Dr. Lyke is a clinical translational investigator with recognized expertise in malaria, tropical diseases, and parasite immunology. Dr. Lyke is board certified in adult Infectious Diseases and maintains an HIV clinic in addition to attending on the hospital wards as an Infectious Diseases Attending. She is the current Director of The Malaria Vaccine and Challenge Unit. 

Currently, she conducts malaria and tropical diseases vaccine studies. Dr. Lyke has rebuilt the malaria challenge capabilities at UMB, which has led to novel vaccine work including the first-in-humans challenge trial of a whole-organism Pf sporozoite malaria vaccine and the first-in-humans aseptic malaria challenge. She has planned and led studies aimed at developing parenterally-administered malaria challenges and continues to advance the whole organism, Pf sporozoite malaria vaccine approach through Phase I, II and upcoming Phase III trials. She was the site Principal Investigator for the first Phase I domestic Ebola vaccine trials and is currently leading Ebola and Dengue vaccine trials and participating in the first Zika vaccine trial.

Dr. Kirsten Lyke was recently featured in Rolling Stone magazine as one of the people we are counting on for a COVID-19 vaccine.