Virginia Pitzer, ScD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)DownloadHi-Res Photo
Cards
Additional Titles
Co-director, Public Health Modeling Concentration
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
About
Titles
Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)
Co-director, Public Health Modeling Concentration; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Biography
Virginia Pitzer, joined the Yale School of Public Health as an assistant professor in 2012. She earned her Sc.D. in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health in 2007, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Princeton (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) and a postdoctoral fellow in the Research and Policy for Infectious Disease Dynamics (RAPIDD) program at the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health prior to coming to Yale.
Pitzer’s work focuses on mathematical modeling of the transmission dynamics of imperfectly immunizing infections and how interventions such as vaccination, improved treatment of cases, and improvements in sanitation affect disease transmission at the population level. Her primary research is in rotavirus, (one of the leading causes of severe diarrhea in children in developed and developing countries) for which two new vaccines have been recently introduced. She is also interested in the spatiotemporal dynamics of respiratory syncytial virus and evaluating control options for typhoid fever. Her paper Demographic Variability, Vaccination, and the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Rotavirus Epidemics appeared in Science magazine in 2009.
Appointments
Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases
Associate Professor TenurePrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- ScD
- Harvard School of Public Health (2007)
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
Ecology; Global Health; Immunization; Paratyphoid Fever; Rotavirus; Typhoid Fever
Public Health Interests
Influenza; Respiratory Disease/Infections; Microbial Ecology; Modeling; Infectious Diseases; COVID-19; Child/Adolescent Health; Global Health
ORCID
0000-0003-1015-2289- View Lab Website
Pitzer lab
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Frequent collaborators of Virginia Pitzer's published research.
Publications Timeline
A big-picture view of Virginia Pitzer's research output by year.
Research Interests
Research topics Virginia Pitzer is interested in exploring.
Daniel Weinberger, PhD
Ernest Asare, PhD
Joshua Warren, PhD
Deus Thindwa, PhD
Gregg Gonsalves, PhD
Nathan Grubaugh, PhD
54Publications
1,940Citations
Typhoid Fever
Rotavirus
Global Health
Immunization
Publications
2025
Global estimates of rotavirus vaccine efficacy and effectiveness: a rapid review and meta-regression analysis
Prunas O, Asare E, Sajewski E, Li Y, Pithawala Z, Weinberger D, Warren J, Armah G, Cunliffe N, Iturriza-Gómara M, Lopman B, Pitzer V. Global estimates of rotavirus vaccine efficacy and effectiveness: a rapid review and meta-regression analysis. EClinicalMedicine 2025, 81: 103122. PMID: 40115174, PMCID: PMC11925534, DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103122.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsRotavirus-associated gastroenteritisRotavirus vaccine efficacyPredicting vaccine efficacyVaccine efficacyVaccine effectivenessVaccine performanceNational rotavirus immunization programImpact of rotavirus vaccinationRotavirus immunization programAffecting young childrenBill &Meta-regression analysisRandomized controlled trialsSystematic review of studiesEstimates of vaccine effectivenessRotavirus morbidityMelinda Gates FoundationRotavirus vaccineCohort studyLicensed vaccinesVaccine trialsDecreased efficacyControlled trialsCase-controlLow-income settingsEstimated Effectiveness of Nirsevimab Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus
Xu H, Aparicio C, Wats A, Araujo B, Pitzer V, Warren J, Shapiro E, Niccolai L, Weinberger D, Oliveira C. Estimated Effectiveness of Nirsevimab Against Respiratory Syncytial Virus. JAMA Network Open 2025, 8: e250380. PMID: 40063022, PMCID: PMC11894488, DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.0380.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsRSV-positive casesCase-control studyRSV infectionLRTI-associated hospitalizationsWeeks postimmunizationLong-acting monoclonal antibodiesTest-negative case-control studyClinical settingRespiratory syncytial virusMultivariate logistic regressionYale New Haven Health SystemRSV diseaseEmergency department dataState immunization registryRSV seasonSyncytial virusNirsevimabPolymerase chain reactionClinical trialsLRTIInfantsPotential confoundersMonoclonal antibodiesBroader outcomesDisease severityTime series data on typhoid fever incidence during outbreaks from 2000 to 2022
Koh D, Duong M, Kipshidze N, Pitzer V, Kim J. Time series data on typhoid fever incidence during outbreaks from 2000 to 2022. Scientific Data 2025, 12: 94. PMID: 39821093, PMCID: PMC11739417, DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-04289-7.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2024
Impact of dosing schedules on performance of rotavirus vaccines in Ghana
Asare E, Al-Mamun M, Armah G, Lopman B, Pitzer V. Impact of dosing schedules on performance of rotavirus vaccines in Ghana. Science Advances 2024, 10: eadn4176. PMID: 39661683, PMCID: PMC11633732, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adn4176.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsVaccine dosing schedulesDosing scheduleDoses of RV1Median percentage reductionImprove vaccine performanceRotavirus vaccine impactThird doseRotavirus vaccineRotarix vaccineVaccine impactAdditional doseVaccine effectivenessVaccine performanceVaccineRotavirusRV1Percentage reductionChildrenRotarixImpact of rotavirus vaccination in Malawi from 2012 to 2022 compared to model predictions
