Upper School STEM Speaker Series Welcomes Clinical Trialist, Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Pathology

As part of the Upper School STEM Speaker Series, we welcomed Dr. Matt Laurens P’26, ’28, a Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Pathology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he also serves as the Director of the International Clinical Trials Unit within the Malaria Research Program and as the Director of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program. Dr. Laurens, who spoke in an Upper School Collection during the 2025-26 school year, came back to Friends School to talk more about his clinical research, his path into medicine and immunology, and provide updates on his most recent studies.

Each year, Friends School's STEM Speaker Series hosts guests from a variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields who share their professional journey and details about their research and work with interested students. Fields represented include astronomy, engineering, medicine, neuroscience, genetics, biology, and a variety of other disciplines.

About Dr. Matt Laurens P’26, ’28:

Dr. Laurens is a leading clinical trialist who helps answer how a vaccine goes from an idea in a laboratory to something that can protect millions of lives. Dr. Laurens works as a Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Pathology, and the Director of the International Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. His work focuses on vaccines for diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and COVID-19, as well as innovative studies that help scientists better understand how malaria affects the human body.