EMD Student Spotlight series: Isabel Rancu

This series spotlights the amazing students working with faculty from the YSPH Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases (EMD) department. We want to highlight the opportunity for other students outside our department to work with us. This month focuses on students who are conducting research on public health modeling. Here, Yale College student Isabel Rancu tells us about the program and some of her exciting research in a Q&A format.

Isabel: As an undergrad studying Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry (MB&B) and Data Science, I was eager to get involved in research that interplayed my interests in biology and statistics. I applied to work in the EMD Department ahead of my first year summer because I saw that the overall goal of many topics, particularly those studied in the Cohen lab, combined both the computational and biological dimensions of disease while also maintaining a big-picture emphasis on the impact of public health research. I have now been working in the Cohen Lab for over 2 years!

I study tuberculosis (TB) epidemics. I specifically work with spatial, genomic, and demographic data to investigate the spread and transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) in the Republic of Moldova.

I'm especially excited about AI-driven models for public health surveillance. It’s fascinating to see how these models train on diverse data sources, from social media to airline records. I’m particularly interested in how we can integrate AI-driven insights into existing methods and models to enhance disease detection and response.

The Cohen Lab, along with other members of PHMU, have been fundamental to forming my research and academic interests during my time at Yale. Because of how supportive the community has been in fostering a great learning environment, I will be pursuing a BS/MS degree in the MB&B Department. The primary focus of my thesis will be on understanding the phylogenetic and spatial relationships of drug resistant TB strains in Eastern Europe. None of this would have been possible had I not had the years of kind mentorship and guidance I received from members of the Cohen Lab and the additional support from collaborative EMD faculty.

Be open-minded about research opportunities! When I first came to Yale, I thought I would work in structural biology and instead ended up in transmission modeling. Especially for undergrads, do not limit yourself to what you "think" you should be doing for research— find something you enjoy!