Members

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Principal Investigator

kellingson

Katherine (Kate) Ellingson, PhD, CIC
Associate Professor of Epidemiology

Kate Ellingson, PhD, joined the College of Public Health in 2017 following 10 years of public service as a healthcare epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Oregon State Health Department. While at CDC, she investigated the transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings, evaluated initiatives to prevent healthcare-associated infections, built capacity for infection prevention in resource-limited settings, and served as the agency’s subject matter expert for hand hygiene in healthcare. At the Oregon Health Department, she directed the state’s mandatory healthcare-associated infection reporting program, investigated infectious disease outbreaks and led injection safety promotion efforts.

kellingson@arizona.edu

Research Synopsis: 
Dr. Ellingson’s research focus is patient safety. Specifically, she examines the distribution and predictors of healthcare-associated infections across hospital, long-term care, and outpatient settings. She also evaluates the impact of interventions designed to decrease antimicrobial resistance and patient adverse events. As a guest researcher at CDC, she continues to work with federal colleagues on infection prevention and transfusion safety. 

Areas of Expertise:

  • Infection prevention
  • Antimicrobial resistance and stewardship
  • One Health
  • Occupational health
  • Healthcare-associated infections
  • Implementation science
  • Border health
  • Hand hygiene
  • Transfusion safety
  • Outbreak investigation
  • Surveillance and capacity-building in resource-limited settings
  • Injection safety
  • Valley Fever
  • COVID-19

 

Active Members

flavia

Flavia Nakayima Miiro, MCS
(PhD-Epi Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

Flavia Nakayima Miiro has a passion for health research as a gateway to disease prevention and treatment. She has either as a team leader or member of a team conducted research in HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Maternal and Child Health, adolescent health and health systems strengthening focusing on service provision and utilization looking at bottlenecks and how they can be overcome. Flavia has previously worked with The World Bank, UNICEF, CDC, UNFPA and other local and international NGOs in her home country Uganda. On the African continent, she has conducted evaluations in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Swaziland, Liberia and Zimbabwe.

fnakayimamiiro@arizona.edu

 

paulina

Paulina Colombo, MPH
(PhD-Epi Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

Paulina Colombo is pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She is a graduate research assistant with AZCOVIDTXT, a bilingual, two-way COVID-19 and health information sharing platform. She is also involved in research with the Arizona CoVHORT study, specifically related to the health effects of long-COVID-19, and with the University of Arizona Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response's COVID-19 contact tracing program. Paulina's main research interests include infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, healthcare informatics, and health disparities.

paulinacolombo@arizona.edu

 

Jose

Jose Luis Camarena, MPH
(PhD-Epi Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

José is an Epidemiology PhD student at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. He obtained both his Masters and Bachelor’s at the University of Arizona. He is currently working at the UAHS Biorepository and as a Graduate Research Assistant in Dr. Ellingson’s lab. His recent contributions involve studies in costs of healthcare-associated infections in Latin America, antibiotic use and its relation to COVID-19 in the US and Mexico, and preferences in HIV care and prevention. His current interests include healthcare epidemiology, infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and mitigating health disparities. On his free time he likes to go to traveling, hike around Tucson, and do yoga.

camarena@arizona.edu

 

Brooke

Brooke Hawkes, MS
(PhD-Epi Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

Brooke Hawkes is an MS Epidemiology student. She is a graduate assistant for the Ellingson Lab and for the University of Arizona’s COVID-19 SAFER and Contact Tracing team. She is a part of the AHEC Scholars Program, a two-year interdisciplinary program that works with the rural and underserved populations of Arizona. Her work is centered on accessibility of mental health resources in the Yuma region and is in close collaboration with the Regional Center for Border Health. Brooke’s current research for the Ellingson Lab is on Antibiotic Use Patterns in the United States-Mexico border region. Her main research interests include infectious epidemiology, border health, antimicrobial resistance, and global health. In her free time, Brooke likes to hike and go to dog parks with her cocker spaniel puppy, Jerry.

brookehawkes@arizona.edu
female

Boqi Xiang, MPH (PhD-Epi Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

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bqxiang@arizona.edu
female

James Hollister, MS (PhD-Bios Student)
Data Science

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jameshollister@arizona.edu

 

James

James Romine, PhD
Post-Doctoral Research Associate 
(Lab alumni from PhD-Epi program)

James Romine is a post-doc in Epidemiology for the AZ-HEROES study, working to support both analytic and operational efforts of the project. James joins the AZ-HEROES team after involvement in numerous Public Health initiatives, such as the Pima County Health Department's response to COVID-19 in long-term care facilities, as well as the community-based development of vector-borne disease interventions in northern Mexico and Nicaragua. As a Peace Corps volunteer in Nicaragua from 2010-2013, James supported community efforts to control Chagas disease and other infectious diseases. James enjoys hiking and exploring the Sonoran Desert wilderness.

romine@arizona.edu

 

female

Cedar Mitchell, PhD
EIS Officer, Pima County

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Cedar.Mitchell@pima.gov

 

Cynthia

Cynthia Porter, MS
Data Scientist with AZ HEROS and Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study

Cynthia Porter is an MS Epidemiology student at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Cynthia currently works as a graduate research assistant for the AZ-HEROES study which is funded by the CDC to study immune markers of protection against COVID-19 in healthcare workers, first responders, and essential workers. Cynthia's current research for the Ellingson lab focuses on predictors of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers. Her current research interests include occupational health, cancer prevention, infectious disease and clinical trials, with research experience focusing on clinical research and maternal health. In her free time, Cynthia enjoys eating good food and spending time with her girlfriend and two dogs. 

cynthiaporter@arizona.edu

 

