Uriel Kitron

Uriel Kitron is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health at Emory University. His research focuses on vector-borne diseases, environmental health, and infectious disease dynamics with a particular emphasis on mosquitoes (e.g., Aedes aegypti) and their roles in transmitting diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Brazil, Kenya, Mozambique, and Uganda, studying disease transmission patterns, environmental drivers of epidemics, and public health interventions.

Education: BSc from Hebrew University; PhD from University of California; MPH from University of Michigan.

Research interests include: (1) Spatial and temporal analysis of disease outbreaks, (2) Climate change impacts on vector distribution and disease burden, (3) Innovative surveillance methods (e.g., wastewater-based epidemiology), and (4) One Health approaches to zoonotic diseases. His work bridges epidemiological modeling with on-the-ground interventions to reduce disease transmission in vulnerable populations.

Recent publications explore topics such as chikungunya virus persistence in patients, mosquito behavior influenced by cooking fuels, and the role of urbanization in vector invasion. He has contributed to understanding how human mobility patterns and environmental factors shape disease spread.

Notable contributions include studies on dengue virus transmission dynamics in Peru, the re-emergence of malaria in Rwanda, and the impact of Cyclone Idai on health emergencies in Mozambique.