Infectious Disease
Infectious Disease Research and Engagement
Faculty in the Virginia Tech Public Health Program conduct multidisciplinary research to understand, predict, and control infectious diseases affecting human and animal populations. Their work spans laboratory science, epidemiology, modeling, and ethics to address complex disease challenges across local and global contexts.
Research includes studies of viral pathogens such as herpes simplex virus, SARS-CoV-2, and rabies, linking biological mechanisms to population-level impacts. Faculty use epidemiologic methods, spatial analysis, and mathematical modeling to examine disease transmission, identify at-risk populations, and guide targeted interventions. Additional work focuses on emerging and transboundary animal diseases, strengthening preparedness and response efforts. Importantly, faculty also examine the ethical dimensions of disease surveillance, ensuring responsible data use and community engagement. Together, this research supports innovative, data-driven strategies to improve infectious disease prevention and public health outcomes.
Faculty engaging in Infectious Disease Research
Dr. Bertke's research focuses on viruses that infect the nervous system, including herpes simplex virus, SARS-CoV-2, and rabies, from pathogenic mechanisms to population impacts.
Dr. Cohen conducts applied research on drinking water (contamination, treatment, and supply), wastewater-based surveillance, and health outcomes, with a focus on rural and low-resource settings. He has 15+ years of international and domestic research and project management experience, including work with three United Nations agencies.
Dr. Laura Hungerford is a veterinarian and an infectious disease epidemiologist. She collaborates with researchers across a wide range of disciplines, using quantitative epidemiologic analyses, spatial statistics, and modeling to study the distribution, spread, and innovative control options for infectious diseases. For complete publications see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/laura.hungerford.2/bibliography/public/
Dr. Lee is an infectious disease epidemiologist and bioethicist who work bridges public health science and public health ethics. Her research on the ethical dimensions of infectious disease focuses on the ethics of public health surveillance, including how we learn about infectious diseases; how we collect, store, and analyze data; and the role of communities in interpreting and understanding what data systems tell us.
Dr. Ruktanonchai is an infectious disease modeler who combines data on population mobility with mathematical models to predict where diseases will go next, communities at risk of disease spread, and where interventions should be focused. He works across disease systems, including respiratory and vector-borne disease, and applies his work to Central Appalachia and across the Global South to improve infectious disease control.
Dr. Thompson has expertise in the foreign animal, transboundary and emerging animal disease preparedness and response. Her current research includes Theileria, an emerging concern for livestock producers as it moves from east to west across the country. She also remains involved in New World Screwworm preparedness.