Current Lab Members

Mary Prahl, MD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Mary Prahl is an Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Disease at UCSF and a dedicated physician-scientist with a focus on deciphering immunologic mechanisms to prevent infectious diseases in vulnerable populations, including pregnant individuals and children. Her translational research spans maternal-fetal immunity, early childhood vaccination, and environmental health, with significant contributions to understanding immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, malaria, RSV, cytomegalovirus, and pesticide exposure. She has led and collaborated on large-scale, cohort-based birth studies both nationally and internationally, including collaborations based in Eastern Uganda on malaria chemoprevention and the immunologic effects of pesticides during pregnancy. Dr. Prahl is spearheading a number of studies on vaccination and infection during pregnancy, lactation, and early childhood. Her work has been funded by NIH, UCSF, private foundations, Gates Foundations, and IDSA. In addition to her research, Dr. Prahl is deeply committed to mentoring trainees and improving pediatric health outcomes across the globe.

Srividhya Swaminathan, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Scholar

Dr. Swaminathan is a postdoctoral research scholar at the University of California, San Francisco, where she joined the Prahl Lab in 2024. She completed her PhD in Immunology from the University of Queensland at the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia. Her PhD work focused on the design and preclinical validation of an allogeneic T-cell therapy for treating severe SARS-CoV-2 infections in immunocompromised individuals. Currently, her work in the focuses Prahl Lab on studying adaptive immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in early childhood.

Suchaya Osatis

Associate Specialist

Suchaya is a specialist in flow cytometry and immunologic assay development. In addition to her work in the Prahl lab, Suchaya is an assay lead and flow core manager at the Core Immunology Laboratory (CIL) at UCSF.

Karissa Choi

SRA II

Karissa graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 2024 with a double major in Bachelor of Arts in Molecular Cell Biology, emphasis in Medical Biology and Physiology, and Public Health

Nadia Bourdoud, MPH

Clinical Research Coordinator

Nadia is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. She earned her Master’s in Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is interested in infectious disease epidemiology, with a focus on maternal–infant immunity and infant immune responses to vaccination, particularly how maternally derived antibodies and early-life immune development shape susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Amayrani Morales

Clinical Research Coordinator

Amayrani graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Integrative Biology and a minor in Chicanx Studies. She splits her time between the Gaw and Prahl Lab and joined in 2024. She has extensive experience in coordinating large projects and community engagement. Before joining the Gaw Lab, she contributed to projects exploring the impact of environmental factors on pregnancy and child development. She also served as a Health Advocate in the Alameda Health System, and as a team leader for tutors and mentors in the East Bay. Amayrani is interested in translating scientific research to inform policy decisions and amplify advocacy efforts.