Albert Icksang Ko
Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale School of Public Health
Dr. Albert Icksang Ko, an infectious disease physician, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at Yale School of Public Health and Collaborating Researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health. His research focuses on the health problems which have emerged as a consequence of rapid urbanization and social inequity.
Dr. Ko coordinates an NIH-supported research and training program on urban slum health in Brazil, where his group is conducting long-term prospective studies on urban health problems which include dengue, meningitis and respiratory infections, as well as non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and violence. His work is particularly interested in understanding the natural history of leptospirosis, which is as a model for an infectious disease which has emerged in slum settlements due to the interaction of climate, urban ecology and social marginalization. His research combines field epidemiology and translational research approaches to identify prevention and control strategies which can be implemented in slum communities.
Furthermore, Dr. Ko is the Principal Investigator at Yale for the Fogarty Global Health Equity Scholars Program which provides research training opportunities for US and LMIC post and pre-doctoral fellows at collaborating international sites.