Rich Majerus Co-authors COVID Research Study in Science Immunology Journal

Why do some people have an advantage or a disadvantage when it comes to the severity of a COVID-19 infection? When Rich Majerus, vice president for planning and strategy at Queens, was asked by researchers from the Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School to explore that question, he didn’t expect to become a co-author of a scientific study published in the Science Immunology journal. Majerus was tapped for his expertise in analyzing and reporting data using understandable methods.

“My role was focused on the data analysis,” Majerus said. “I don’t claim to understand all of the nuance having to do with immunology or the complexities of the immune system but as a data scientist, I can help people answer challenging questions using modern, analytical methodologies.”

Aimed at better understanding the long-term immunity after COVID-19, the study followed individuals across a varying range of disease severity for up to 242 days. The research focused on the relationship between coronavirus-specific CD4+ T cells and antibody responses that persist after COVID-19.

“In media reporting about COVID, you hear a lot about antibody responses but you don’t hear a lot about T cell responses,” Majerus said. “T cells are a critical part of the immune system. The interesting thing about this study, in particular, is that it shows stronger T-cell responses in mild cases versus severe cases. Typically, we would expect the opposite to be true with a severe case of a disease-producing a stronger immune response. This may indicate that when it comes to COVID individuals with a dysregulated immune system are more likely to experience severe cases.”

Overall, the study found that individuals with a less severe disease course generated stronger and more durable T-cell responses than individuals with more severe disease and that these responses persisted several months after the primary infection.

“Understanding this data can inform treatments and set a bar for vaccine response. It informs our understanding of what gives someone an advantage or a disadvantage and provides information related to the immune response that is required to prevent severe disease,” Majerus said.

In his role at Queens, Majerus helps leverage data, technology, partnerships, and human capital to enhance revenue and efficiency across the university.

“Though it might not look like it on the surface, my role in this study aligns well with our work at Queens. It’s the kind of work that underscores the importance, applicability, and utility of modern data analysis skills, as well as the impact of learning those skills within a liberal arts context,” he said. “The world is too complex for anyone to know everything about a topic. The ability to contribute my skills and experiences in a team environment and to be able to communicate and ask thoughtful questions have consistently proven to be more valuable than the technical skills themselves.”

Majerus is a nationally recognized higher education data science and technology expert. He has worked with organizations and researchers to optimize their data analysis workflows, integrate analytical models and interactive data visualization into decision-making processes, and taught data science to academic and business professionals.

In addition to teaching at two- and four-year colleges, Majerus has experience as a campus leader in admissions, advancement, campus safety, enrollment, human resources, information technology, and institutional research and as a founder of a higher education data science and strategy company. He has worked and consulted with university boards, presidents, and vice presidents across the country on leveraging data science and modern technologies to drive strategic initiatives, revenue generation, and institutional improvement.