As a pediatric infectious disease physician, Andi Shane cares for children with serious illnesses. As a researcher, she focuses on how to prevent the spread and lessen the incidence of these diseases.
That “bench-to-bedside-to-bench” mindset has defined Shane’s nearly two decades at Emory.
“One of the amazing things about being a clinician researcher is that you’re able to solve patient problems and challenges by doing research, and vice versa,” she says. “Doing research helps inform the care of patients. And taking care of patients helps to raise interesting research questions.”
Understanding how vaccines save lives
Few medical interventions have transformed human health more dramatically than vaccines, says Shane. As chief of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at Emory School of Medicine and medical director for hospital epidemiology at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, she has seen their impact firsthand.
“Next to sanitation, vaccines are the most important public health intervention we’ve had in the past century and this current century,” says Shane
Vaccines have prevented severe illness in billions of people and saved millions of lives, but their impact on children is especially significant.
“Without a doubt, vaccines have had a notable impact on infant mortality. When babies survive and are healthy, they turn into healthy children and then healthy adults.”
As an infectious disease physician, Shane also knows what happens when vaccine protection is absent.
She points to diseases such as cholera, pertussis, polio and influenza—illnesses that once devastated families and communities.
Before widespread vaccination, the US recorded thousands of deaths from pertussis (whooping cough) each year, with a peak of nearly 10,000 annually. And polio killed more than 3,000 in the country during its peak year in 1952, leaving many more paralyzed or dependent on mechanical breathing support. Both whooping cough and polio disproportionately impacted children.
That stark reality is becoming increasingly visible once again as such diseases make a comeback.
“Unfortunately, today we’re seeing a resurgence of many of these vaccine-preventable diseases,” Shane says. “Measles, pertussis—we’ve had a tremendous number of children who have had pertussis and required hospitalization.”
The consequences extend beyond the immediate illness. Shane worries particularly about diseases such as measles, which can cause devastating long-term complications years after infection.
The US has experienced a sharp resurgence in measles, with roughly 4,000 confirmed cases last year and early this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These are the highest numbers seen in more than three decades, in a country declared “measles-free” in 2000.
“I’m worried that the increase in measles infections among children today could result in more children developing severe, long-term health problems in the future,” Shane says,including SSPE, a deadly brain disease that can occur years after getting measles.
She believes solutions lie at the intersection of science advocacy, public health and patient care.
Solving global vaccine challenges
While deeply invested in improving child health in Georgia, many of Shane’s research topics have global implications. One of her earliest major focuses was rotavirus, a leading cause of severe diarrhea in children worldwide. A vaccine became widely available in 2006.
“I was very interested in the rotavirus vaccine, which is given orally to prevent diarrhea. That is probably my favorite vaccine.”
Her interest was driven by a scientific puzzle. Although the vaccine performed extremely well in wealthier countries, it was less effective in reorking with collaborators in Bangladesh and at the CDC, Shane sought to understand the difference
“We were interested in why it didn’t work as well as it should in global health settings,” she says.
Researchers examined factors that might affect vaccine responses, including how infant feeding practices could influence immunity. The aim was to help improve protection for children in places where diarrheal disease remains a major cause of illness and death.
Today, Shane is focused on another global challenge: polio eradication.
Although polio has been eliminated from most of the world, it has not yet been eradicated. Reaching children in regions affected by conflict, humanitarian crises and limited health care infrastructure remains difficult.
“Right now I’m working on a project to try to understand the number of polio vaccines required in global health settings to provide protection,” she says. “What we really want to know is, what is the lowest number of vaccines children need to be protected?”
“There’s a tremendous sense of regret and disappointment that we haven’t eradicated polio globally,” Shane says. “But we hope to get there soon.”
Navigating misinformation and rebuilding trust
Shane’s important work is unfolding against a backdrop of growing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
“The amazing thing about information is that it’s so freely available now,” she says. “That also means that information may not be vetted. Information may not be true.”
She understands why parents have questions. As both a pediatrician and a parent, she knows that making decisions about your child’s health can feel overwhelming. “Being a parent is scary,” she says. “I completely understand that parents genuinely want to do what’s best for their children.”
Her approach is not to dismiss concerns but to understand them. “The way I approach somebody who is concerned about vaccines is that I want to understand why,” she says.
That conversation often begins with explaining what vaccines are designed to do, and what they can’t do. Not every vaccine prevents infection, but many dramatically reduce the risk of severe illness, hospitalization and death, she says.
And the benefits extend beyond the individual receiving the shot.
“One of the amazing things about vaccines is they don’t just protect you, they also protect everyone you come in contact with. It’s a community service, really, to be vaccinated because you’re protecting others as well.”
Shane is direct when addressing claims that have been repeatedly disproven by scientific research. “There’s no association between autism and vaccines,” she says. “There have been numerous studies that have proven that there is no causal relationship between the administration of vaccines and the development of autism.”
Rebuilding trust, says Shane, requires scientists and physicians to continue engaging with communities and providing evidence-based information. “We have to fight incorrect information with correct information,” she says. “You can’t be a pediatrician without being an advocate.”
From South Africa to Emory
Shane’s commitment to public health and equity traces back to her childhood. She was born in South Africa and spent her first decade living under apartheid. “I was very affected by people who did not have the same rights as I did,” she says.
“Seeing some of that poverty and some of those challenges made me resolved to pursue a career in taking care of other people.”
Science also ran in the family. Her father was a poultry veterinarian and her mother, a toxicologist. “I was destined to be a scientist,” Shane says with a laugh.
After moving to Louisiana with her family, Shane went on to gain a master’s degree in public health and complete medical school. She joined the CDC’s prestigious Epidemic Intelligence Service, often known as the “Disease Detectives” program. The experience deepened her interest in infectious diseases and population health.
She arrived at Emory nearly 20 years ago and found the academic medical center to be the ideal ecosystem for her to thrive. “This is just an incredible place to be,” she says. “It’s the perfect match of clinical care, research and education.”
