My research interests include childhood undernutrition and infectious diseases and their socio-economic and environmental determinants in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. I am coordinator of the Planetary Child Health and Enterics Observatory (Plan-EO) and lead the SPRINGS Project working group on health impacts modeling. Through these and other initiatives I aim to characterize environmental drivers of enteric disease, acute febrile illnesses, and COVID-19 by combining Earth Observation (satellite), household survey, and molecular diagnostic data.
Plan-EO is an interdisciplinary bioinformatic research initiative that aims to advance child health interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) through targeted, evidence-based geographic data. Its goal is to produce, curate, and disseminate spatial data that maps transmission risks of critical pathogens and identifies environmental and sociodemographic factors influencing these risks.
The work of Plan-EO is motivated by the belief that scientific evidence can bring about transformative change to the lives of even the most marginalized people. This belief guides our commitment to understanding of the complex and interrelated health issues affecting families living with limited resources in tropical and lower-income regions of the world. We also proudly champion diversity, equity and inclusion in all aspects of research, and strive to provide opportunities for mentorship to aspiring scientists who are navigating their early careers, particularly those from groups that are historically underrepresented in public health. For more information, see out published protocol https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297775
Some understanding of and interest in global health and/or data science.
Must share the team’s passion and vision for the project objectives and for using data to advance the public good.
Ability to take initiative and work both independently and collaboratively.
Knowledge of a second language (especially Spanish) would be an asset, as would a personal connection to an LMIC/country in the tropics or sub-tropics.
- Firsthand exposure to the day-to-day running of an interdisciplinary research initiative.
- Contribute to research findings and their dissemination through multiple media (peer-reviewed publications, web-based dashboard, social media, blogs etc.)
- Option 1: Management and analysis of complex, multi-level human subject data using R, Python, ArcGIS or Stata.
- Option 2: Knowledge management - using scientific databases (PubMed, Embase etc.) and specialized software (e.g. Covidence, Zotero etc.) to gather, review and synthesize scientific evidence.
- Option 3: Online communication and brand building using social media and website management platforms (HubSpot) to communicate findings and tools to audiences of different levels of specialization.