Donald Joseph Brooks
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Biography
Donald Brooks is a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health, where his research focuses on modeling emerging viral disease transmission to inform the strategic use of medical countermeasures for outbreak control.
Prior to Yale, he served at the World Health Organization as a Public Health Officer in the Health Emergencies Programme Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit, where he coordinated the global COVID-19 programme and led the development of the Strategic Plan for Coronavirus Disease Threat Management. While at WHO, he also worked extensively on emergency immunization, leading COVID-19 vaccination data and analytics, spearheading global efforts on chikungunya vaccination, and guiding preparedness for mpox vaccination. Earlier, Donald was based in Burkina Faso investigating water quality and water-borne illness in developing cities as a Fulbright Scholar. Donald further worked with Dalberg Advisors in Senegal as a public health strategy manager advising Ministries of Health in West Africa on health emergency preparedness.
Last Updated on October 21, 2025.
Education & Training
- AB
- Harvard University, Molecular and Cellular Biology (2017)
Research
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Overview
Public Health Interests
Emerging Infectious Diseases; Global Health; Modeling; Vaccines
ORCID
0009-0008-5914-3686
Publications
Featured Publications
Developing National Information Systems to Monitor COVID-19 Vaccination: A Global Observational Study
Brooks D, Kim C, Mboussou F, Danovaro-Holliday M. Developing National Information Systems to Monitor COVID-19 Vaccination: A Global Observational Study. JMIR Public Health And Surveillance 2024, 10: e62657. PMID: 39454019, PMCID: PMC11529800, DOI: 10.2196/62657.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsDigital Health FrameworkInformation systemsHigh-income countriesImmunization Information SystemSystem development approachWorld Health OrganizationHealth frameworkImplement new onesSupplemental questionnaireHealth system levelReal timeResponding countriesDevelopment approachIncome groupsWorld Health Organization member statesLow-income countriesReminder systemNew onesImplementation dataProgram monitoringCOVID-19Collected dataObservational studyAnalysis of dataFramework
2025
Global Status of Adult Immunization Post COVID-19 Pandemic
Vilajeliu A, Vega V, Gibson R, Nogareda F, Wang X, Brooks D, Wiysonge C, Cakmak O, Mere O, Marti M, Lambach P, Shendale S, Contreras M, Njambe E, Sparrow E, Hombach J, Lindstrand A. Global Status of Adult Immunization Post COVID-19 Pandemic. Vaccines 2025, 13: 401. PMID: 40333313, PMCID: PMC12031070, DOI: 10.3390/vaccines13040401.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsNational immunization scheduleWHO Strategic Advisory GroupHerpes zosterImmunization scheduleWomen of reproductive agePertussis-containing vaccineTetanus-containing vaccineCOVID-19 vaccineWHO policy recommendationsImmunization policiesStrategic Advisory Group of ExpertsPregnant womenHepatitis BPneumococcal diseasePotential of immunizationLicensed vaccinesAdvisory Group of ExpertsReproductive ageInfluenzaIncome groupsHigher incomeMiddle-incomeVaccinated adultsImmunization programsAdult group
2024
Seasonal influenza vaccination: A global review of national policies in 194 WHO member states in 2022
Goldin S, Brooks D, Jorgensen P, Wijesinghe P, Cho H, Attia R, Doshi R, Nogareda F, Herring B, Dumolard L, Gibson R, Chadwick C, Desai S, Vilajeliu A, Lindstrand A, Tempia S, Mott J, Hess S. Seasonal influenza vaccination: A global review of national policies in 194 WHO member states in 2022. Vaccine 2024, 42: 126274. PMID: 39299001, PMCID: PMC11672237, DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126274.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSeasonal influenza vaccineInfluenza vaccination policiesAnnual seasonal influenza vaccinationSeasonal influenza vaccination policiesInfluenza vaccineWorld Health OrganizationPregnant womenSeasonal influenza vaccine dosesWorld Health Organization member statesInfluenza vaccine dosesMember statesVaccination policyHigh-risk populationPrivate sectorVaccine-related dataInfluenza diseaseHealth workersReview of national policiesOlder adultsVaccination coverage dataVaccine doseInfluenzaNational decision-makingCOVID-19 vaccineMiddle-income countriesCOVID-19 Vaccination Coverage — World Health Organization African Region, 2021–2023
