This series spotlights the new faculty that joined the YSPH Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases (EMD) program in 2024. Along with our student spotlight series, our theme this month is respiratory diseases. Here, new Assistant Professor Dr. Brian Wahl tells us about his pathway and some of his exciting research in a Q&A format.
When did you join Yale EMD, and what was your journey to get here?
Brian: I joined YSPH on August 1, 2024. Before moving to New Haven, I spent more than a decade in South Asia, primarily in India, with significant time in Nepal and Bangladesh as well. My experience living and working in these countries deeply influenced my career path. I plan to continue working with partners in these countries to address the burden of childhood respiratory diseases—one of the leading causes of child morbidity and mortality around the world. Before coming to YSPH, I was a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where I also earned my MPH and PhD. However, my interest in public health began during my undergraduate studies in Microbiology at Clemson University. While I realized quickly that I was not cut out for a life in the laboratory, my studies introduced me to infectious diseases and public health. Until then, I had naively and from a place of privilege assumed that modern medicine had rendered respiratory infectious diseases a thing of the past. I was very wrong. This has driven me to try to understand why, despite available interventions, these diseases continue to cause immense suffering in many parts of the world.
What made you decide to apply to be part of Yale EMD faculty?
First and foremost, I have been impressed with the quality of the public health research and communications at YSPH for several years. I was excited when I saw the recruitment announcement, as many EMD priorities aligned well with my research interests—immunization program evaluation and field epidemiology. During my interviews, it became clear to me that the culture of EMD was one of collaboration and excellence. It is also an exciting period of transition and growth for both the school and the department. With YSPH gaining independence on July 1 and new leadership at the school and department levels, I saw an opportunity to help shape the future of public health education and research at Yale.
What advice would you give early career researchers starting out in the field of respiratory diseases and infectious disease epidemiology more broadly?
Find people with whom you enjoy working and whose skills and expertise complement your own. Once you find such people, be generous with your time and resources. In addition, the world of global health is rapidly evolving, which is encouraging and long overdue. Early career researchers, no matter where they are based in the world, have a unique opportunity to demand more equitable partnerships and sustainable solutions in global health. The failures of COVID-19, many rooted in antiquated ways of thinking and racist ways of working, have created a compelling case for reimagining and reshaping global health.
What do you look for in an MPH or PhD student looking to join your lab?
I look for students who are intellectually curious, passionate, and proactive. We are all learning—especially students—so I do not expect everyone to know everything on the first day. I always look for individuals who can offer and receive feedback well and who are collaborative in their approach to their work. Oh, and some experience with coding (R and/or Stata) is always appreciated!
What previous work are you most proud of?
I am proud of the collaborative research on respiratory diseases I have done with our partners in India and Nepal. This specifically includes our work on preparing to introduce new vaccines (i.e., pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine) and eventually measuring their impact once introduced. I believe this work has helped support policymaking and program decisions at the country level. However, I am acutely aware that respiratory diseases still claim far too many young lives, despite being largely preventable. I am far from complacent. These accomplishments only fuel my determination to continue and expand our crucial work.
What are you working on at the moment?
I have several ongoing respiratory disease projects.
- Pertussis / whooping cough: Pertussis is a bacterium that can cause severe respiratory illness and is especially dangerous for infants and young children who are not immunized. Cases of pertussis have been increasing in many countries in recent years, even in those where pertussis vaccine coverage is high. There are a lot of hypotheses for why cases are increasing. I am leading a project to better characterize the global burden and the factors contributing to these trends.
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus): Pneumococcus is another vaccine-preventable pathogen that is a major cause of severe pneumonia in young children and adults. I am working on the updated burden of disease estimates for pneumococcus and exploring opportunities for optimizing vaccine program performance through revised immunization schedules and other strategies (e.g., cocooning).
- New tools: I am excited by the potential impact of new tools in the effort to address lower respiratory infections. Recently, I have been working with partners in South Asia to explore the use of innovative tools for improved pneumonia management within communities. One exciting area is the development and application of AI-enabled digital stethoscopes.
Where do you see the field of respiratory disease research heading in the next few years, and what role do you hope your work will play in this future landscape?
There are several new vaccines that target respiratory pathogens, including higher valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines and novel vaccines for RSV. These new tools will help address the burden of lower respiratory infections and present several exciting research questions. In the context of these new vaccines and several other factors, there has been a shift in the etiology of lower respiratory infections. Such changes necessitate new models of thinking about prevention and treatment, including the administration of antibiotics for pneumonia within communities. While this has been a proven method for reducing pneumonia mortality and all-cause mortality, the changing etiology challenges us to balance this approach against the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. There is also a pressing need to understand better the medium- and long-term sequelae associated with lower respiratory infections in children, requiring investment in long-term cohort studies.
It is a pivotal and exciting time to be working on respiratory infections. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of YSPH and EMD during this transformative period in global health research.