Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies (DIEPS) 

MAL-ED | MISMS | RAPIDD | DIEPS Staff

The Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies (DIEPS) conducts research in epidemiology and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases. Primary concentrations include cross-national studies of mortality patterns with special emphasis on influenza-associated disease, malaria and other vector-borne and vaccine-preventable diseases. Outcomes of DIEPS research and other activities are changes in public health policies and practices to decrease disease burdens.

• DIEPS Publications

An expert panel reviewed and evaluated DIEPS, and created the report, Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies Review 2009 [PDF <1K, 52 pages].

To view Adobe PDF files, download current, free accessible plug-ins from the Adobe's website.

MAL-ED

MAL-ED (pronounced mal a dee) is a five-year multi-site project to investigate the linkages between malnutrition and intestinal infections and their effects on children in the developing world. DIEPS serves as the Scientific Secretariat for this eight site study located in Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, and co-administers the study with the Foundation for NIH (FNIH). The program is funded by a grant of nearly $30 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Mark Miller, M.D., of Fogarty, and Michael Gottlieb, Ph.D., of FNIH, serve as the Co-Principal Investigators in collaboration with other partners, including universities in the United States and foreign institutions.

• MAL-ED Web site
• Fogarty MAL-ED News Release - March 30, 2009

The Multinational Influenza Seasonal Mortality Study (MISMS)

Photo: WHO
Map showing Human Avian Influenza Cases 2003-06

The MISMS is an international collaborative effort to analyze national and global mortality patterns associated with influenza virus circulation. Its four specific aims are to describe synchrony in seasonal variations of various causes of mortality associated with influenza mortality patterns, both within and amongst countries, and their association with changes in circulating subtypes of influenza virus, antigenic characteristics, population factors, and vaccine coverage; to explore the seasonal patterns and burden of influenza mortality in tropical countries, and understand the global circulation of influenza viruses - to achieve this goal, new methods for estimating mortality impact in tropical countries need to be developed; and, to develop a world map of influenza mortality burden and seasonal patterns.

• Influenza Research

Research and Policy for Infectious Disease Dynamics (RAPIDD)

RAPIDD researchers seek to make mathematical modeling more reliable and relevant to policy makers preparing for or responding to infectious disease outbreaks.  Through an extensive series of workshops, working groups, and postdoctoral fellowships designed to address critical challenges in the mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, RAPIDD seeks to understand

1. what models and modeling approaches will facilitate adequate operational capacity;
2. how models relate with one another and with data of various quality and scale; and,
3. how the needs of decision-makers can be characterized and addressed through modeling research. 

Through scientifically sound modeling for forecasting and analysis, the ultimate goal of RAPIDD is to optimize outbreak control.

Recent Activities

Since its establishment in 2008, RAPIDD has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, many in high-impact journals, including Nature, Lancet, Science, and the PLoS journals. Workshops to date in 2011 have focused on: Active Adaptive Management; Aedes/Dengue Dynamics; Bat Reservoirs; Cross-species Transmission; Foot and Mouth Disease; Immune Memory; Leptospirosis; Phylodynamics; Population Spatial Distributions; Vector Genomics; Vector Interventions; West Nile Virus/Rift Valley Fever.

Selected Recent Publications

• Koelle, K., O. Ratmann, D. A. Rasmussen. V. Pasour, and J. Mattingly. 2011 (e-pub). A dimensionless number for understanding the evolutionary dynamics of antigenically variable RNA viruses. Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences. PMID: 21543353.

• Lloyd-Smith, J. O., D. George, K. M. Pepin, V. E. Pitzer, J. R. C. Pulliam, A. P. Dobson, P. J. Hudson, and B. T. Grenfell. 2009. Epidemic dynamics at the human-animal interface. Science 326(5958):1362-1367.

• Pepin, K., S. Lass, J. R. C. Pulliam, A. F. Read, J. O. Lloyd-Smith. 2010. Identifying genetic markers of adaptation for surveillance of viral host jumps. Nature Reviews Microbiology 8(11):802-813.

