I am a Research Fellow in the Epidemiology Unit at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where my research focuses on risk factors and transmission of infectious diseases of public health importance such as invasive fungal infections, antimicrobial resistant bacteria, and SARS-CoV-2, among others. I specialize in using interpretable machine learning models on extremely large data sets. 

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I am currently the principal investigator of NIAID's study evaluating the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in individuals with immune disorders. Please see our website here for more information.

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I have over ten years of research experience in epidemiology and molecular microbiology working with a variety of human pathogens, and I have participated in global public health program monitoring and evaluation, policy development, and scientific advocacy. In addition to research, I teach epidemiology and biostatistics to graduate students at George Washington University. In March 2019, I was selected to become an Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative Fellow by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

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I received my PhD in epidemiology from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute at the University of Basel and my MSc in molecular microbiology and immunology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Professional Experience

Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Fellow

March 2019 - March 2020

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

Adjunct Assistant Professor

July 2018 - Present

George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Clinical Research and Leadership

Research Fellow

January 2017 - Present

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Epidemiology Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, Division of Intramural Research

Senior Research Data Analyst

August 2013 - December 2016

Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Epidemiologist

May 2012 - July 2013

Maryland Department of Health
Emerging Infections Program, Office of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Outbreak Response, Prevention and Health Promotion Administration

Research Program Analyst

July 2010 - April 2012

Maryland Department of Health/Johns Hopkins University

Graduate Student Research Assistant

August 2010 - May 2012

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute

Research Specialist

May 2009 - June 2010

University of Pittsburgh, Public Health Infectious Disease Lab

Education

PhD - Epidemiology

2015 - 2018

Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

MSc - Molecular Microbiology and Immunology

2010 - 2012

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

BS - Biology

2005 - 2009

Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania, USA

Research & Communication

Committees

• NIH COVID-19 Scientific Interest Group (board member)

• NIAID Virtual Workshop Series for Harnessing the Power of Data to Advance Immune-mediated and Infectious Disease Research (organizing committee member),

• Tropical Medicine Dinner Club of Baltimore (board member)

• Society for Epidemiologic Research communications committee

Editorial & Peer review

• Editorial board: Frontiers in Tropical Diseases

• Peer review: American Journal of Epidemiology, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Public Library of Science One, Malaria Journal, Epidemiology and Infection, Health Security, Manning Publications

Other

• Kaggle COVID-19 Open Research Dataset Challenge (an AI challenge with AI2, CZI, MSR, Georgetown, NIH & The White House)