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Saad B. Omer

MBBS, MPH, PhD, FIDSA

Contact Information

Saad B. Omer, MBBS, MPH, PhD, FIDSA

Office Location

Mailing Address

  • Yale Institute for Global Health

    1 Church Street

    New Haven, CT 06510

    United States

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Biography

Dr. Omer has conducted studies in the United States, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia. Dr Omer’s research portfolio includes epidemiology of respiratory viruses such as influenza, RSV, and - more recently - COVID-19; clinical trials to estimate efficacy of maternal and/or infant influenza, pertussis, polio, measles and pneumococcal vaccines; and trials to evaluate drug regimens to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Moreover, he has conducted several studies on interventions to increase immunization coverage and acceptance. Dr Omer’s work has been cited in global and country-specific policy recommendations and has informed clinical practice and health legislation in several countries. He has directly mentored over 100 junior faculty, clinical and research post-doctoral fellows, and PhD and other graduate students.Dr. Omer has published widely in peer reviewed journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, Lancet, British Medical Journal, Pediatrics, American Journal of Public Health, Science, and Nature and is the author of op-eds for publications such as the New York Times, Politico, and the Washington Post.

Dr Omer has received multiple awards –including the Maurice Hilleman Award by the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases for his work on the impact of maternal influenza immunization on respiratory illness in infants younger than 6 months-for whom there is no vaccine. He has served on several advisory panels including the U.S. National Vaccine Advisory Committee, Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria -Vaccine Innovation Working Group, and WHO Expert Advisory Group for Healthcare Worker Vaccination. He has also served as an academic affiliate of the Office of Evaluation Sciences –formerly known as the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team.

Education & Training

  • PhD
    Johns Hopkins University (2007)
  • MPH
    Johns Hopkins University (2003)
  • MBBS
    Aga Khan University (1998)

