Vaccines, Infectious disease Prevention & Epidemiology Research (VIPER) Group

I am an infectious disease epidemiologist and vaccinologist with expertise in designing and implementing epidemiological studies that generate critical evidence to optimize disease prevention and control.

VIPER group members are committed to advancing the field of infectious disease epidemiology and vaccinology and conduct rigorous and innovative research to address critical questions of global importance.

Yang aims to contribute to a broad range of public health challenges including infectious diseases, maternal/child health, and substance use. She currently leads a study of Shingles Vaccine policy and is investigating how to better integreat at-home diagnostic tests into public health surveillance. She also supports the POPCORN network.

Angie Sassi aims to bridge the gap between public health research and practice via interests in global health, infectious diseases, and maternal/newborn health. Angie currently leads research on vaccine uptake among older adults and supports the POPCORN network. 

Vaidehi is currently a medical student at McGill University and contributes to research on multiple studies spanning topics including vaccine uptake, confidence, and more as a research assistant in VIPER group. Vaidehi is currently leading a study evaluating the development of E.coli vaccines.

Alexandra is currently a medical student at McGill University and contributes to multiple studies as a research assistant in VIPER group. Her research interests include impact and economic evaluations of vaccine interventions and factors influencing vaccine coverage in special populations. She also used her talents to design the VIPER group logo.

Neeta is a PhD student in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota where she is pursuing interests in improving routine immunizations of children and adolescents. She is co-supervised by Dr. Basta and Dr. Michael Osterholm and a research assistant working with Dr. Basta and Dr. Angie Ulrich.

Zuofu is a Biostatistics PhD student at the University of Minnesota. He works as a research assistant with Dr. Basta and Dr. Angie Ulrich.

Chrissa is passionate about promoting literacy and knowledge to encourage vaccination uptake. As part of VIPER, she contributes to multiple projects as she completes her studies at McGill University. 

Eva is a graduate student with

interests in advancing vaccination research and promoting public health through evidence-based strategies. As part of VIPER, she contributes to multiple projects as she completes her studies at McGill University in the School of Population and Global Health. 

Lisa is currently a graduate public health student at McGill University with a background in clinical nutrition. She is passionate about preventative care, effective science communication in dismantling anti-vaccine rhetoric and research in understanding the role of malnutrition in infectious diseases and vaccine effectiveness. She will be supporting the VIPER group through various research capacities.