Infectious Disease Epidemiologist

Bio
I am an incoming postdoctoral fellow at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In my previous research, I evaluated hypotheses as to why RTS,S malaria vaccine efficacy was heterogeneous over space. My dissertation aimed to improve acute HIV infection detection in Malawi, and uncover any geospatial or phylogenetic clustering.

Education
PhD, Epidemiology, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
MS, Biostatistics, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Other Interests
I enjoy science fiction with detailed world-building, backpacking, hiking, yoga, and pickup basketball.

Grants

T32-AI-102623 (S Mehta PI)
NIH/NIAID
Johns Hopkins HIV Epidemiology and Prevention Sciences Training Program
Role: Postdoctoral fellow
July 2024 – PresentF31-AI-167672 (GJ Bell PI)
NIH/NIAID
Epidemiological, Geospatial, and Phylogenetic Evidence to Inform Interventions Against HIV Transmission during Acute and Early HIV Infection in Lilongwe, Malawi
Role: Principal investigator
March 2022 – May 2024

Articles

Race, Place, and HIV: The Legacies of Apartheid and Racist Policy in South Africa
Social Science and Medicine. 2022 Mar 1. LINK.
Bell GJ*, Ncayiyana J*, Sholomon A, Goel V, Khangelani Z, Emch M.
Media: The Guardian

Dissertation Manuscripts In Progress

  • Geospatial and Phylogenetic Clustering of Acute HIV Infections in Lilongwe, Malawi

  • Updated Risk Score Algorithms for Acute HIV Infection Detection at a Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic in Lilongwe, Malawi, with Stratification by Sex and Data Availability

  • Data From a Sexually Transmitted Infection Clinic to Inform the Expansion of Acute HIV Infection Detection: Potential Strategies and Causal Considerations

Articles

Background Malaria Incidence and Parasitemia during the Three-Dose RTS,S/AS01 Vaccination Series do not Reduce Magnitude of Antibody Response nor Efficacy Against the First Case of Malaria
BMC Infectious Diseases. 2023 October 23. LINK.
Bell GJ, Gyaase S, Goel V, ..., Agnandji ST, Juliano JJ, Bailey JA.Malaria Transmission Intensity Likely Modifies RTS,S/AS01 Efficacy Due to a Rebound Effect in Ghana, Malawi, and Gabon
The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2022 July 28. LINK.
Bell GJ, Goel V, Essone P, ..., Bailey JA, Asante KP, Emch M.
Media: This Week in ParasitismImpacts of ecology, parasite antigenic variation, and human genetics on RTS,S/AS01e malaria vaccine efficacy
Current Epidemiology Reports. 2021 July 30. LINK.
Bell GJ, Agnandji ST, Asante KP, Ghansah A, Kamthunzi P, Emch M, Bailey JA.Environmental modifiers of RTS,S malaria vaccine efficacy in Lilongwe, Malawi
BMC Public Health. 2020 Jun 12. LINK.
Bell GJ, Loop MS, Mvalo T, ..., Bailey JA, Emch M, Hoffman I.Case reduction and cost-effectiveness of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine alongside bed nets in Lilongwe, Malawi
Vaccine. 2020 Apr 30. LINK.
Bell GJ, Loop M, Topazian HM, ..., Hoffman I, Bailey JA, Emch M.

Articles

A Comprehensive Assessment of Pediatric Acute and Inpatient Care at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Malawi: Opportunities for Quality Improvement
BMJ Paediatrics Open. 2024 May 7. LINK
Fitzgerald E, Ciccone EJ, Mvalo T, ... , Bell GJ, Crouse H, Robison J, Eckerle M.Mortality by Admission Diagnosis in Children 1 to 60 Months of Age Admitted to a Tertiary Care Government Hospital in Malawi
American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. 2023 June 20. LINK
Choi JH, Tanner TE, Eckerle MD, Chen JS, Ciccone EJ, Bell GJ,..., Fitzgerald E.Rapid analysis of local data to inform off-label tocilizumab use early in the COVID-19 pandemic
Healthcare. 2021 September 9. LINK.
Morgan CE, Rimland CA, Bell GJ, ..., Eron JJ, Gay CL, Parr JB.COVID-19 Testing in North Carolina: Racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities
Health and Place. 2021 April 19. LINK.
Brandt K, Goel V, Keeler C, Bell GJ, ..., Emch M, Boyce R.Considering Alternate Pathways of Drinking-Water Contamination: Evidence of Risk Substitution from Arsenic Mitigation Programs in Rural Bangladesh
Int. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020 July 26. LINK.
Goel V, Bell GJ, Sridhar S, ..., Shelus V, Sobsey M, Emch M.Deep tubewell microbial water quality and access in arsenic mitigation programs in rural Bangladesh
Science of The Total Environment. 2019 April 1. LINK.
Goel V, Islam MS, Yunus M, ..., Bell G, Sobsey M, Emch M.