staff was dedicated and talented. We are proud to have contributed,” says the center’s director, Dr. Mark J. Mulligan.
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The at NYU Langone Health has been at the forefront of and public health initiatives, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the five years since the pandemic’s beginning, the center has significantly advanced understanding of infectious diseases through innovative bench research, community engagement, and clinical trials.
Pioneering COVID-19 Vaccine Research
On May 4, 2020, the first human to receive a Pfizer–BionTech COVID-19 vaccine was vaccinated in a clinical trial at NYU Langone’s Vaccine Center. And in November 2020, the Vaccine Center began enrolling participants in an NIH-funded phase III clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate. For this trial, NYU Langone enrolled nearly 1,000 participants at five Vaccine Center research clinics around the NYC area. In the United States and other countries taking part in this trial, over 30,000 healthy adult volunteers participated. The AZ vaccine went on to become the most-used vaccine around the world.
When COVID-19 vaccines were approved for emergency use, the center helped with immunizing the local community, including providing vaccines to healthcare workers, patients, and other high-risk groups. This contributed to the mass vaccination efforts in New York and beyond.
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Promoting Education
Understanding the importance of community trust, the Vaccine Center initiated studies to explore vaccine perceptions among diverse populations. One notable study, which focused on the Haredi–Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, revealed insights into vaccine hesitancy and informing tailored educational strategies. Numerous town halls to discuss vaccine safety and protection were held in the Bronx, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.
“We learned a lot about pandemic preparedness, and the importance of public health communications,” said Mark J. Mulligan, MD, director of both the Vaccine Center and the . Dr. Mulligan is also the Thomas S. Murphy Sr. Professor in the at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Investigating Long-Term Vaccine Efficacy and Safety
As the pandemic progressed, the Vaccine Center conducted studies on how variants of the virus affected vaccine efficacy, as well as how immune responses changed over time. This research helped shape public health strategies and recommendations for booster doses.
The center was also involved in research evaluating vaccine responses in specific populations during other outbreaks of infectious diseases. For instance, the New York City Observational Study of Mpox Immunity assessed immune response to the JYNNEOS vaccine during the 2022 outbreak of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, providing valuable data on vaccine efficacy and informing public health strategies.
Enhancing Vaccine Accessibility and Community Outreach
Beyond research, the Vaccine Center played a crucial role in enhancing vaccine accessibility. In the early stages of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, the center facilitated enrollment of healthy volunteers for vaccine trials.
“It is important to acknowledge that the work of the Vaccine Center is of the highest importance to humankind and is one component of preparedness for emerging infections,” said Dr. Mulligan, who is also a professor in the . “Our goal is to protect and restore human health against microbial threats through laboratory and clinical research and to establish preparedness so we can quickly respond.”
The Vaccine Center has not only advanced scientific knowledge but also fostered community trust and engagement, playing a pivotal role in public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A huge team of over 100 Vaccine Center faculty and staff was dedicated and talented. We are proud to have contributed,” says Dr. Mulligan.
About NYU Langone Health
NYU Langone Health is a fully integrated health system that consistently achieves the best patient outcomes through a rigorous focus on quality that has resulted in some of the lowest mortality rates in the nation. Vizient Inc. has ranked NYU Langone No. 1 out of 115 comprehensive academic medical centers across the nation for three years in a row, and U.S. News & World Report recently placed nine of its clinical specialties among the top five in the nation. NYU Langone offers a comprehensive range of medical services with one high standard of care across 7 inpatient locations, its Perlmutter 鶹Ƶapp Center, and more than 320 outpatient locations in the New York area and Florida. With $14.2 billion in revenue this year, the system also includes two tuition-free medical schools, in Manhattan and on Long Island, and a vast research enterprise.
