Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases

This area includes work by Dr. Walter, studying the intersection of climate change and pathogen emergence, in the American West. In this work, she aims to investigate the role of climate change in the spread of the Valley fever fungus, Coccidioides, a significant cause of pneumonia in the region. As climate change is projected to dramatically increase the burden of Valley fever, Dr. Walter takes a comprehensive approach to understanding Coccidioides in the west. This includes mapping the current distribution of Coccidioides and projecting its future spread. By analyzing the genomes of Coccidioides, she is reconstructing the emergence history of the fungus in Utah, providing essential insights that will inform public health strategies to mitigate the impact of this environmentally-acquired pathogen under changing climate conditions.
Though many of the crucial epidemiological features of a pandemic cannot be estimated until after it emerges, epidemic preparedness requires urgent estimation of key clinical and epidemiological parameters. One of the central themes of Dr. Keegan’s research has been understanding the transmission dynamics of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. This includes mpox, SARS-CoV-2, diphtheria, and Zika virus. Her research involves developing models to understand and predict the behavior of these pathogens, providing timely and accurate information to support public health decision-making during outbreaks. An example of this is Dr. Keegan’s work on diphtheria. She took a comprehensive approach to understanding the epidemiology and clinical course of diphtheria and applied modeling tools to quantify transmission, the critical vaccination threshold, and has been working to develop strategies for control that minimize reliance on the limited diphtheria antitoxin stores.
This area also overlaps with Dr. Toth’s research interests. His work has included developing branching process models to  assess the impact of various interventions on Ebola outbreak size to quantifying the effects of intervention timing and efficacy. Additionally he has been working on understanding mpox and SARS-CoV-2 emergence dynamics.