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. 

Olaoluwa aims to improve transparency and accountability in the scientific research community. She is currently leading studies of equitable distribution of authorship for COVID-19 vaccine trials and standardized reporting of clinical trials. She also works to support 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.

Valérie's research interests include emerging infectious diseases, vaccination during pregnancy and vaccination among older adults. She is now working on a project investigating the impact of media exposure and intimate partner violence on vaccine uptake among older adults.

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.