Activities

  • COVID-19 Burial Site Surveillance to Measure Excess Mortality-Pakistan
    Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan; New Haven, CT, United States 2021
    To use burial ground surveillance to accurately estimate access mortality due to COVID-19.
  • Support for the Vaccine Assessments and Interventions Digital Laboratory
    New Haven, CT, United States 2021
    The purpose is to contribute to the combined efforts of the Vaccination Assessment and Interventions Laboratory (VAIL) to identify and address online misinformation and information gaps related to Polio and Covid-19. Specifically, VAIL will focus on content development and training as well as research, testing, and evaluation of materials.
  • Wastewater Surveillance for COVID-19
    New Haven, CT, United States; Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan 2021
    The goals of this project are to provide technical assistance on sample collection for sewage surveillance of SARS CoV-2 to Aga Khan University, Pakistan; provide technical assistance to analytical methods including PCR for sewage surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 to Aga Khan University, Pakistan; provide input on analysis of sewage surveillance results and correlation with epidemiology of COVID-19 cases in Karachi; maintain communication and facilitate collaboration with project personnel at PATH and
  • Building Vaccine Confidence Through Tailored Messaging Campaigns
    New Haven, CT, United States; Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya; New Delhi, DL, India; Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan; Manila, NCR, Philippines; Kyiv, Ukraine; Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina; Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh; Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam; Accra, Greater Accra Region, Ghana; Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria; Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia; Brasília, DF, Brazil; Pretoria, GP, South Africa 2020
    To conduct randomized trials in 5 countries on social media messaging to increase COVID-19 and childhood vaccine coverage.
  • Comprehensively Profiling Social Mixing Patterns in Workplace Settings to Model Pandemic Influenza Transmission – Supplement HCW
    New Haven, CT, United States 2020
    We will collect and analyze contact data, in health care settings in the United States, in order to better parameterize infectious disease models, and thus assess the effectiveness of various health care workplace social distancing strategies in reducing or slowing the transmission of pandemic influenza.
  • TweenVax: A Comprehensive Practice-, Provider-, and Parent/Patient-Level Intervention to Improve Adolescent HPV Vaccination
    New Haven, CT, United States; Atlanta, GA, United States (2020-2021)
    The Yale University team will provide support and oversight to the formative phase data collection and analysis and reporting and will work with the full study team to revise and refine all study materials (e.g. SOPs, scripts, training modules) in preparation for the clinical trial phase.
  • Comprehensive Profiling of Social Mixing Patterns in Resource Poor Countries
    Guatemala City, Guatemala Department, Guatemala; Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan; Vellore, TN, India; Manhica, Maputo Province, Mozambique 2019
    We will collect and analyze contact data, in both rural and urban settings, in Guatemala, Pakistan, India and Mozambique in order to better parameterize infectious disease models, and thus evaluate infectious disease interventions.
  • Comprehensively Profiling Social Mixing Patterns in Workplace Settings to Model Pandemic Influenza Transmission
    New Haven, CT, United States; Atlanta, GA, United States 2019
    We will collect and analyze contact data, in four large companies in the United States, in order to better parameterize infectious disease models, and thus assess the effectiveness of various workplace social distancing strategies in reducing or slowing the transmission of pandemic influenza.
  • AFIX-OB: A Customizable Quality Improvement Intervention to Increase Maternal Vaccine Uptake
    New Haven, CT, United States 2019
    We propose a trial to evaluate AFIX-OB, a systematic, customizable model to deliver evidence- based quality improvement interventions to enhance maternal immunization delivery in the obstetric care setting.
  • Community Based RSV Mortality study in Karachi, Pakistan.
    Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan 2019
    To asses and analyze the burden and determinants of RSV mortality in infants in the urban areas of Karachi, Pakistan.
  • Behavioral Insights – Landscape and Technical Expertise
    New Haven, CT, United States 2019
    This project aims to synthesize the evidence on what behavioral interventions we know work and what could work to increase equitable vaccine coverage in low- and middle-income countries. We will consider evidence from behavioral insights both inside the vaccine field and in other fields with the aim of being able to inform interventions at all levels of the vaccine delivery process.
  • Ethical Considerations for a Single Dose HPV Vaccine Regimen
    New Haven, CT, United States 2019
    Outline ethical and policy considerations for differing HPV vaccine regimens in low- and middle-income countries versus high-income countries.
  • Vaccine hesitancy and erosion of herd immunity: harnessing big data to forecast disease re-emergence (via Georgetown)
    New Haven, CT, United States; Washington, DC, United States 2019
    Vaccine hesitancy and erosion of herd immunity: harnessing big data to forecast disease re-emergence (via Georgetown)
  • C&E Exemplars Research Partner: Vaccine Exemplars
    New Haven, CT, United States 2018
    The goal of this project is to generate actionable recommendations to the Foundation, its partners, and to the global immunization sector on why and how some countries have succeeded in achieving significantly improved vaccine coverage rates.
  • The Broader Impact of Maternal Immunization in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
    Cape Town, WC, South Africa; Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh 2018
    A multisite study in randomized clinical control trial Value of Vaccination Research Network (VoVRN)
  • A Comprehensive Pre-Natal Intervention to Increase Vaccine Coverage (Minority Supplement)
    Baltimore, MD, United States 2017
    Develop and evaluate a generalizable intervention package to improve maternal and childhood immunization coverage and to decrease vaccine hesitancy for infant vaccines. Includes a Minority Supplement for Andrea Carcelen at Johns Hopkins University.
  • Hepatitis B Vaccine Induced Immunity in Neonates
