The World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Vaccine Research, Evaluation, and Training on Emerging Infectious Diseases actively collaborates with other international WHO Collaborating Centers (WHO CCs) and WHO headquarters by sponsoring internships
for UTMB graduate and medical students to work on vaccine-related research projects:
UTMB-based Internships:
- These are UTMB-based internships where teams of 2-3 students work together on a baseline analysis of an infectious disease.
- They are jointly mentored by UTMB faculty in collaboration with scientists from WHO or another international WHO CC.
- Each internship is part-time over 3 months and the interns are eligible to take the graduate course
Internship in Vaccinology (MICR 6143) for credit.
International Internships:
- These are overseas internships where students work on site and are jointly mentored by an on-site scientist and UTMB faculty members.
- Interns will work on a defined project related to public health and vaccines.
- Each internship is full-time over 3 months and interns are eligible to take the graduate course
International Internship in Vaccinology (MICR 6070) for credit.
WHO headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland 
Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), Langen, Germany
National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), Hertfordshire, UK
Two UTMB graduate students, Kubra Naqvi (Experimental Pathology program / Janice Endsley, mentor) and Brittany Ross (Microbiology and Immunology program / Alfredo Torres, mentor) completed successful international internships at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), Langen, Germany. The 3-month internships ran from 10 September to 30 November 2018.
Kubra's project was entitled "Establishing an in vitro assay for tuberculin batch release" under the mentorships of PEI's Prof. Dr. Veronika von Messling (former Head of Division of Veterinary Medicine), and Dr. Michael Mühlebach (Head of Section of Immunological Medicinal Products for Veterinary Use). Brittany’s project was “Prevalence of extraneous agents in fertilized eggs used for human and veterinary vaccine production" under the supervision of Dr. von Messling.
Pictured (left to right): Alan Barrett, Silke Schepelmann, Mark Page, Janice Endsley, Dennis Bente, Andy McNees, Gregg Milligan and Lisa Reece
In May 2018, NIBSC scientists, Drs. Silke Schepelmann and Mark Page (second and third from left, respectively) visited the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) as part of a cooperation agreement signed earlier this year. The meeting
provided an opportunity for NIBSC and UTMB scientists to exchange knowledge and ideas and provide NIBSC scientists an opportunity to tour our facilities at UTMB.
A student exchange program also forms part of the agreement and will support projects such as the production of standards for Marburg and other emerging viruses.