Doshi R, Nsasiirwe S, Dahlke M, Atagbaza A, Aluta O, Tatsinkou A, Dauda E, Vilajeliu A, Gurung S, Tusiime J, Braka F, Bwaka A, Wanyoike S, Brooks D, Blanc D, Alexander J, Dahl B, Lindstrand A, Wiysonge C. COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage — World Health Organization African Region, 2021–2023. MMWR Morbidity And Mortality Weekly Report 2024, 73: 307-311. PMID: 38602879, PMCID: PMC11008790, DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7314a3.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsWorld Health OrganizationCOVID-19 vaccineVaccination of high-risk groupsHealth care workersSevere COVID-19 diseaseDose of COVID-19 vaccineHigh-risk groupWorld Health Organization recommendationsCOVID-19-associated morbidityOlder age groupsBooster doseHigh riskDoseCare workersCOVID-19 diseaseCOVID-19 public health emergencyTotal population coverageAfrican regionAge groupsVaccineMorbidityLife coursePandemic preparednessHealth OrganizationCOVID-19Rapid assessment of data systems for COVID-19 vaccination in the WHO African Region
Mboussou F, Nkamedjie P, Oyaole D, Farham B, Atagbaza A, Nsasiirwe S, Costache A, Brooks D, Wiysonge C, Impouma B. Rapid assessment of data systems for COVID-19 vaccination in the WHO African Region. Epidemiology And Infection 2024, 152: e50. PMID: 38497495, PMCID: PMC11022257, DOI: 10.1017/s0950268824000451.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsElectronic registryRapid AssessmentCombination of paper-basedData managementPaper-based registersMinistry of HealthDigital registrySemi-structured electronic questionnaireWHO African RegionIndividual dataDigital systemsInternet coverageDigital solutionsPaper-basedElectronic questionnaireSenior staffElectronic platformCOVID-19RegistryAfrican regionData SystemPlatform
2023
COVID-19 Mortality and Progress Toward Vaccinating Older Adults — World Health Organization, Worldwide, 2020–2022
Wong M, Brooks D, Ikejezie J, Gacic-Dobo M, Dumolard L, Nedelec Y, Steulet C, Kassamali Z, Acma A, Ajong B, Adele S, Allan M, Cohen H, Awofisayo-Okuyelu A, Campbell F, Cristea V, De Barros S, Edward N, Waeber A, Guinko T, Laurenson-Schafer H, Mahran M, Carrera R, Mesfin S, Meyer E, Miglietta A, Mirembe B, Mitri M, Nezu I, Ngai S, Ejoh O, Parikh S, Peron E, Sklenovská N, Stoitsova S, Shimizu K, Togami E, Jin Y, Pavlin B, Novak R, Le Polain O, Fuller J, Mahamud A, Lindstrand A, Hersh B, O’Brien K, Van Kerkhove M. COVID-19 Mortality and Progress Toward Vaccinating Older Adults — World Health Organization, Worldwide, 2020–2022. MMWR Morbidity And Mortality Weekly Report 2023, 72: 113-118. PMID: 36730046, PMCID: PMC9927068, DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7205a1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsWorld Health OrganizationCOVID-19 mortalityOlder adultsWorld Bank income statusStrategic Advisory GroupHealth OrganizationLower-middle-income countriesWorld Health Organization's goalAt-risk populationsNational health authoritiesAge-specific mortalityCOVID-19 vaccineLow-income countriesPublic health emergencyExcess mortalityIncome statusHealth authoritiesCOVID-19Severe COVID-19Vaccination coverage dataBooster dose coverageDose coverageIncome groupsHealth emergencyGroup of experts
2017
Organism-Level Analysis of Vaccination Reveals Networks of Protection across Tissues
Kadoki M, Patil A, Thaiss C, Brooks D, Pandey S, Deep D, Alvarez D, von Andrian U, Wagers A, Nakai K, Mikkelsen T, Soumillon M, Chevrier N. Organism-Level Analysis of Vaccination Reveals Networks of Protection across Tissues. Cell 2017, 171: 398-413.e21. PMID: 28942919, PMCID: PMC7895295, DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.08.024.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsTissue-resident memory T cellsTissue-resident memory TImmune responseComparative infection modelMemory T cellsMechanisms of protective immunityAnalysis of immune responsesType I IFNMemory TSkin vaccinationT cellsProtective immunityInfection modelI IFNImmune processesViral spreadAntiviral stateSingle-cell analysisCellular factorsLigand–receptor connection
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