Abbey M. Jones

Project focus: The Fellow will become a member of the Chagas Disease Translational Research Team and will help to focus on increasing awareness and explore policy implications of the emerging Chagas disease epidemic by engaging with scientists, academic research partners, clinicians, staff, patients, and community and public health partners.

Abbey is trained as an epidemiologist, with experience working in the fields of infectious diseases, public health surveillance, preparedness and response, and maternal and child health. Her dissertation research at New York University’s School of Global Public Health examined the epidemiology of false-negative Plasmodium rapid diagnostic test results and their impact on malaria elimination efforts in India. Prior to beginning her PhD, Abbey worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the Division of Congenital and Developmental Disorders for eight years. During this time, she spent 18 months working in the CDC’s Emergency Operations Center for the Zika Virus Outbreak Response and contributed to calculating the first estimates of the risk of birth defects due to congenital Zika virus infection in the United States. In addition to a Ph.D. in Epidemiology (to be conferred in May 2024), Abbey holds an M.P.H. in Global Epidemiology from Emory University and a B.A. in Mathematics from College of the Holy Cross.