Our research aims to improve global health through better use of data. We conduct research in global health informatics and infectious disease epidemiology.
Global Health Informatics
Our research in global health informatics aims to improve access, representation, and interoperability of data produced by health agencies and researchers working in global health. A vast amount of data is being created in global health and these data are of incredible value for research and innovation towards healthier lives. Challenges persist that limit access and use of these data and Project Tycho aims to overcome these challenges. Specifically, our research is directed to improve compliance of global health data with FAIR guidelines through three main activities.
1. Standardize data about diseases and their determinants
2. Create machine-interpretable metadata
3. Make data widely available to users
Infectious Disease Epidemiology
We use large-scale global health data to study patterns of spread for epidemic diseases, particularly mosquito-borne diseases in Southeast Asia and Latin America such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya virus. Our study on synchrony and traveling waves for major dengue epidemic across eight countries in Southeast Asia, and their correlation with high temperatures and El Niño was published in PNAS. We also study the historical impact of childhood vaccination programs in the United States and Europe. We found that 100 million cases for seven childhood diseases were prevented by vaccination in the US between 1924 and 2010, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and featured by the New York Times, Scientific American, Wall Street Journal, and others.We always welcome new research collaborations and ideas, so if you are interested to work with us, or have ideas, let us know!