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Tag: Rutgers University-New Brunswick

  • Geospatial Epidemiologist Joins Rutgers Global Health Institute

    Geospatial Epidemiologist Joins Rutgers Global Health Institute

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    Newswise — Ubydul Haque, a geospatial epidemiologist who designs data- and technology-driven solutions for confronting global public health problems, has joined Rutgers Global Health Institute.

    Haque, who is an assistant professor of global health at the institute, has a joint appointment as an assistant professor of epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health.

    Haque investigates factors related to physical space and time that can affect human health. His research has focused on infectious diseases, climate change, conflict and war and natural disasters. Using data from his original research and existing large datasets that are available via public and private sector sources, Haque creates mathematical algorithms and forecasting models for infectious disease outbreaks and climate-related hazards that can be applied in public health. He also uses socioeconomic data, such as information about income, education and employment, to incorporate factors that influence health.

    “Unprecedented advances in technology have led to a proliferation of rich data that can be harnessed through the use of quantitative tools and then leveraged to improve public health management,” Haque said. “I’m focused on using such ‘big data’ for the public good, to better understand global health dynamics and, ultimately, to develop highly targeted ways for communities to address their specific health-related needs.”

    Through this research, Haque supports the development of targeted interventions that can be applied in resource-efficient ways in vulnerable communities throughout the world. He is conducting studies in Brazil, Colombia, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine.

    Haque’s expertise includes using artificial intelligence to evaluate applications of machine-learning models in public health. In Mexico, he has been researching the integration of environmental and social factors for the prevention of dengue, a mosquito-transmitted disease that is a growing risk for about half of the world’s population. This research is an expansion of his work mapping and analyzing 250,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of chikungunya, dengue and Zika virus infections, an effort that resulted in the identification of location-specific risk factors, including climatic parameters, and the creation of one of the world’s largest databases of its kind.

    In Malaysia, Haque is developing an agile dengue outbreak response system that could perform more effectively than human-based notification systems. It incorporates drone-based surveillance to detect mosquito breeding sites and a mobile app-based rapid alert system. Aspects of this research include implementation studies in Malaysia, Mexico and Turkey.

    Other public health topics that Haque investigates through a geospatial epidemiology lens include urban landslides and humanitarian crises. His recent paper, “The human toll and humanitarian crisis of the Russia-Ukraine war: the first 162 days,” published in BMJ Global Health, describes how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has impacted the country’s health. The study tracked direct deaths and injuries in Ukraine, the impact of damage to Ukraine’s health care infrastructure and the war’s impact on public health, including the destruction of homes, buildings, roads, power supplies, communication systems and utility services.

    Haque comes to Rutgers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, where he was an assistant professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in the School of Public Health. He earned a doctoral degree in climate change and health from Nagasaki University in Japan and was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University. He also received a master’s degree in geoinformatics from the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and a bachelor’s degree in urban and rural planning from Khulna University in Bangladesh.

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    Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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  • White House Announcement on Cancer Moonshot Initiatives Highlights Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health

    White House Announcement on Cancer Moonshot Initiatives Highlights Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health

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    Newswise — The following includes excerpts from a newly released White House fact sheet that highlights several public- and private-sector initiatives to improve cancer outcomes in Africa. Two initiatives from the Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health are included in the announcement.

    When President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden reignited the Cancer Moonshot initiative in February, they aimed to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50 percent over the next 25 years and improve the experience of people and families living with and surviving cancer.

    They called for everyone to do their part, including federal agencies and departments, private companies, health care providers, patient groups, philanthropies and others.

    While the immediate goals are domestic, the ambitions of the Cancer Moonshot extend far beyond the borders of the United States, as the burden of cancer falls heavily to lower- and middle-income countries, where the majority of global cancer deaths occur. International work as part of the Cancer Moonshot is focused on equity and collaboration to increase access to prevention, screening, treatment and care for everyone facing a cancer diagnosis and their families worldwide.

    For decades, the U.S. has partnered with African nations to meet shared health challenges. Last week’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit  marked an opportunity to announce new actions and renewed commitments from the U.S. to combat cancer across the continent of Africa. These efforts, totaling about $200 million, include strengthening domestic public health infrastructure, building resilient health systems and investing in health workers as well as providing funding for robust and impactful initiatives throughout the African continent on cancer prevention, screening, treatment and research.