• Pitzer, V. E., C. Viboud, L. Simonsen, C. Steiner, C. A. Panozzo, W. J. Alonso, M. A. Miller, R. I. Glass, J. W. Glasser, U. D. Parashar, and B. T. Grenfell. 2009. Demographic variability, vaccination, and the spatiotemporal dynamics of rotavirus epidemics. Science 325(5938):290-294.

• Riley, S., K. O. Kwok, K. M. Wu, D. Y. Ning, B. J. Cowling, J. T. Wu, L. M. Ho, T. Tsang, S. V. Lo, D. K. Chu, E. S. Ma, and J. S. Peiris. 2011. Epidemiological characteristics of 2009 (H1N1) pandemic influenza based on paired sera from a longitudinal community cohort study. PLoS Medicine 8(6):e1000442.

DIEPS Staff

Director:
Mark Miller, M.D.
Mark.Miller3@nih.gov

Senior Scientist:
Ellis McKenzie, Ph.D.
Ellis.McKenzie@nih.gov

Staff Scientist:
Cecile Viboud, Ph.D.
Cecile.Viboud2@nih.gov

Senior Scientific Program Director (Contractor):
Stacey Knobler, M.Sc.
Stacey.Knobler@nih.gov

Research Fellows

Wladimir Alonso, Ph.D.
Christine Jessup, Ph.D.

Senior Research Fellows

Ottar Bjornstad, Ph.D.
Bryan Grenfell, Ph.D.
Eddie Holmes, Ph.D.
Andrew Rambaut, Ph.D.
Derek Smith, Ph.D.

Scientist

Martha Nelson, Ph.D.

Post-doctoral Fellows

Yi 'Tany' Tan, Ph.D.
Dan Weinberger, Ph.D.

Research Associates

Rustom Antia, Ph.D.
Marta Balinska, Ph.D.
Gerardo Chowell, Ph.D.
Aubree Gordon, Ph.D.
David Hartley, Ph.D.
Peter Hudson, Ph.D.
Aaron King, Ph.D.
Katia Koelle, Ph.D.
Mary Poss, Ph.D.
Leslie Real, Ph.D.
Anne Rimoin, Ph.D.
Pej Rohani, Ph.D.
David Smith, Ph.D.
Colleen Webb, Ph.D.

Research Assistants

Stephanie Richard, M.H.S.
Jessica Seidman, M.H.S.

Guest Researchers

Rakesh Aggarwal, M.D.
Corinne Ringholz, Ph.D.
Yesim Tozan, Ph.D.

RAPIDD Program Fellows

Shweta Bansal, Ph.D.
Matt Ferrari, Ph.D.
Joel Miller, Ph.D.
Virginia Pitzer, Ph.D.
Juliet Pulliam, Ph.D.
Jamie Lloyd Smith, Ph.D.

Alumni

Peter Billingsly, Ph.D.
Cheryl Cohen, M.D.
Jean-Marc Depinay, M.D.
Jonathan Dushoff
Leland Ellis, M.D.
Ingrid Elvevag, M.I.H.
Phyllis Freeman, D.P.H., J.D.
Rebecca Freeman-Grais, Ph.D.
Cindy Friedman, M.D.
Andrea Gager, Ph.D.
David Griffith
Jong-Wan Kang, M.D., Ph.D.
Louise Kelly-Hope, Ph.D.
Jef Leroy, Ph.D.
Arnaud Le Menach, D.V.M.
Parvathi Myer, M.S.H.
Anthony Newall, M.P.H., Ph.D.
Baltazar Nunes, Ph.D.
Donald Olson, Ph.D.
Anand Prassad, M.D., Ph.D.
Maia Rabaa, M.H.S.
Thomas Reichert, Ph.D., M.D.
Caterina Rizzo, M.D.
Jennifer Rosen, M.D.
Kwame Rugonda
John Sentz, M.P.H.
Cathryn Shahab, M.S.H.
Tisamarie Sherry
Dave Smith, Ph.D.
Daniel Stein, M.P.H.
Rachel Sturke, M.P.H.
Arpita Tiwari, B.S.

Updated October 2011