Mathuram Santosham, M.D., is a professor of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins, as well as professor of immunology, international health and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and director of both its Health Systems Program and Center for American Indian Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is an expert in oral rehydration therapy, for which his research is world-renowned. Dr. Santosham has conducted numerous clinical trials in the U.S. and worldwide on the safety and efficacy of oral rehydration therapy and gastroenteritis. In the last 15 or more years, he has evaluated numerous pediatric vaccines among the Navajo and Apache Indian populations including Hib, Hepatitis A, rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines.  He conducted the pivotal PRP-OMP conjugate vaccine efficacy trial, which led to the licensure of the vaccine (Pedvax Hib). 

He has also conducted a pivotal clinical trial on the efficacy safety of the currently licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccines.  His group has also conducted a series of studies on the immunology, pathogenesis, dynamics of carriage and correlates of protection for pneumococcal infections.  His group is also currently conducting a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an enhanced monoclonal antibody for the prevention of RSV infections among the Navajo and Apache Indian populations.

Dr. Santosham is the principal investigator (P.I.) on a $37 million dollar grant from GAVI termed the Hib initiative. The main objective of this initiative is to assist the poorest countries in the world to make an appropriate decision about introduction of one of the Hib vaccines into their national programs.  As part of the initiative, a series of studies have been conducted to evaluate the disease burden of Hib in different countries.  In addition, cost effectiveness of the vaccine and evaluation of the introduction of Hib vaccines in several countries have been evaluated.