    The private sector has stepped up as well, responding with roughly $130 million in new efforts. These include two initiatives from the Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health:

    • The Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health is piloting a rapid “screen and treat” program for breast cancer to close the breast cancer screening gap in Botswana. This pilot program involving the Office of the President of Botswana, Botswana’s Ministry of Health, the University of Botswana, Rutgers Global Health Institute and experts from Rutgers will evaluate evidence-based interventions for breast cancer screening in an asymptomatic female population across 10 primary clinics in the Serowe region of Botswana. The initiative involves training nurses to administer clinical breast examinations and to provide breast self-care education to women in the hopes of impacting global goals to decrease the burden of deaths from breast cancer.
    • The Botswana-Rutgers Partnership for Health launches Cancer Kitso, an oncology workforce training program. Rutgers Global Health Institute – with support from Bristol Myers Squibb and in partnership with the Botswana Ministry of Health and the University of Botswana as well as experts from Rutgers – will provide an in-demand education and training initiative that responds to the specialty workforce needs in oncology in Botswana and other African countries. The Cancer Kitso program will help to improve oncology and non-oncology health care professionals’ knowledge and skills in cancer care and prevention through a novel, hybrid oncology course on clinical management. In addition, the program aims to strengthen partnerships with the African Ministries of Health and academic institutions in sub-Saharan Africa to enhance the skills and capacity of public sector health care professionals in oncology. This program also serves to translate clinical science to evidence-based practices applicable for specific African settings, and to tailor to the unique needs of health care professionals in each setting.

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    Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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  • Executive Director of the NJ Gun Violence Research Center Comments on Recent Mass Shootings

    Executive Director of the NJ Gun Violence Research Center Comments on Recent Mass Shootings

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    Newswise — Michael D. Anestis, Executive Director – New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and Associate Professor – Urban-Global Public Health at Rutgers University, comments on the recent mass shootings:

    “The New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers mourns the losses of life in the hateful mass shootings of this past week. Public mass shootings represent a small percentage of American gun violence, but they occur all too often and the victims and their families deserve far more than our thoughts and prayers.”

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    Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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  • Solutions to Tackling Smoking Rates

    Solutions to Tackling Smoking Rates

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    Newswise — Every year, the Great American Smokeout draws attention to preventing deaths and chronic illness caused by smoking. Almost 38 million Americans, including nearly one million in New Jersey, still smoke tobacco and about half of all smokers die from smoking-related illnesses.

    Here, Michael Steinberg, professor and chief in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Medical Director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, which operates the Tobacco Dependence Program to help people quit tobacco, and Andrea Villanti, associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health and Deputy Director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, discuss challenges to change smoking rates.

     

    Smoking rates have significantly dropped over time. Why should we still be concerned about trends in tobacco use?

    Villanti: While the rates of cigarette smoking have declined over the past several decades, we know those gains have been inconsistent. In a study published in JAMA Network Open, we found high smoking prevalence and lower quit ratios in rural versus urban areas. In addition to where people live, other research shows there are disparities in tobacco use based on social and demographic factors such as race and ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability status, socioeconomic status and/or behavioral health status.

    Steinberg: Related to this, we know there still a lot of work to be done to decrease tobacco use in patients with substance use disorder, depression and other psychiatric conditions, who continue to use tobacco at much higher rates than the general public. In our own research, we found that while most psychiatrists ask patients if they smoke, advise quitting and assess willingness to quit, a much smaller percent of psychiatrists assist patients with establishing quit plans or arranging for follow up. There are many competing priorities for health professionals; we want them to know they can refer patients to quitting resources like the Rutgers’ Tobacco Dependence Program or any of New Jersey’s 11 Quit Centers.

     

    Why is now a good time to quit?

    Steinberg: In addition to providing a time for people to quit during the Great American Smokeout on November 17, fall and winter can bring a surge of flu and COVID-19 cases, which are contagious respiratory illnesses. Smoking reduces lung capacity and increases the risk for respiratory infections. Quitting smoking can result in immediate benefits to health.

