Abbey W
- Research Program Mentor
PhD at Georgetown University
Expertise
Infectious Diseases, Data Science, Data Visualization
Bio
I have a PhD in Global Infectious Disease from Georgetown University and I love to use both R and Tableau to analyze and communicate global health data! More specifically, my dissertation focuses on data problems in COVID-19 surveillance data. I’ve also worked as a Data Science and Visualization Advisor in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health and as a Graduate Research Assistant investigating topics such as the human microbiome and antimicrobial resistance. My master’s degree is in Public Health Microbiology and Emerging Infectious Diseases from George Washington University and my bachelor degrees’ are in Biology and Mathematics from Kent State University. If you’re interested in investigating the specifics of how a pathogen infects a person and evades the immune system; understanding how a certain public health phenomenon affects a population; building data skills in R; and/or creating compelling visualizations in Tableau – I may be your gal!Project ideas
Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.
Analyzing & Communicating Infectious Disease Data
Picture yourself as a data analyst in a state health department. For a specific infectious disease (e.g. COVID-19, Flu, Lyme disease, etc.) – what information is important to know (About the pathogen? About the people getting infected?)? How would you find this information and once you’ve found it, how would you communicate it? This project could be anything from a research paper to a full-fledged, interactive visualization in R or Tableau.
Coding skills
R, TableauTeaching experience
I tutored students in Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics courses during undergrad and have also worked as a graduate-level instructional assistant for R, Biostatistics, and Public Health Virology courses. Additionally, I have mentored Data Science/Data Viz interns at USAID.Credentials
Work experience
Public Health Institute (2019 - 2021)
Data Science & Visualization Advisor at USAIDGeorge Washington University (2016 - 2019)
Instructional AssistantGeorge Washington University (2014 - 2016)
Graduate Research AssistantKent State University (2011 - 2014)
Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics TutorEducation
Kent State University
BS Bachelor of Science (2014)
Biology; MathematicsGeorge Washington University
MS Master of Science (2016)
Public Health Microbiology & Emerging Infectious DiseasesGeorgetown University
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Global Infectious Disease