Maria Diuk-Wasser, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
Professor Diuk-Wasser is interested in modeling the environmental and ecological drivers of vector-borne and zoonotic diseases using intensive field and laboratory-derived data. Under the conceptual framework of landscape epidemiology and using the tools of geographic information systems, remote sensing and spatial statistics, she predicts human disease foci by modeling the distribution of pathogens, vectors and hosts. Within these areas of risk, she is currently focusing on environmental drivers of pathogen transmission dynamics, with the ultimate goal of generating spatio-temporal predictions of risk. Current areas of interest include generating a spatial risk map of Lyme disease in the United States and of West Nile virus (WNV) in Connecticut and studying how climate, landscape and host diversity affect vector host-feeding behavior, in turn affecting transmission dynamics and pathogen genetic diversity. Her disease study systems are WNV, Lyme disease and malaria. Other interests include landscape ecology and genetics, animal behavior and conservation biology.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 2003.
Awards and Honors
Brown-Coxe Fellowship, Yale School of Medicine, 2004
UCLA International Studies and Overseas Programs Fellowship, 2000
Current Research Projects
A Spatial Risk Model for Ixodes scapularis-borne Borrelia; Effects of West Nile Virus Vectors host feeding behavior on WNV Transmission Patterns; Integrating Earth Observation and Field Data into a Lyme Disease Model to Map and Predict Risks to Biodiversity and Human Health; and Birds as Reservoirs of Human Pathogens.
Selected Publications
Brown, H., Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Andreadis, T., and Fish, D. Remotely-sensed Vegetation Indices Identify Mosquito Clusters of West Nile Virus Vectors in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, in press.
Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Touré, M.B., Dolo, G., Bagayoko, M., Sogoba, N., Sissoko, I., Traoré, S.F. and Taylor, C.E. Patterns of Rice Cultivation affect Malaria Vector Abundance in Rice-growing Villages in Mali. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 76(5): 869-874, 2007.
Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Brown, H.E., Andreadis, T.G., and Fish, D. Modeling the Spatial Distribution of Mosquito Vectors for West Nile Virus Vector in Connecticut, USA. Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases 6(3): 281-293, 2006.
Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Gatewood, A., Cortiñas, R., Yaremych-Hamer, S., Tsao, J., Kitron, U., Hickling, G., Brownstein, J., Walker, E., Piesman, J., and Fish, D. Spatiotemporal Patterns of Nymphal Host-seeking Ixodes scapularis Nymphs (Acari: Ixodidae) in the United States. Journal of Medical Entomology 43(2): 166-176, 2006.
Hanincová, K., Kurtenbach, K., Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Brei, B., Barbour, A.G., Bunikis, J., and Fish, D. Epidemic Spread of Lyme borreliosis, Northestern United States. Emerging Infectious Diseases 12(4): 604-611, 2006.
Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Dolo, G., Bagayoko, M., Sogoba, N., Touré, M.B., Moghaddam, M., Rian, S., Manoukis, N., Traoré, S.F., and Taylor, C.E. Patterns of Irrigated Rice Growth and Malaria Vector Breeding in Mali using Multi-temporal ERS-2 Synthetic Aperture Radar. International Journal of Remote Sensing 27(3-4): 535-548, 2006.
Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Touré, M.B., Dolo, G., Bagayoko, M., Sogoba, N, Traoré, S.F., Manoukis, N., and Taylor, C.E. Vector Abundance and Malaria Transmission in Rice-growing Villages in Mali. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 72(6): 725-731, 2005.
Diuk-Wasser, M.A., Bagayoko, M., Sogoba, N., Dolo, G., Touré, M.B., Traoré, S.F., and Taylor, C.E. Mapping Rice Field Anopheline Breeding Habitats in Mali, West Africa, using Landsat ETM+ Sensor Data. International Journal of Remote Sensing 25(2): 359-376, 2005.
For a further list of Professor Diuk-Wasser’s publications, please see PubMed. |
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