I am an epidemiologist trained in infectious disease epidemiology and vaccine preventable disease surveillance. My interests are in emerging infectious diseases, including COVID-19, and vaccine preventable diseases among children, particularly rotavirus, pneumococcal and meningococcal infections. I am keen on incorporating a mixture of methods including mathematical modelling, epidemiology, and sociological studies.

Prior to joining LSHTM, I was a Technical Officer at the World Health Organisation in Geneva coordinating the global surveillance networks of invasive bacterial diseases and paediatric diarrhoea. Additionally, with my background in biochemistry and molecular biology, I have trained laboratories and sentinel surveillance sites located in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, South Asia, and the Western Pacific on diagnostic and surveillance methodologies. Through this work, I have contributed to evidence-based policies on vaccine introduction and sustaining surveillance of infectious diseases that are prioritized at the national level.

My current research focuses on understanding the impact of behaviour and COVID-19 control measures on contact rates and disease transmission in Japan and the United Kingdom. I work closely with my supervisors that include Kathleen O’Reilly, Koya Ariyoshi (Nagasaki University), and Motoi Suzuki (National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan). I am also an active member of the Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases (CMMID).