Virginia Pitzer, ScD
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Research Summary
Professor Pitzer uses mathematical models for the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases to understand patterns in the distribution of cases over time and space, and to predict the potential impact of interventions such as vaccination. By integrating epidemiological data analysis with concepts from disease ecology, she studies how characteristics of host-pathogen interactions affect the population-level spread of disease. Current projects include understanding the dynamics of rotavirus and the potential impact of vaccination in developing countries; evaluating strategies for controlling typhoid fever in endemic countries; and understanding how climatic factors influence the seasonality and spatiotemporal spread of RSV.
Specialized Terms: Transmission dynamics; Mathematical modeling; Rotavirus; Typhoid fever
Coauthors
Research Interests
Ecology; Immunization; Paratyphoid Fever; Rotavirus; Typhoid Fever; Global Health
Public Health Interests
Global Health; Infectious Diseases; Influenza; Microbial Ecology; Modeling; Respiratory Disease/Infections; Child/Adolescent Health; COVID-19
Selected Publications
- Strategies to Prevent Cholera Introduction during International Personnel Deployments: A Computational Modeling Analysis Based on the 2010 Haiti Outbreak.Lewnard JA, Antillón M, Gonsalves G, Miller AM, Ko AI, Pitzer VE. Strategies to Prevent Cholera Introduction during International Personnel Deployments: A Computational Modeling Analysis Based on the 2010 Haiti Outbreak. PLoS Medicine 2016, 13:e1001947.
- Did Large-Scale Vaccination Drive Changes in the Circulating Rotavirus Population in Belgium?Pitzer VE, Bilcke J, Heylen E, Crawford FW, Callens M, De Smet F, Van Ranst M, Zeller M, Matthijnssens J. Did Large-Scale Vaccination Drive Changes in the Circulating Rotavirus Population in Belgium? Scientific Reports 2015, 5:18585.
- Environmental drivers of the spatiotemporal dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus in the United States.Pitzer VE, Viboud C, Alonso WJ, Wilcox T, Metcalf CJ, Steiner CA, Haynes AK, Grenfell BT. Environmental drivers of the spatiotemporal dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus in the United States. PLoS Pathogens 2015, 11:e1004591.
- Predicting the impact of vaccination on the transmission dynamics of typhoid in South Asia: a mathematical modeling study.Pitzer VE, Bowles CC, Baker S, Kang G, Balaji V, Farrar JJ, Grenfell BT. Predicting the impact of vaccination on the transmission dynamics of typhoid in South Asia: a mathematical modeling study. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2014, 8:e2642.
- Understanding reduced rotavirus vaccine efficacy in low socio-economic settings.Lopman BA, Pitzer VE, Sarkar R, Gladstone B, Patel M, Glasser J, Gambhir M, Atchison C, Grenfell BT, Edmunds WJ, Kang G, Parashar UD. Understanding reduced rotavirus vaccine efficacy in low socio-economic settings. PloS One 2012, 7:e41720.
- Modeling rotavirus strain dynamics in developed countries to understand the potential impact of vaccination on genotype distributions.Pitzer VE, Patel MM, Lopman BA, Viboud C, Parashar UD, Grenfell BT. Modeling rotavirus strain dynamics in developed countries to understand the potential impact of vaccination on genotype distributions. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2011, 108:19353-8.
- Absolute humidity and the seasonal onset of influenza in the continental United States.Shaman J, Pitzer VE, Viboud C, Grenfell BT, Lipsitch M. Absolute humidity and the seasonal onset of influenza in the continental United States. PLoS Biology 2010, 8:e1000316.
- Demographic variability, vaccination, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of rotavirus epidemics.Pitzer VE, Viboud C, Simonsen L, Steiner C, Panozzo CA, Alonso WJ, Miller MA, Glass RI, Glasser JW, Parashar UD, Grenfell BT. Demographic variability, vaccination, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of rotavirus epidemics. Science (New York, N.Y.) 2009, 325:290-4.