Biography
Dr. “Tanya” Vasylyeva is an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health and Disease Prevention with a global health emphasis. Tanya is an expert in molecular and socio-behavioral epidemiology, with a particular focus on HIV epidemics in migrant and forcibly displaced populations. Her work is aimed at utilizing phylodynamics and epidemiological modeling to describe the spread of viral infectious diseases in a population and assess different prevention strategies.
Research Interests
Dr. Vasylyeva research interests include vulnerable populations (people who inject drugs, forcibly displaced people, men who have sex with men) at risk for HIV. Her current aim is to develop a framework for socio-molecular epidemiology investigations in forcibly displaced populations.
Current Projects/Studies
- “Social network disruption, stigma, and HIV transmission dynamics among forcibly displaced MSM in Ukraine” (supported through NIH R01) 2023-2028.
- “Mobility and HIV risks in female sex workers in Western Madagascar” (supported through Branco Weiss Collaborative grants). 2023-2024.
- “Differences in M. Tuberculosis strain distribution based on HIV serostatus in patients of a TB clinic in Odessa, Ukraine” (supported through SD CFAR International grant) 2023-2024.
Education
- Oct 2014 – Dec 2018 | DPhil (PhD) in Molecular Epidemiology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Aug 2012 – Aug 2014 | Master of Science in Epidemiology, State University of New York at Albany, Albany, NY, USA
- Sep 2010 – Jun 2012 | Master in Management in Public Health (with honors), National University “Kyiv Mohyla Academy”, Kyiv, Ukraine
- Sep 2006 – Jun 2010 | Bachelor of Chemistry, National University “Kyiv Mohyla Academy”, Kyiv, Ukraine
Certificate Programs
- Nov 2016 – Apr 2017 | UK Professional Standards Framework Descriptor 1
- Sep 2008 – Jun 2010 | European Law of Human Rights
Honors and Awards
- 2024 – Newkirk Fellowship
- 2019-2024 – Branco Weiss Society in Science Fellowship
- Apr 2020 – July 2021 | Welcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund
- Jan 2020 – Jul 2020 | Branco Weiss Society in Science
- Aug 2019 – July 2024 | Matthews Junior Research Fellowship in Biological Sciences, New College, University of Oxford
- Oct 2018 – Sep 2021 | Clarendon Fund Scholarship, University of Oxford
- Oct 2014 – Sep 2018 | Fogarty NYS International Training and Research
- Aug 2012 – Aug 2013 | Program Fellowship, SUNY Albany
Publications
1. Vasylyeva TI*, Fang CE, Su M, Havens JL, Parker E, Wang JC, et al. Introduction and Establishment of SARS-CoV-2 Gamma Variant in New York City in Early 2021. Journal of Infectious Diseases. In Press.
2. Yakovleva A, Kovalenko G, Redlinger M, Liulchuk MG, Bortz E, Zadorozhna VI, Scherbinska AM, Wertheim JO, Goodfellow I, Meredith L, Vasylyeva TI*. Tracking SARS-COV-2 Variants Using Nanopore Sequencing in Ukraine in Summer 2021. Scientific Reports. In Press.
3. Vasylyeva TI*, P Smyrnov, S Strathdee, SR Friedman. Challenges posed by COVID-19 to people who inject drugs and lessons from other outbreaks. J Int AIDS Soc 2020, e25583.
4. Vasylyeva TI*, Zarebski AE, Smyrnov P, Williams LD, Korobchuk A, Liulchuk M, et al. Phylodynamics Helps to Evaluate the Impact of an HIV Prevention Intervention. Viruses 2020, 12 (4).
5. Vasylyeva TI*, du Plessis L, Pineda-Peña AC, Kühnert D, Lemey P, Vandamme AM, et al. Tracing the Impact of Public Health Interventions on HIV 1 Transmission in Portugal Using Molecular Epidemiology. Journal of Infectious Diseases 2019, 19; 220(2).
6. Vasylyeva TI*, Liulchuk M, du Plessis L, Fearnhill E, Zadorozhna V, Babii N, et al. The changing profile of HIV-1 subtype B epidemic in Ukraine. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2019, 35(2).
7. Vasylyeva TI*, Liulchuk M, Friedman SR, Sazonova I, Faria NR, Katzourakis A, et al. Molecular epidemiology reveals the role of war in the spread of HIV in Ukraine. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018, 115(5).
8. Vasylyeva TI, Friedman SR, Lourenco J, Gupta S, Hatzakis A, Pybus OG, et al. Reducing HIV infection in people who inject drugs is impossible without targeting recently-infected subjects. AIDS 2016, 30.
9. Vasylyeva TI, Friedman SR, Paraskevis D, Magiorkinis G. Integrating molecular epidemiology and social network analysis to study infectious diseases: Towards a socio-molecular era for public health. Infection Genetics Evolution 2016,46.
10. Vasylyeva TI*, Friedman SR, Smyrnov P, Bondarenko K. A new approach to prevent HIV transmission: Project Protect intervention for recently infected individuals. AIDS Care 2015, 27(2).
11. Vasylyeva TI, Friedman SR, Magiorkinis G. Prevention of early HIV transmissions might be more important in emerging or generalizing epidemics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015,112:E1515.
