Dr. Karen M. Haas leads a research lab focused on understanding how aging and biological sex influence the immune response to pneumococcal vaccines, particularly in elderly populations. Her work aims to identify why older adults, especially males and females, respond differently to vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacterium responsible for serious infections. By studying these differences, her lab seeks to improve vaccine design to effectively protect this at-risk group against pneumonia and other complications.