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2017-2018)
    This pilot study will compare the B- and T-cell immunity in neonates before and after routine hepatitis B immunization.
  • Global Infectious Disease Training Program
    Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan (2017-2018)
    To train pre- and post-doctoral fellows in Pakistan.
  • Impact of Eliminating Non-Medical Exemptions in California
    Sacramento, CA, United States 2016
    The study will develop an evidence base for the implementation of immunization exemption legislation at state and national levels.
  • Creating evidence base for determinants of maternal immunization acceptance
    Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya; Mexico City, CDMX, Mexico; Buenos Aires, CABA, Argentina; Brasília, DF, Brazil; Lima, Callao Region, Peru; Honduritas, Departamento de Santa Bárbara, Honduras (2015-2018)
    The goal of this project is to create an evidence base for determinants of maternal immunization acceptance to inform future maternal vaccine demand creation strategies.
  • A Comprehensive Pre-Natal Intervention to Increase Vaccine Coverage
    Atlanta, GA, United States; Denver, CO, United States 2014
    A study to develop and evaluate an intervention to improve vaccination coverage for pregnant women and their children.
  • Efficacy and immunogenicity of Tdap immunization among pregnant women for preventing pertussis in early infancy.
    Quetzaltenango, Quetzaltenango Department, Guatemala (2014-2018)
    The proposed study is a randomized, blinded, controlled, vaccine trial of maternal Tdap vaccination during the third trimester of pregnancy. The study will be conducted in Guatemala.
  • Evaluating the Public Health Impact of State Laws Exempting Children From Immunization and Developing a Revised Model Law for Nonmedical Exemptions
    Burlington, VT, United States; Los Angeles, CA, United States; Seattle, WA, United States; Oregon City, OR, United States (2014-2016)
    Evaluating the Public Health Impact of State Laws Exempting Children From Immunization and Developing a Revised Model Law for Nonmedical Exemptions
  • Immunization Systems and Public Health Preparedness Project (Emory Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center)
    Seattle, WA, United States; Los Angeles, CA, United States (2013-2015)
    This project is part of the on-going Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center at Emory University. The specific project funded is to develop a mobile smartphone app to provide ready access to evidence-based information about vaccines.
  • Population Incidence of Narcolepsy in the United States
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2013-2014)
    The purpose of this project is to assess the incidence of narcolepsy in the United States within the Vaccine Safety Datalink network.
  • VSD SME Participation from Non-Infrastructure Sites
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2013-2014)
    The purpose of this project is to maintain the participation of subject matter experts in VSD sites.
  • Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD)
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2012-2014)
    The purpose of this project is to conduct surveillance and follow-up studies of vaccine safety in a large and diverse population.
  • Innovative Strategies to Combat Vaccine Refusal in Minority Populations
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2012-2013)
    This project will test two vaccine education strategies during the prenatal period. The education strategies will be based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM).
  • Message Framing Effects on Influenza Vaccination among Pregnant Minority
    Atlanta, GA, United States; Athens, Greece (2011-2012)
    We are testing “gain-framed” vs. “loss-framed” messages for promotion of influenza vaccination among racial and ethnic minority pregnant women.
  • Maternal, Fetal, and Infant Effects of Maternal Influenza Immunization in a Developed Country Population
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2010-2011)
    This non-randomized, observational study will use administrative and public health data from Georgia (United States) to evaluate the impact of maternal influenza immunization on maternal and fetal outcomes including prematurity and birth weight.
  • Vaccine Safety Datalink in Children & Adults Enrolled in Kaiser Permanente
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2010-2012)
    The purpose of this project is to conduct surveillance and follow-up studies of vaccine safety in a large and diverse population.
  • Systems Biological Analysis of Innate and Adaptive Responses to Vaccination
    Kampala, Central Region, Uganda (2010-2015)
    The major goal of this project is to determine extent to which such a systems biology approach can be used to predict vaccine immunogenicity and can be used for identifying new correlates of protective immunity.
  • Infant Effects of Maternal Influenza Immunization: A Field Trial in Guatemala City
    Guatemala City, Guatemala Department, Guatemala (2010-2013)
    This planning grant will help us in preparing for the proposed randomized, double-blind, controlled, field trial in Guatemala. The primary goal of the eventual trial is to evaluate infant effects of maternal influenza immunization.
  • Identifying Geographical Areas with High Risk of Refusing Interventions for Infectious Agent Related Public Health Emergencies
    Los Angeles, CA, United States (2008-2009)
    Develop and validate a geographical clustering statistic to identify areas of high risk for refusal of pharmaceutical intervention in an infectious disease emergency.
  • Global Health Institute Faculty of Distinction Award
    Atlanta, GA, United States (2008-2011)
    Development grant for conducting pilot studies and preparatory and professional development activities.

Honors & Recognition

AwardAwarding OrganizationDate
National Academy of Medicine MemberNational Academy of Medicine2022
​M.A. PrivatumYale University2019
Christiaan Eijkman Invited LectureUtrecht University Medical Center2018
Millipub Club AwardEmory University2017
William H. Foege Chair in Global HealthEmory University2016
Millipub Club AwardEmory University2015
CMAJ Bruce Squires AwardCanadian Medical Association Journal2014
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Young Investigator AwardPediatric Infectious Diseases Society2013
Infectious Disease Society of America Program Choice AwardInfectious Disease Society of America2009
Maurice R. Hilleman Early-stage Career Investigator Award -National Foundation for Infectious Diseases2009
Global Health Institute, Faculty Distinction Fund AwardEGHI2008

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