A5077214728- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research
- COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
- Infection Control in Healthcare
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Infection Control and Ventilation
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiology
- Data-Driven Disease Surveillance
- Microscopic Colitis
- COVID-19 and Mental Health
- Diphtheria, Corynebacterium, and Tetanus
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Nosocomial Infections in ICU
- Complex Systems and Decision Making
- Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Disaster Response and Management
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- COVID-19 Pandemic Impacts
University of Utah
2019-2025
VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System
2020-2024
Spencer Foundation
2024
Johns Hopkins University
2016-2021
U.S. National Science Foundation
2021
Expedition (United Kingdom)
2021
University of Virginia
2021
Virginia Department of Health
2021
Utah Department of Health
2021
Tufts University
2015
After a period of rapidly declining U.S. COVID-19 incidence during January-March 2021, increases occurred in several jurisdictions (1,2) despite the rapid rollout large-scale vaccination program. This increase coincided with spread more transmissible variants SARS-CoV-2, virus that causes COVID-19, including B.1.1.7 (1,3) and relaxation prevention strategies such as those for businesses, gatherings, educational activities. To provide long-term projections potential trends cases,...
Significance Dengue hemorrhagic fever poses a major problem for public health officials in Thailand. The number and location of cases vary dramatically from year to year, which makes planning prevention treatment activities before the dengue season difficult. We develop statistical models with biologically motivated covariates make forecasts each Thai province every year. our have less error than those baseline model on out-of-sample data. Furthermore, based incidence occurring start rainy...
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused strain on health systems worldwide due to its high mortality rate and the large portion of cases requiring critical care mechanical ventilation. During these uncertain times, public decision makers, from city departments federal agencies, sought use epidemiological models for support in allocating resources, developing non-pharmaceutical interventions, characterizing dynamics COVID-19 their jurisdictions. In response, we developed a flexible...
Abstract Background Healthcare associated infections (HAIs), particularly those involving antibiotic resistant bacteria, are some of the most common, deadly, and preventable adverse events affecting patients in clinical setting. Lowering HAI transmission rates would reduce burden to patients, economic healthcare systems, could help slow an alarming trend toward antimicrobial organisms. However, determining definitive routes within facilities (HCFs) HAIs is difficult costly. Since common...
Abstract Objective: Previous studies have linked social behaviors to COVID-19 risk in the general population. The impact of these among healthcare personnel, who face higher workplace exposure risks and possess greater prevention awareness, remains less explored. Design: We conducted a Prospective cohort study from December 2021 May 2022, using monthly surveys. Exposures included (1) composite nine common activities past month (2) similarity behavior compared pre-pandemic. Outcomes...
Importance Clostridioides difficile is among the most prevalent health care–associated pathogens worldwide. Controlling it remains a critical challenge, due in part to spore viability on surfaces. Objective To quantify transmission of C within care facilities and evaluate roles environmental surfaces personnel (HCP) hands movement. Design, Setting, Participants In 2018, 13-week longitudinal, observational study was conducted 2 intensive units (ICUs) Utah with daily culture-based sampling...
Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) bear disproportionate burden of COVID-19 and are prioritized for vaccine deployment. LTCF outbreaks could continue occurring during rollout due to incomplete population coverage, the effect vaccines on viral transmission currently unknown. Declining adherence non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against within-facility therefore limit effectiveness vaccination. We built a stochastic model simulate in populations with differing vaccination coverage NPI...
Despite a resurgence in control efforts, malaria remains serious public-health problem, causing millions of deaths each year. One factor that complicates malaria-control efforts is clinical immunity, the acquired immune response protects individuals from symptoms despite presence parasites. Clinical immunity against disease, but its effects at population level are complex. It has been previously suggested under certain circumstances, bistable: it can persist, if established, areas where...
<h3>Importance</h3> The effectiveness and importance of contact precautions for endemic pathogens has long been debated, their use broad implications infection control other pathogens. <h3>Objective</h3> To estimate the association between transmission methicillin-resistant<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>(MRSA) across US Department Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals. <h3>Design, Setting, Participants</h3> This retrospective cohort study used mathematical models applied to data from a...
Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused strain on health systems worldwide due to its high mortality rate and the large portion of cases requiring critical care mechanical ventilation. During these uncertain times, public decision makers, from city departments federal agencies, sought use epidemiological models for support in allocating resources, developing non-pharmaceutical interventions, characterizing dynamics COVID-19 their jurisdictions. In response, we developed a...
ABSTRACT Long-term care facilities (LTCFs) bear disproportionate burden of COVID-19 and are prioritized for vaccine deployment. LTCF outbreaks could continue occurring during rollout due to incomplete population coverage, the effect vaccines on viral transmission currently unknown. Declining adherence non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) against within-facility therefore limit effectiveness vaccination. We built a stochastic model simulate in populations with differing vaccination...
Surveillance testing for infectious disease is an important tool to combat transmission at the population level. During SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, RT-PCR tests have been considered gold standard due their high sensitivity and specificity. However, shown return positive results when performed individuals who are past stage of disease. Meanwhile, antigen-based often treated as a less accurate substitute RT-PCR, however, new evidence suggests they may better reflect infectiousness. Consequently, two...
Association Between 3 Doses of mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine and Symptomatic Infection Caused by Omicron Delta Variants
Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a high risk of transmission in close-contact indoor settings, which may include households. Prior studies have found wide range household secondary attack rates and contain biases due to simplifying assumptions about variability test accuracy. Methods We compiled serological SARS-CoV-2 antibody data prior reporting from members 9,224 Utah paired these with probabilistic model importation transmission. calculated...
Simulation studies are often used to predict the expected impact of control measures in infectious disease outbreaks. Typically, two independent sets simulations conducted, one with intervention, and without, epidemic sizes (or some related metric) compared estimate effect intervention. Since it is possible that controlled epidemics larger than uncontrolled ones if there substantial stochastic variation between epidemics, uncertainty intervals from this approach can include a negative even...
Contact precautions for endemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are under increasing scrutiny, in part due to limited clinical trial evidence.
Abstract The use of antibiotics during a disease outbreak presents critical tradeoff between immediate treatment benefits to the individual and long-term risk population. Typically, extensive has been thought increase selective pressures, leading resistance. This study explores scenarios where expanded antibiotic can be advantageous for both population health. We develop mathematical framework assess impacts on dynamics choosing treat moderate infections not treated under current guidelines,...
Traditional clinical prediction models focus on parameters of the individual patient. For infectious diseases, sources external to patient, including characteristics prior patients and seasonal factors, may improve predictive performance. We describe development a model that integrates multiple data in principled statistical framework using post-test odds formulation. Our method enables electronic real-time updating flexibility, such components can be included or excluded according...
A vaccine against Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is in development. While the has potential to both directly protect those vaccinated and mitigate transmission by reducing environmental contamination, impact of on C. colonization remains unclear. Consequently, transmission-reduction effect depends contribution symptomatic CDI overall difficile.We designed a simulation model among patients network 10 hospitals nursing homes calibrated using estimates transmissibility from whole...
Objective US-based descriptions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection have focused on patients with disease. Our objective was to describe characteristics a predominantly outpatient population tested for SARS-CoV-2 in an area receiving comprehensive testing. Methods We extracted data demographic and clinical all (91% outpatient) at University Utah Health clinics Salt Lake County, Utah, from March 10 through April 24, 2020. manually symptoms exposures...
Abstract Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, vaccines have been heralded as best way to curtail pandemic. Clinical trials shown SARS-CoV-2 be highly efficacious against both disease and infection. However, those currently in use were primarily tested early lineages. Data on vaccine effectiveness (VE) variants concern (VOC), including Delta variant (B.1.617.2), remain limited. To examine vaccination Utah we compared proportion cases reporting that expected at different VEs, then estimated...
Abstract The United States (US), which is currently the epicenter for COVID-19 pandemic, a country whose demographic composition differs from that of other highly-impacted countries. US-based descriptions SARS-CoV-2 infections have, most part, focused on patient populations with severe disease, captured in areas limited testing capacity. objective this study to compare characteristics positive and negative patients, population primarily comprised mild moderate infections, identified...