Priscila

Priscila Ruedas, MPH
Research Program Administrator, Farmworker Enumeration

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priscilaruedas@arizona.edu

 

female

Alejandra Hernandez, MS

(MPH Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

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alejandrah@@arizona.edu

 

female

Alfonso Trujillo MS 

(MPH Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

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alejandrah@@arizona.edu

 

female

Omozusi Guobadia, MS 

(MPH Student)
Graduate Research Assistant

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omozusig@arizona.edu

 

Rotating Members  
2023 - 2024 Academic Year

 

female

Samantha Ruth, MS 

(PhD Current Rotation: KAPs on antibiotic use and vaccination for respiratory viruses)

Graduate Research Assistant

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sruth@arizona.edu

 

female

Dilsharan Kaur, MS 

(PhD Past Rotation: HAI cost project, Antibiotic prescribing practices in long-term care)

Graduate Research Assistant

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dkaur9@arizona.edu

 

Caitlyn

Caitlyn McFadden, MPH 

(PhD Past Rotation: Infection Prevention in long-term care)

Graduate Research Assistant

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cmcfadde@arizona.edu

 

Alumni  

 

sk

Sana Khan, MPH
Data Scientist

Sana Khan is a doctoral candidate in Epidemiology at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She has been involved in the University of Arizona's COVID-19 response as part of the SAFER and Contact Tracing team. She is currently working on the CoVHORT study as a research assistant and is particularly interested in the role of stress on developing long-COVID. Sana is also a Data Analyst and Liason with Arizona HEROES and the CDC. Sana is interested in infectious disease epidemiology, specifically focuses on multidrug-resistant infections and how prescribing patterns influence antimicrobial resistance. She is also committed to the study of health disparities, women's health, and access to quality healthcare. Her previous research and clinical experience ranged from projects in neurology and cancer survivorship to health disparities. 

sanakhan@arizona.edu

 

ferrisheadshot

Ferris Ramadan, MS
Research Specialist, Sr. 

Ferris Ramadan is a Senior Research Coordinator for the Ellingson lab. His work predominantly focuses on antimicrobial stewardship, working with the Valley Fever Center for Excellence on coccidioidomycosis research questions, and most recently supporting the Pima County Health Department's COVID-19 response in long-term care homes. Ferris' decision to work with Dr. Ellingson and build a career in public health was motivated by a passion to improve people’s lives: "The unique beauty of public health is that I regularly draw upon a variety of disciplines - including statistics, biology, and health policy - and pragmatically apply these fields to effect change and educate communities." In his spare time, Ferris enjoys bike rides and hikes, bingeing Parks and Rec, and travel. 

ferrisr@arizona.edu

 

Cynthia

Cynthia Porter, MS
Data Scientist with AZ HEROS and Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study

Cynthia Porter is an MS Epidemiology student at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Cynthia currently works as a graduate research assistant for the AZ-HEROES study which is funded by the CDC to study immune markers of protection against COVID-19 in healthcare workers, first responders, and essential workers. Cynthia's current research for the Ellingson lab focuses on predictors of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers. Her current research interests include occupational health, cancer prevention, infectious disease and clinical trials, with research experience focusing on clinical research and maternal health. In her free time, Cynthia enjoys eating good food and spending time with her girlfriend and two dogs. 

cynthiaporter@arizona.edu

 

female

Zoe Baccum, MPH
One Health Student

(Now PhD student at ASU)

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Melanie

Melanie Rubio, BS
Graduate Research Assistant

Melanie Rubio is an MPH student with a concentration in Epidemiology. She currently works on the Community Engagement Retention Research (CERR) core for PAN- Healthy Minds for Life, a multi-site national study to discover personalized solutions to improve brain health and optimize brain health throughout the lifespan. She is also conducting a project to improve the infection prevention workforce development in Southern Arizona. Melanie‚Äôs current research interests are infectious disease epidemiology, sexual health and infection prevention. In her free time, Melanie enjoys spending time with her dog, watching movies and traveling.

rubiom1@arizona.edu
Theresa

Theresa LeGros, MA
Research Specialist, Sr.

Theresa is a career evaluator with a passion for learning and living. Her philosophical approach to science is rooted in some of the ideas percolating in physics: we can’t really define (or “know”) something without understanding how it interacts with all of the other somethings. Her most cherished academic experiences have been researching primate ecology and conservation in Madagascar as an undergraduate, the deep learning and discovery that came with earning an MA in Biological Anthropology, and today pursuing a PhD in Public Health with a dissertation centered around school district reopening plans in response to COVID-19. 

drejza@arizona.edu
female

Gemma Parra
Undergraduate Honors Student, MPH

(Now at Emory, now Health Scientist at CDC)

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Dilsharan Kaur
Graduate Research Assistant

Dilsharan is a doctoral student in Clinical Translational Sciences. She received her BS in Human Biology from the University of California, Merced. She has an interest in infectious disease epidemiology and clinical research. Her previous research experience involved finding bacteriophages as a part of the SEA-PHAGES program at UC Merced.

dkaur9@arizona.edu

 

Neha

Neha Mishra
Undergraduate Honors Student

(Now a medical student)

Neha Mishra is a senior undergraduate student in Public Health with an emphasis in Quantitative Methods. She is currently completing her public health internship at the Ellingson lab where she is assisting with an enumeration study of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in Yuma County. Neha's current research interests include border health, infectious diseases, and women's health. In addition to working at the Ellingson lab, she works in an immunology lab studying regulatory/accessory proteins of HIV and volunteers at a free clinic serving the underserved population in Tucson. In her free time, Neha enjoys hiking and reading.

nmishra@arizona.edu