Fiona McEnany is a PhD student in the molecular and cellular biology program. Her poster, Neonatal Antibody Transfer: The Effect of Gestational Age at the Time of Maternal Influenza Vaccination, recently won an award at the Guarini Poster Session.
Where did you grow up, and where did you study as an undergraduate? Was there a class, a mentor, or a moment there that first sparked your scientific curiosity?
Many of my first memories involve receiving care during a hospitalization as a toddler. My early experiences motivated a curiosity about medicine that eventually evolved into a deep interest in infectious disease and translational research.
I grew up in Franconia, NH, which is a federally designated medically underserved area in the northern part of the state. As my excitement for science developed in the classroom, my rural surroundings provided an education in how systemic barriers effectively nullify scientific breakthroughs by interrupting their delivery to the patients who need them most.
My commitment to the equitable implementation of scientific progress led me to pursue a bachelor of science in biology and a bachelor of arts in political science at Plymouth State University, where I met political science professor Filiz Ruhm. Filiz encouraged me to pursue a career at the nexus of health equity and translational research and has remained an enthusiastic advocate for my interests in both scientific innovation and expanding access to evidence-based care.
What graduate program are you in at Dartmouth, and what’s a question your field is working to answer right now?
I’m a PhD candidate in the molecular and cellular biology program. As a member of the Hoen Lab, I’m fortunate to train in an environment with deep expertise in maternal and child health research.
Much of the field is focused on studying the impacts of exposures that occur during pregnancy on neonatal health and long-term development. While some gestational exposures are associated with poor outcomes, others—such as influenza vaccination—decrease risk during the neonatal period.
Researchers in the Dartmouth community and beyond are addressing gaps in knowledge about gestational exposures to both protect infants from harmful exposures during pregnancy and optimize the use of protective strategies.
What is your area of research? What inspired you to pursue this area?
I study maternal influenza vaccination. Influenza is a leading infectious cause of under-five mortality globally, and newborns are at particularly high risk. Infants rely on maternally-conferred protection for the first several months of life, making influenza vaccination during pregnancy a key prevention strategy to protect children in their most vulnerable developmental stage.
My project addresses how gestational age at the time of maternal influenza vaccination impacts both the transfer of antibodies to the fetus and the characteristics of the transferred antibodies. I’m excited to be working on a project that has potential to directly inform clinical care and improve patient outcomes.
Your poster won recognition at the Guarini School Poster Session. What was the hardest thing to communicate, visually or conceptually, and how did you solve it?
I often find it difficult to succinctly explain the absence of a potential condition. Prevention—such as vaccination— is often not an intuitive concept and involves complex data, especially when interpreting the results of clinical studies.
I addressed this by structuring my presentation around neonatal influenza infection outcomes and the importance of maternal vaccination. Through focusing on the known risks reduced by maternal vaccination, I was able to better contextualize how our data on the optimal timing of vaccination during pregnancy to protect newborns were analyzed and interpreted.
Imagine your research findings reached a non-specialist audience, such as a city council, a patient community, or the general public. What would you most want them to understand?
Most parents begin making decisions for their child’s safety early in pregnancy. Many of these decisions are complex. In most cases, the choice to appropriately vaccinate during pregnancy is not.
Studies show that maternal influenza vaccination is safe and effective in preventing both maternal and neonatal infection and hospitalization. Pregnant people and infants are more likely to experience poor outcomes in the event of influenza infection, making policies that encourage and increase access to maternal influenza vaccination critical.
More broadly, our every effort should protect the most vulnerable. Researchers and clinicians must better communicate that vaccines are most effective when—in addition to individual protection—high vaccination rates create a community-level shield against infection spread.
We must correctly frame vaccination as a gesture of respect for one’s community, an acknowledgment of one’s role in keeping others safe, and an ethical expectation of sharing common spaces to prioritize wellbeing for all.
Which resources, career support programs, or professional development opportunities at Dartmouth have been most valuable to you, and how have they impacted your experience?
Dartmouth’s global network and programs are invaluable resources. These opportunities have greatly strengthened my education and deepened my understanding of global translational research perspectives and priorities.
My experiences have included receiving a grant through the Dickey Center for International Understanding to visit the Aravind Eye Hospital in Tamil Nadu, India and support for my upcoming participation in a maternal and neonatal vaccination and clinical trial course in Johannesburg, South Africa through Dartmouth’s research relationship with members of the European and African CIVIS Alliance.
What brought you to Dartmouth specifically? Has anything about the experience surprised you?
I was introduced to virus-related research as an undergraduate in William Green’s lab through the Dartmouth-based NH-INBRE iSURF program. This experience confirmed both my interest in infectious disease and my desire to pursue a doctoral degree.
I decided to first pursue a Master of Public Health to further my understanding of the intersection of research and equity. The Dartmouth Institute was the clear choice and led to career-shaping opportunities—including an internship at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The collaboration and innovation between Dartmouth programs influenced my decision to return as a Guarini PhD student.
While my positive experiences as a student have not been a surprise, I’m thrilled that Dartmouth’s emphasis on multidisciplinary work has encouraged me to build relationships across the Dartmouth community.
Which Guarini resource or program made a real difference in your development, and what would you tell a first-year student who hasn’t discovered it yet?
Effective communication is critical to obtaining funding and to ensuring that ideas and discoveries are received and implemented to their greatest possible impact by both scientists and the public.
Last fall, I took Mark McPeek and Chris Kohn’s science communication course. We learned to share our work with different audiences, leading us to consider perspectives that aren’t often explored in research environments and illuminating potential research directions through cross-discipline dialogue.
I also participated in NIH-focused grant workshops hosted by Dartmouth’s GrantGPS and by George O’Toole and in a science writing course taught by Yina Huang. I received a 2025 Gerber Foundation Novice Research Award and a 2024 Hitchcock Foundation Pilot Research Grant, and this guidance was instrumental in developing successful proposals.
