Infectious Disease Dynamics

Projects

Healthcare Epidemiology We work closely with the Johns Hopkins Hospital and other organizations to understand and combat healthcare acquired infections.
Cross-Sectional Incidence Testing Developing and validating testing algorithms to generate point estimates of HIV and HCV incidence.
COVID-19 Our multi-faceted project focuses on response to the current COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The areas of interest range from health intervention tracking to contact tracing app development.
Measles & Rubella Dynamics Working towards control, elimination, and eradication of two of the world's most infectious diseases.
Phylogenetic Study Design Developing methods to estimate informative sample sizes for phylogenetic studies.
Impetus The Impetus study aims to develop and extend statistical and modeling methodologies for spatial data.
Emerging Diseases Dynamic modeling and real time analyses to respond to emerging disease threats.
HIV Dynamics We conduct highly interdisciplinary HIV research focused on the application of mechanistic models and molecular epidemiology to population-based cross-sectional and longitudinal survey data. Our efforts are largely concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Cholera Dynamics The Cholera Dynamics Project aims to study cholera transmission dynamics through mechanistic and statistical models using global incidence data.
Fluscape Characterizing the immune landscapes of human influenza in southern China.

Multiple postdoc positions available in infectious disease dynamics and implications for control via the Infectious Disease Dynamics Group at JHBSPH.

Fellowship #1: We are seeking postdocs to work on multiple projects within our Infectious Disease Dynamics Group at JHBSPH. Projects will vary depending on the interest of the applicant with opportunities to collaborate and work across topics. These projects include:

a) Modeling human mobility patterns and implications for disease transmission: This NIH-funded project will assess the role of human travel on infectious disease dynamics for a range of pathogens including malaria, dengue, influenza, measles, and SARS-CoV-2. This project will leverage existing data sets on human travel (mobile phone data, travel surveys, GPS loggers, and app data) as well as information on disease dynamics (serology, genomics, and incidence data).

b) Modeling of global cholera burden and risk: This project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation aims to leverage a massive cholera incidence database, managed by our group on behalf of the Global Taskforce for Cholera Control, to use novel geostatistical models to estimate the global burden of cholera and explore the relationships between cholera risk and key extrinsic factors, including weather and climate. This also includes the possibility to support countries in developing short-term cholera outbreak forecasts.

c) Seroepidemiologic methods and applications: We have various projects aimed at developing new approaches for using serologic data to estimate infection incidence rates and improving our understanding of the immune landscape for a suite of pathogens including hepatitis E, cholera, SARS-CoV-2, and traditional vaccine preventable diseases. We are both collecting primary data in both cross-sectional serosurveys and longitudinal serologic cohorts and aim to not only gain new disease specific-insights but to develop analysis tools for multi-pathogen serosurveillance. Aspects of this work involve collaborations with assay developers, immunologists and partner laboratories in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

If interested, these positions can include the opportunity to work closely with public health decision makers (e.g., WHO, Ministries of Health) to help translate models into policy. In addition, interested candidates can be more directly involved in primary data collection through our groups on-going field studies.

Applicants will initially be given a one-year contract with possibility to extend to two or more years should both parties agree.

Salary: Commensurate with education and experience.

Location: Given current travel restrictions, there is flexibility in physical location in the near term.

Mentorship: Depending on interests, candidates will be mentored by one or more core faculty in the infectious disease dynamics group, including Amy Wesolowski, Emily Gurley and Andrew Azman

Desired skills and attributes:

Research experience of working with mathematical and/or statistical models.
A strong interest in infectious disease epidemiology.
Ability to collate and analyze data, interpret and present results to a high standard using a range of specialized research techniques.
Good knowledge of R
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Experience in communicating research findings to a non-specialist audience.
Ability to work independently but also as part of a larger interdisciplinary research team.
PhD in one of the following areas: epidemiology, statistics, immunology, physics, computer science, population biology or a similarly quantitative discipline.

Application process: Interested candidates should email Maya Demby (mdemby1 [at] jhu.edu) with a CV and statement of interest. The deadline for applications is 1-July-2022.

Fellowship #2: Our groups in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHBSPH) are looking for one postdoctoral fellow to work on projects related to HIV transmission in populations of people who inject drugs (PWID). Application due date: July 31, 2022.

Job Description: HIV Epidemiology and Disease Dynamics in People Who Inject Drugs (PWID)

Despite the more than decades long downward trend in HIV incidence among people who inject drugs (PWID), there is cause for alarm due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the instability the response has caused, particularly among vulnerable populations. COVID-19 disrupted access to the very interventions that led to declining HIV incidence among PWID, including harm reduction services and antiretroviral therapy (ART). It is unknown how the intersection of the opioid crisis and COVID-19 pandemic will interact to impact the health of PWID in the short term and whether it will create conditions sufficient to destabilize PWID populations enough to support the resurgence of HIV. This project will develop mathematical and statistical models to estimate the potential for HIV resurgence among PWID as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, this project will focus on integrating detailed data on social networks, disruptions due to COVID-19 (social, behavioral, and access to healthcare) and laboratory data that will be prospectively collected. The project is a part of the AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) study, the longest running cohort of PWID (since 1988) based in Baltimore City, Maryland. More information on ALIVE can be found here: (https://www.jhsph.edu/research/affiliated-programs/aids-linked-to-the-intravenous-experience/).

The ideal applicant will have both quantitative experience in epidemiology, statistics, and/or ecology and an interest in public health research related to disease prevention and control. Interest in HIV/hepatitis C is required. Prior experience working with social network analysis is necessary. The applicant will have the opportunity to work on a wide range of data types including epidemiological, network and behavioral data sets related to HIV and opioid use disorder. Applicants with, or nearing completion of, a doctoral degree in epidemiology, ecology, biostatistics, or a related field will be considered. Those with experience in HIV or PWID populations will be given priority.

The successful applicant will work with Drs. Becky Genberg and Amy Wesolowski and colleagues primarily on a project funded by the National Institutes of Health. The successful applicant be joining two highly collaborative groups including the ID Dynamics group (iddynamics.jhsph.edu) and the ALIVE study. The ID Dynamics group works on projects ranging from empirical data collection to theoretical modeling of disease dynamics, and there will be ample opportunities to work on cross-cutting projects focused on issues in infectious disease transmission and control. This applicant will also work with the ALIVE study team based out of JHBSPH. This interdisciplinary team consists of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, behavioral scientists, and clinicians all working to better understand HIV transmission and epidemiology in these settings.

The position will be for 1-2 years, depending on applicant interest and career plans.

Interested candidates should contact Drs. Becky Genberg and Dr. Amy Wesolowski (awesolowski [at] jhu.edu) with a CV, statement of interest, and a list of 3 references. Application will be considered on a rolling basis and should be submitted by July 31, 2022.

We study transmission dynamics using a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches to improve global health.

Projects

Latest @JHIDDynamics

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We study transmission dynamics using a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches to improve global health.

Projects

Latest @JHIDDynamics

Multiple postdoc positions available in infectious disease dynamics and implications for control via the Infectious Disease Dynamics Group at JHBSPH.