Carlos Grijalva

Carlos Grijalva is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, with secondary appointments in Biomedical Informatics. He is affiliated with the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and holds scholar or investigator roles at the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, Center for Health Services Research, Institute for Global Health, Center for Data Science, Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (CLACX), and the Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley GRECC.

Dr. Grijalva's research focuses on acute respiratory infections, vaccine and medication safety and effectiveness, and mother-child health. He specializes in observational studies of influenza, pneumococcal disease, SARS-CoV-2, pneumonia, and infection transmission. He leads major prospective cohort studies, including investigations of viral infections in adult essential workers and household influenza transmission. His international work includes cohort studies in Peru on respiratory viruses and bacterial colonization. He also leads research on medication use during pregnancy and the perinatal period, particularly opioids, psychotropics, and antidiabetics. His recent publications span high-impact journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Lancet, and Clinical Infectious Diseases, with a strong emphasis on RSV and pneumococcal vaccines, influenza treatment, and antibiotic stewardship.

• Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), 2019
• Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), 2020
• Special ISPE Award for Public Health Contributions during COVID-19, 2022
• Marie Griffin Award for Excellence in Mentoring, 2022
• Vanderbilt Chancellor Faculty Fellow, 2017
• Vanderbilt Academy for Excellence in Education and Mentorship, 2018
• John S. Sergent Award for Excellence in Teaching, 2019

Dr. Grijalva is actively involved in mentoring and teaching, serving as Course Director for Epidemiology I and Thesis Research in the Vanderbilt MPH program. He is Principal Investigator of an NIH K24 grant supporting mentorship in viral transmission and Co-PI of several NIH T32 and K12 training programs. He has mentored numerous students, postdocs, and junior faculty, many of whom have launched independent academic careers. His research is funded by the NIH, AHRQ, FDA, and CDC. He leads or contributes to multiple collaborative research teams, including the CDC EPIC Study Team, the IVY Network, and the PNEUMO Study Investigators, focusing on respiratory infections and public health interventions.