Dr. Walters’s research interests include: i) underlying pathological processes associated with pandemic respiratory viruses including 1918 and 2009 influenza viruses and the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 coronavirus, ii) host-pathogen interactions and how it relates to disease susceptibility, progression and/or recovery, and iii) using multi-omics data to identify novel therapeutic targets and diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers of infection. Currently, Dr. Walters is applying systems-based approaches to a human challenge model of influenza virus to both identify prognostic markers of viral shedding, disease severity and correlates of immune protection with the goal of improving the performance of current vaccines. She is also interested in exploring the underlying mechanisms of secondary bacterial infection as a major cause of morbidity/mortality during influenza virus infection, particularly with pandemic-causing strains including the 1918 H1N1 influenza virus which was responsible for 50 million deaths worldwide.