Jamie Childs

Jamie Childs serves as a Lecturer in Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) at the Yale School of Public Health and holds affiliations with the Yale Institute for Global Health and Climate Change and Health initiatives. He joined Yale in 2004 after previously serving as Chief of the Viral and Rickettial Zoonoses Branch at the CDC.

Dr. Childs earned his ScD from Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health (1982) following undergraduate studies at Washington University (1974), and completed an NRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at USAMRIID (1984). His academic journey reflects a deep commitment to understanding infectious disease transmission at the human-animal interface.

His research focuses on zoonotic disease transmission dynamics, particularly examining how directly-transmitted viruses (hantaviruses, arenaviruses, rabies) and vector-borne bacteria (rickettsia, bartonella, borrelia) move between animal reservoirs and human populations. Current work centers on leptospirosis transmission in Salvador, Brazil's urban slums, investigating Norway rats as the primary reservoir host and examining environmental factors that influence disease spread.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals consistent research themes spanning urban rodent ecology, pathogen spillover mechanisms, and environmental determinants of disease transmission. His interdisciplinary approach integrates epidemiology, ecology, and public health to understand how urban landscapes, particularly in marginalized communities, create conditions for zoonotic disease emergence.

Dr. Childs maintains active collaborations with Brazilian researchers including Albert Ko, Mitermayer Reis, and Federico Costa, reflecting his commitment to international research partnerships. His work has significant implications for public health interventions targeting zoonotic disease prevention in rapidly urbanizing environments worldwide.