     

    How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted tobacco treatment delivery?

    Steinberg: The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to all types of health care delivery but it also resulted in new opportunities. In a study conducted across 34 National Cancer Institute–designated cancer centers, including Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, we found that centers that adopted telehealth practices were able to maintain tobacco treatment for patients who smoke. Here at Rutgers, we continue to offer one-on-one and group counseling in both virtually and in-person.

    Villanti: Text messaging interventions can also be another way to help people quit smoking, particularly people not currently accessing tobacco treatment. In a randomized controlled trial, we found that low-income young adults engaging in a 12-week tailored text message smoking cessation intervention produced greater smoking abstinence than referral to online quit resources. Smokefree.gov offers a variety of free and tailored text messaging programs that provide help on-demand and around the clock. Some states also provide text messaging assistance through their tobacco quitlines.

     

    What advice do you have for people who want to quit using tobacco?

    Steinberg: We encourage people with an interest in quitting to reach out. Whether it is for your health, your wallet, your family or just not wanting to be addicted any longer, this is a great time to make the effort to stop – and we can help!

    Villanti: Use every tool in the toolbox! Counseling, medication, support from friends and family, quitlines and above all, the willingness to keep trying even if you slip. It’s hard to quit using tobacco, but every try counts.

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    Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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  • Bobby Brooke Herrera Joins Rutgers Global Health Institute as Principal Faculty Member

    Bobby Brooke Herrera Joins Rutgers Global Health Institute as Principal Faculty Member

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    Newswise — Research scientist Bobby Brooke Herrera, renowned for developing tools to accelerate diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, has joined Rutgers Global Health Institute.

    Herrera, a Rutgers Presidential Faculty Scholar and an assistant professor of global health at the institute, conducts multidisciplinary research on epidemic viruses and infectious diseases and holds joint appointments in the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine and at the Child Health Institute of New Jersey. Both are part of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Herrera is known for his bench-to-bedside translational research. His laboratory at Rutgers focuses on understanding adaptive immunity against globally relevant pathogens that cause lethal human diseases and for which there are limited options for treatment or vaccination.

    He has developed diagnostic testing related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19 disease, the Zika virus, and the rare but often deadly Ebola virus disease. Collaborating internationally with research scientists in Brazil, Nigeria and Senegal, his academic and industry work has received more than $9 million in grant funding, including support from the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as venture capital financing.

    Disease outbreak preparedness and response motivate and drive Herrera’s research, which incorporates approaches in epidemiology, immunology, molecular biology and virology. He seeks to uncover new knowledge about human immune responses that will spur fundamental advancements in disease diagnostic capabilities and vaccine design. Herrera is studying asymptomatic viral infections, which occur when an individual infected with a virus develops little to no symptoms of disease, to better understand the human antibody and T cell responses in such instances.

    “I hope that my research group at Rutgers will contribute to a foreseeable expansion of vaccines or therapeutics for infectious diseases in the decades to come, with particular focus on deciphering at the molecular level what may make some antibodies or T cells more effective than others,” Herrera said. “There are many hypotheses as to why that happens and why some people develop disease symptoms and some remain asymptomatic. It could be genetics, immune status, environmental factors or reasons related to the virus itself. These are questions I’m interested in pursuing in my academic lab. The knowledge we produce can lead to better, more personalized diagnostics as well as more potent therapeutics for these viruses.”

    Herrera has investigated various dynamics of asymptomatic human infections by mosquito-borne viruses, including the flaviviruses Zika and dengue as well as the alphavirus chikungunya. His findings indicated that human transmission of Zika and dengue viruses in Nigeria and Senegal occurred in absence of robust disease outbreaks. In Brazil, he tested a diagnostic tool he developed to distinguish between infections by distinct virus strains. Also in Nigeria, Herrera’s research demonstrated that individuals who experienced asymptomatic infections by Ebola virus could produce T cell responses that were greater in magnitude when compared with survivors of severe Ebola virus disease.

    Herrera, originally from New Mexico, received a doctoral degree in biological sciences in public health at Harvard University and performed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. Since 2019, he served as a visiting scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He cofounded two biotechnology startup companies and was named to the “Forbes 30 under 30” list for health care in 2020.

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    Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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