Samyra Cox

Samyra Cox, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, affiliated with the Department of International Health in the Global Disease Epidemiology and Control division. She is an infectious disease epidemiologist with fifteen years of global health experience, primarily in tuberculosis (TB) programs and research.

Education:

• PhD, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2024)
• MPH, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2017)

Dr. Cox's research focuses on using epidemiologic and implementation research methods to answer policy-relevant questions about optimizing interventions for TB. She has been collaborating with Indian researchers on prospective cohort studies and trials focused on TB since 2017, including several studies under the Regional Prospective Observational Research for TB (RePORT) consortium. Her work spans multiple areas including TB detection, treatment outcomes, post-TB sequelae, and implementation of TB control strategies in India and Central Asia.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on TB epidemiology in India and Uganda, with particular attention to case detection methods, treatment outcomes, and the intersection of TB with other health conditions like HIV and undernutrition. Her research combines observational studies with implementation science approaches to generate evidence that can directly inform TB control policies.

Scientific Awards:

• 2024 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awardee (F31AI183564), National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
• 2024 Arthur M. Dannenberg Jr. Research Award, Johns Hopkins Center for TB Research
• 2024 Abe Lilienfeld Scholarship Fund, Epidemiology, BSPH
• 2023 David and Elinor Bodian Scholarship, BSPH
• 2021-2023 Epidemiology Chairs Fellowship, BSPH
• 2017 Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society, BSPH
• 2016 MPH Field Experience Fund Award Recipient (Tajikistan), BSPH
• 2016 Reed-Frost and Bernstein Scholarship Recipient, BSPH
• 2010 Department of State Title VIII Grant Recipient, American Councils (Persian language study in Tajikistan)

Dr. Cox is actively involved in multiple research projects including the TB Aftermath hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial which assesses the comparative effectiveness of home-based vs. phone screening for TB in the post-treatment period in India, and the TB Free Schools Initiative in India, a cohort study that assesses the yield of active case finding for TB among school children. She also has interests in identifying and testing novel strategies to help close the case detection gap for TB in Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries.

Her research is conducted through collaborations with the Johns Hopkins Center for TB Research and the RePORT consortium, focusing on generating evidence to optimize TB control strategies in resource-limited settings.