Sourya Shrestha, PhD
Using models to understand implications of heterogeneity on TB control interventionsThursday 1 June, 19:00, AIMS Main Lecture Hall
Abstract: Like many infectious diseases, epidemiology of tuberculosis (TB) can be heterogeneous. Many drivers and risk factors associated with TB, such as socio-economic and migration status, homelessness, and particularly the epidemiology of HIV can themselves be heterogenous - thereby also leading to heterogeneity in the incidence of TB. Heterogeneity can manifest in variety of ways in a population (e.g. geographically, or based on occupation, demography etc.), and can have important implications for TB control interventions. In this talk, I will share some past and ongoing research I have been involved in focused on developing models to capture such heterogeneity, and to estimate the impact of TB control interventions. I will devote part the talk to describe ongoing modeling work to explore different sources of heterogeneity in a TB/HIV co-epidemic, and the implications for TB control; and rest of the talk to describe a modeling work of targeting TB vaccines in mining communities in South Africa.
About: Sourya Shrestha is a Research Associate in the department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health. He received his doctoral training in applied mathematics from University of Michigan, and postdoctoral training in ecology and epidemiology of infectious diseases at Michigan and Hopkins, respectively. He is interested in developing mathematical and computational models of infectious disease epidemiology, and to ultimately use them to design and inform data-driven, effective public health intervention strategies. Transmission dynamics of tuberculosis, pneumococcus and dengue virus are primary disease systems that he maintains research interests in.