Stephanie Tornberg-Belanger

Stephanie Tornberg-Belanger is a PhD Candidate in the UW Department of Epidemiology.  She comes from a multidisciplinary academic background after receiving a BS in animal science, an MS in microbiology, and an MPH.  Stephanie worked in microbiology laboratories at Tufts University and the University of New Hampshire with a focus on human pathogens, culminating in a thesis to improve the detection of poliovirus and other enteroviruses while reducing the financial cost.  Stephanie works under the mentorship of Dr. Judd Walson and Dr. Patricia Pavlinac on two clinical trials to reduce morbidity and mortality in children in Western Kenya.  Previously, Stephanie had been involved in a multi-country cohort study, the CHAIN Network, examining various factors that contribute to morbidity and mortality in acutely ill children under the tutelage of Dr. Walson, Dr. Donna Denno, and former Department of Global Health Senior Fellow, Dr. Kirk Tickell.  Stephanie’s dissertation work examines the prevalence and correlates of antibiotic resistance in children who have been hospitalized and discharged from hospitals in Kenya, a population with a high risk of death and rehospitalization.