Roger Ying

Friday 2 June, 14:00, AIMS Main Lecture Hall

Abstract: HIV prevalence in Ethiopia has decreased by nearly 75% in the past 20 years with the implementation of antiretroviral therapy, but HIV transmission continues in certain high-risk regions around the country. Identification of the spatial and temporal trends of these transmission clusters, as well as their epidemiologic correlates, can lead to refinement of targeted interventions. With data from the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey, we use a spatial scan statistic to estimate HIV clusters. We then identify HIV risk factors associated with each HIV cluster to develop unique compartmental models of HIV transmission for each cluster. Finally, the individual models will be linked to form a national model for Ethiopia.

About: Roger received his Bachelors of Science degree in Bioengineering from the University of Washington in 2012. He worked for two years with Dr. Ruanne Barnabas at the University of Washington on modeling the cost-effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention in Uganda and community-based HIV testing and counseling in South Africa. He first became involved with the ICI3D program in 2013 at the MMED workshop, and then as an I3D exchange scholar in 2015. He also spent one year at the UNAIDS in Geneva working with Drs. Reuben Granich and Brian Williams on antiretroviral treatment guideline policy. Roger is now a fourth year medical student at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.