So just a bit about me…

I just graduated from Arizona State University with a double major in Anthropology and Biology. I started this blog because I believe everyone should have a functioning understanding of Public Health, the dangers of infectious disease, and the necessity of preventative measures.

I have taken every opportunity to concentrate on research around infectious diseases and understanding their impact on human populations. As a Junior I studied the theory of the epidemiological transition, and investigated whether or not three countries, The United State of America, China, and Uganda, each with varying levels of infrastructure, will have a discrepancy between prevalence of three difference variances of diseases: zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases.

This initial research piqued my interest in infectious diseases, and I proposed an independent study with Gerardo Chowell-Puente an Associate Professor of Epidemiological and Mathematical models of Disease at the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University. With his advice and support for last 17 months we have worked to identify epidemiological factors that may affect the transmission of the coronavirus spreading in Saudi Arabia, called Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) are closely related in the phylogenetic tree of novel coronaviruses that have generated infections in humans.  While case and death counts for MERS follow an almost continuous uptick trend in the Arabian Peninsula since June 2012, our basic epidemiological understanding of MERS is limited.  Important unknowns include transmission mechanisms, dynamics of human spillover events, natural animal reservoirs and its potential to generate a pandemic. To fill these gaps, we conducted a comparative epidemiological study using epidemiological data for MERS-CoV and SARS- CoV patients to assess differences in distributions of age and gender reported cases, frequency of health-care related infections, health outcomes, and the case fatality ratio for different wave periods.

I hope to continue my education with a Medical Degree and a PhD in infectious diseases. I hope to become a doctor with a specialty in emergency medicine.

I hope you like my site!