Observational tools to understand how infectious diseases spread and respond to interventions
Official title: Observational causal inference with infectious disease outcomes
Funded at Brown University · NIH-11389361 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A researcher team at Brown University is building advanced real-world methods to measure how interventions like vaccines or public health measures actually affect the spread of infections in communities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $382,851 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM155224-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11389361 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patient participants in this grant; the work is methodological and uses existing data and simulations.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient experimentation is not part of this grant.
What this research studies
This project aims to improve how we estimate the real-world impact of interventions on infectious diseases by developing robust observational causal inference methods. It will adapt approaches like difference-in-differences and synthetic controls to nonlinear transmission dynamics and different settings. The work focuses on making sure estimates stay valid when translated from one place to another, so that decision-makers can rely on them to guide future responses. The study involves theoretical development, methodological testing, and potentially applying these methods to actual public-health data.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the methods could provide more accurate guidance on which interventions work best in real-world outbreaks, helping protect communities.
How similar studies have gone: Similar observational approaches exist, but challenges in infectious-disease dynamics mean this remains a novel and need-driven area.
Where this research is happening
-
Brown University
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bilinski, Alyssa — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Bilinski, Alyssa
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.