Dr. Nicole Basta
Dr. Nicole E. Basta, PhD MPhil, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health at McGill University and holds a Canada Research Chair Tier 2 in Infectious Disease Prevention. As an infectious disease epidemiologist, Dr. Basta combines methods and approaches from epidemiology, biostatistics, vaccinology, immunology, ecology, and public health to design, implement, and analyzing biological, clinical, and behavioral research. She aims to 1) evaluate the impact of vaccines and immunization programs, 2) increase vaccine awareness, acceptance, and uptake, and 3) advance our understanding of the epidemiology and natural history of infectious diseases. She has focused on a number of globally challenging viral and bacterial diseases, including influenza, HPV, measles, and meningococcal disease. Dr. Basta’s research generates critical evidence needed to optimize disease prevention and control strategies and to inform public health policy. She earned her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Washington, her MPhil in Epidemiology from the University of Cambridge as a Gates-Cambridge Scholar, and her undergraduate degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. Dr. Basta also gained experience as an infectious disease outbreak investigator with the Florida Department of Health’s Epidemic Intelligence Service.