Seth Blumberg, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

 

Mathematical models of trachoma, healthcare associated infections, and antimicrobial resistance

My research focuses on developing and applying data-driven computational models of infectious diseases that exhibit the potential of elimination (i.e. R < 1). A key goal has been to elucidate risk factors that tip the balance between disease quiescence and emergence. This involves quantification of the impact of patient-specific or population-wide control interventions. Applications include enhancing trachoma elimination programs, mitigating the impact of SARS-CoV-2 in congregate settings, characterizing the transmission dynamics of healthcare associated infections and identifying factors responsible for the emergence of antibiotic resistance. My involvement in direct patient care provides a practical perspective of the investigations and metrics that have an immediate impact on clinical guidelines and public health.
 

I am fortunate to be based within the Francis I. Proctor Foundation. The Foundation’s interdisciplinary approach toward alleviating the global burden of infectious disease is innovative, impactful, and intellectually engaging.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/seth.blumberg
https://mindscape.team/

 

Research Areas:

Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Trachoma, Mathematical modeling, Computation, Clinical informatics
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

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Benjamin Arnold, Ph.D., MPH

Assistant Professor

 

Epidemiologic methods for disease elimination with a focus on trachoma

Dr. Arnold is an Assistant Professor in the F.I. Proctor Foundation. He is an infectious disease epidemiologist and biostatistican by training, and his research focuses on clinical trial methodology, causal inference, and serologic surveillance. Dr. Arnold leads the Proctor Foundation's Data Coordinating Center, which supports over 10 clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Arnold's research group uses the tools of epidemiology, biostatistics, and data science to make advances at the interface between field studies, laboratory science and computational methods to understand infectious disease dynamics. A particular focus of their resesarch is elimination of trachoma and other neglected tropical diseases in low-resource settings. Additional areas of emphasis include enteric pathogens, child growth failure, interventions to reduce environmentally mediated pathogen transmission, and open/reproducible research.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/benjamin.arnold

https://proctor.ucsf.edu/faculty/benjamin-arnold-phd
 

Research Areas:

Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases, Trachoma, Biostatistics, Machine learning
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

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Travis Porco, PhD, MPH

Professor

 

Trachoma, Ebola Virus Disease, Measles, and Other Communicable Diseases, Infodemiology Using Social Media

Dr. Porco, Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics and Ophthalmology, is a mathematical epidemiologist and biostatistician who has contributed to projects involving trachoma, Ebola virus disease, measles, and other communicable diseases. He has been the biostatistician for numerous NEI RCTs, including MUTT I and II, SCUT II, TANA I and II, SWIFT, FAST, ADJUST, and KETFO, and multiple BMGF trials including PRET-Niger, MORDOR I and II, NAITRE, CHAT, and CHATON. He is multiple PI on the NEI Trachoma Forecasting grant, and PI on an NIH EBOLA forecasting grant. He has been co-Investigator on NIH and other grants using search, social media, mobile health, deep learning, digital surveillance, and large clinical registry datasets to remotely study infectious, inflammatory, pediatric, and age-related eye conditions. His team has found significant correlations of social media data (Twitter, Google Search, Wikipedia) with clinically validated seasonality of eye disease and with detection of worldwide ocular epidemics. They have studied the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global eye health and on other communicable disease, using search and social media. They have begun using LLMs of social media text to validate reported disease. They also have recently begun use of targeted social media campaigns to identify and recruit study subjects for interactive components of their digital surveillance studies. Dr. Porco has considerable experience in mentoring residents and research fellows in study design, having a hand in most of the resident and fellow research projects over the last ten years. Scholars interested in mathematical modeling and biostatistics may identify Dr. Porco as a Mentor.

 

To Learn More:

https://profiles.ucsf.edu/travis.porco


 

Research Areas:

Infectious Diseases, Cornea, Epidemiology
 
Learn more about UCSF Ophthalmology faculty research.

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