Kathryn H. Jacobsen, PhD

Kathryn H. Jacobsen, Associate Professor, Global & Community Health, College of Health & Human Services. Photo by Creative Services/George Mason University
Kathryn H. Jacobsen, PhD

Professor, Global & Community Health

Faculty Directory

Research Focus

I conduct research on health transitions, the shifts in population disease burden that occur with socioeconomic development, environmental change, and globalization. As an expert on the global epidemiology of hepatitis A virus (HAV), I have provided technical expertise to the World Health Organization (WHO); the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project, a worldwide collaboration that provides the foundation for improved social, environmental, and health policy and practice by generating up-to-date health metrics for every country in the world; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; and other entities. My research portfolio also includes epidemiological studies of emerging infectious diseases, adolescent risk behaviors, injury epidemiology, the growing burden from non-communicable diseases in low- and middle-income countries, and other public health concerns. I have also conducted research in Ecuador, Guatemala, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and several other countries, and have authored more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Current Projects

■ Modeling the changing seroprevalence rates and endemicity levels of hepatitis A virus in countries worldwide.

■ Conducting infectious disease surveillance in Sierra Leone in collaboration with partners at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

■ The Essentials of Emergency Management, (a textbook for Taylor and Francis), is a holistic introductory compilation of emergency management for modern day principles and practices in the US.

■ Examining other aspects of health transitions and the changing burden from infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, mental health disorders, and injuries in diverse populations.

Select Publications

■ Jacobsen, K.H. (2020). Will COVID-19 generate global preparedness? The Lancet 395(10229), 1013-1014.

■ Jacobsen, K. H., et al. (2018). Globalization and the changing epidemiology of hepatitis A virus. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine 8(10), a031716.

■ Dariano, D. F., et al. (2017). Surveillance of vector-borne infections (chikungunya, dengue, and malaria) in Bo, Sierra Leone, 2012–2013. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 97(4), 1151-1154.

■ Jacobsen, K. H., et al. (2016). Lessons from the Ebola outbreak: action items for emerging infectious disease preparedness and response. EcoHealth 13(1), 200-212.

 

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Contact

Phone: 703-993-9168

Email: kjacobse@gmu.edu

Website: https://chhs.gmu.edu/profile/view/7999