Pitzer V, Ndeketa L, Asare E, Hungerford D, Lopman B, Jere K, Cunliffe N. Impact of rotavirus vaccination in Malawi from 2012 to 2022 compared to model predictions. Npj Vaccines 2024, 9: 227. PMID: 39562592, PMCID: PMC11576906, DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-01008-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsRotavirus-associated gastroenteritisRotavirus-negative childrenRotavirus-negative controlsImpact of rotavirus vaccinationVaccination coverageRotavirus vaccine impactAcute gastroenteritis casesNational immunization programPre-vaccination dataVaccine introductionRotavirus vaccineVaccine impactAcute gastroenteritisVaccine effectivenessGastroenteritis casesLow-income settingsImmunization programsVaccineModelling vaccination approaches for mpox containment and mitigation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Savinkina A, Kindrachuk J, Bogoch I, Rimoin A, Hoff N, Shaw S, Pitzer V, Mbala-Kingebeni P, Gonsalves G. Modelling vaccination approaches for mpox containment and mitigation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Lancet Global Health 2024, 12: e1936-e1944. PMID: 39393385, DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(24)00384-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric5-year vaccine protection following a single dose of Vi-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine in Bangladeshi children (TyVOID): a cluster randomised trial
Qadri F, Khanam F, Zhang Y, Biswas P, Voysey M, Mujadidi Y, Kelly S, Bhuiyan A, Rajib N, Hossen I, Rahman N, Islam S, Pitzer V, Kim Y, Clemens J, Pollard A, Liu X. 5-year vaccine protection following a single dose of Vi-tetanus toxoid conjugate vaccine in Bangladeshi children (TyVOID): a cluster randomised trial. The Lancet 2024, 404: 1419-1429. PMID: 39396349, DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01494-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsTyphoid conjugate vaccineJapanese encephalitis vaccineVaccine effectivenessRandomised controlled trialsConjugate vaccineFollow-upTyphoid feverControlled trialsVaccine protectionChildren aged 9 monthsIncreased risk of typhoid feverAnti-Vi IgGRisk of typhoid feverVaccine efficacy dataTest-negative designAged 9 monthsUnvaccinated individualsHigh-burden countriesIncidence rate ratiosAnalyses of vaccine effectivenessSingle-doseSingle doseDecay of antibodiesSubgroup analysisBooster doseCelebrating a body of work
Papin J, Mac Gabhann F, Pitzer V. Celebrating a body of work. PLOS Computational Biology 2024, 20: e1012441. PMID: 39325699, PMCID: PMC11426496, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012441.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH KeywordsGenome-wide association study between SARS-CoV-2 single nucleotide polymorphisms and virus copies during infections
Li K, Chaguza C, Stamp J, Chew Y, Chen N, Ferguson D, Pandya S, Kerantzas N, Schulz W, Initiative Y, Hahn A, Ogbunugafor C, Pitzer V, Crawford L, Weinberger D, Grubaugh N. Genome-wide association study between SARS-CoV-2 single nucleotide polymorphisms and virus copies during infections. PLOS Computational Biology 2024, 20: e1012469. PMID: 39288189, PMCID: PMC11432881, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012469.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsGenome-wide association studiesSingle-nucleotide polymorphismsAssociation studiesWhole-genome sequencingAmino acid changesSingle nucleotide polymorphismsPairs of substitutionsViral copiesEpistasis testsGenome sequenceGenetic variationSpike geneAcid changesViral genomeNucleotide polymorphismsSARS-CoV-2Detect interactionsHost factorsVirus copiesCopyInfection dynamicsRT-qPCRPolymorphismOmicron BASARS-CoV-2 infectionWorkshop on the design and use of clinical trials with multiple endpoints, with a focus on prevention of RSV
Prunas O, Willemsen J, Warren J, Bont L, Schwartz J, Atwell J, Begier E, Dean N, Hirsch I, Karron R, Klugman K, Kramer R, Leidman E, Link-Gelles R, Nair H, Panozzo C, Pelfrene E, Simões E, Smith P, Srikantiah P, Sundaram M, Thindwa D, Vaughn D, Wilson E, Zar H, Pitzer V, Weinberger D. Workshop on the design and use of clinical trials with multiple endpoints, with a focus on prevention of RSV. Vaccine X 2024, 19: 100509. DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100509.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsRespiratory syncytial virusRandomized controlled trialsPreventive therapyPrevention of respiratory syncytial virusTrial designSuccess of randomized controlled trialsVaccine trial designDesign randomized controlled trialClinical trial designEstimates of vaccine efficacyPrimary endpointSyncytial virusClinical trialsVaccine efficacyControlled trialsMeta-regression modelsSelection of primary endpointsEndpointSequential trial designTherapyMultiple endpoints
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
activity Rotavirus vaccine impact in developing countries
ResearchDetails01/01/2015 - 01/01/2019Bangladesh; Ghana; MalawiAbstract/SynopsisWe are using a combination of statistical and mathematical modeling to predict the impact of rotavirus vaccination in developing countries, then validating our predictions against the observed impact of vaccination in Malawi and Ghana.
activity Rotavirus vaccine impact in Belgium
ResearchDetails01/01/2013 - PresentBelgiumAbstract/SynopsisIn collaboration with researchers in Belgium, we are using mathematical models to understand the impact of vaccination on the incidence and distribution of genotypes causing rotavirus gastroenteritis.
activity Typhoid fever dynamics and potential impact of vaccination
ResearchDetails01/01/2012 - PresentIndia; Malawi; Nepal +1 moreAbstract/SynopsisWe are using mathematical models to better understand epidemiological patterns in the incidence of typhoid fever, predict the potential impact of vaccination, and identify key questions for future field and laboratory studies.
News
News
- April 09, 2025
YSPH study shows viral ‘backbone’ influences rotavirus vaccine effectiveness
- February 29, 2024Source: The New York Times
Vaccines Didn’t Turn Back Mpox, Study Finds. People Did.
- November 08, 2023
Study Identifies Countries Vulnerable to Extensively Drug-resistant Typhoid
- October 02, 2023
Severe flooding linked to increased diarrhea risk in children
Get In Touch
Contacts
Academic Office Number
Locations
Public Health Modeling Unit
Academic Office
350 George Street, Rm C311
New Haven, CT 06511