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LAURA SKRIP, MPH, PhD

ASSOCIATE  PROFESSOR, BIO-STATISTICS & EPIDEMIOLOGY

DIRECTOR OF ParMAH RESEARCH LAB

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Office Address:  AM Dogliotti Medical School Campus, Catholic Junction, Monrovia

Biography

Dr. Laura Skrip is a quantitative epidemiologist with expertise in mathematical modeling and statistical analysis. At the University of Liberia School of Public Health, she teaches Biostatistics and Epidemiology, supports efforts to engage students in practicum and thesis opportunities, and directs a mathematical modeling lab. As a researcher, it is her goal to collaboratively generate evidence that can guide public health decision-making in complex emergencies. During and following her PhD, she worked extensively with social scientists, clinicians, basic science researchers, and communities to inform mathematical models for quantifying the potential impact of specifically behavior-focused tools and approaches, including risk communication and community engagement. This involved significant field experience to guide policy development in Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon.

QUALIFICATION

MPH, Yale School of Public Health, 2013

PhD, Yale Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, 2017

TEACHING ENGAGEMENTS

PHLT503 Biostatistics I

AEPI603 Fundamentals of Data Management

AEPI601 Applied Epidemiological Research Methods I

PHLT504 Biostatistics II

AEPI601 Applied Epidemiological Research Methods II

Image by 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič

Selected PUBLICATIONS

  1.  Bedson, J.*, Skrip, L.A.*, Pedi, D., Abramowitz, S., Carter, S., Funk, S., Gobat, N., Jalloh, M.F., Giles-Vernick, T., Chowell, G., de Almeida, J.R., Elessawi, R., Scarpino, S.V., Hammond, R.A., Briand, S., Epstein, J.M., Hébert-Dufresne, L., Althouse, B.M. 2020. Integrated Disease Modeling:  A review of mathematical approaches, social science research, and risk communication and community engagement practices to inform the inclusion of social-behavioural factors in models of infectious disease dynamics. Accepted at Nature Human Behaviour. *Contributed equally

  2. Skrip, L.A., Fallah, M.P., Bedson, J., Hébert-Dufresne, L., and Althouse, B.M. 2020. Coordinated support for local action: A modeling study of strategies to facilitate behavior adoption in urban poor communities of Liberia for sustained COVID-19 suppression. Under review at Epidemics. Available at https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.11.20172031v2

  3. Skrip, L.A., Dermauw, V., Dorny, P., Ganaba, R., Millogo, A., Tarnagda, Z., Carabin, H. (2021). Data-driven analyses of behavioral strategies to eliminate cysticercosis in sub-Saharan Africa. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.  15(3): e0009234. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0009234

  4. Skrip, L.A., Selvaraj, P., Hagedorn, B., Lin Ouédraogo, A., Noori, N., Mistry, D., Bedson, J., Hébert-Dufresne, L., Scarpino, S.V., and Althouse, B.M. 2020. Seeding COVID-19 across sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of reported importation events across 40 countries. The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.20-1502

  5. Skrip L., Derra K., Kaboré M., Noori N., Sondo K.A., Gansané A, Valéa I., Tinto H., Brice B.W., Van Gordon M., Hagedorn B. Clinical Management and Mortality among COVID-19 Cases in Sub-Saharan Africa: A retrospective study from Burkina Faso and simulated case data analysis. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 101, pp. 194-200. Available at https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)32148-2/fulltext

  6. Skrip, L.A., Bedson, J., Abramowitz, S., Jalloh, M.B., Bah, S., Jalloh, M.F., Langle Chimal, O.D., Cheney, N., Hébert-Dufresne, L., Althouse, B.M. (2020). Unmet needs and behavior during the Ebola response in Sierra Leone: a retrospective, mixed-methods analysis of community feedback from the Social Mobilization Action Consortium. The Lancet Planetary Health. 4(2). Pp. PE74-E85.

  7. Fallah, M.P. and Skrip, L.A., 2019. Ebola therapies: an unconventionally calculated risk. The Lancet, 393(10174), pp.850-852.

  8. Clarke, A., Blidi, N., Dahn, B., Agbo, C., Tuopileyi, R., Rude, M.J., Williams, G.S., Seid, M., Gasasira, A., Wambai, Z. and Skrip, L., 2019. Strengthening acute flaccid paralysis surveillance post Ebola virus disease outbreak 2015-2017: the Liberia experience. The Pan African Medical Journal, 33(Suppl 2).

  9. Kirstein, O.D., Skrip, L., Abassi, I., Iungman, T., Horwitz, B.Z., Gebresilassie, A., Spitzova, T., Waitz, Y., Gebre-Michael, T., Volf, P. and Hailu, A. (2018). A fine scale eco-epidemiological study on endemic visceral leishmaniasis in north Ethiopian villages. Acta Tropica, 183, pp.64-77.

  10. Skrip, L.A., Fallah, M.P., Gaffney, S.G., Yaari, R., Yamin, D., Huppert, A., Bawo, L., Nyenswah, T.G., Galvani, A.P. (2017). Characterizing risk of Ebola transmission based on frequency and type of case-contact exposures. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 372(1721). doi:10.1098/rstb.2016.0301.

Research 

Figure It Out: A mobile application to encourage use of quantitative research findings by frontline health workers Overview: The project currently involves the conduct of usability testing of a mobile application prototype. The app (called Figure It Out) is intended to increase awareness of and promote skills-building related to quantitative research utilization.

Modeling risk perception and vaccine uptake for COVID-19 and EVD in Liberia Overview: A dynamic model for the 15 counties of Liberia is being developed to represent sociodemographic characteristics known to influence behavioral decisions for preventing transmission of COVID-19 and EVD. The model will be used to simulate scenarios for informing the EPI Division of MOH ahead of the next round of COVAX distribution.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Dynamic Modeling,

Community Engagement,

Behavior - Focused Intervention,

Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers,

Epidemic Response Measures

RESEARCH METHODS

Agent-based modeling,

Dynamic modeling to evaluate interventions,

Biostatistics,

Survey design,

Field sampling strategies

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