Kirsten Wiens

Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Office
1301 Cecil B Moore Avenue Ritter Annex 911

Biography

Dr. Kirsten E. Wiens is an infectious disease epidemiologist whose research focuses on seroepidemiology, spatial analysis, and disease modeling with research projects domestically and abroad. She earned her PhD in immunology from New York University School of Medicine and conducted postdoctoral research in epidemiology at University of Washington and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The goal of Dr. Wiens’s work is to better understand underlying infectious disease burden in the context of imperfect surveillance data. She has used diverse methodological approaches to address this knowledge gap, including geostatistical models to map diarrheal diseases at high spatial resolution, seroepidemiology to estimate variation in exposure to SARS-CoV-2, and household transmission studies to understand susceptibility to cholera.

Dr. Wiens’s current research includes highly collaborative projects to examine the degree to which cholera infections that go unobserved by traditional surveillance systems contribute to transmission. These unobserved infections may include mild or asymptomatic infections, infections in individuals with barriers to healthcare access, or may be missed due to limited testing resources, among other factors.

Education

  • Post-doctoral Fellowship, Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University
  • Post-doctoral Fellowship, IHME, University of Washington
  • PhD, Immunology, NYU School of Medicine
  • BS, Biology, McGill University

Curriculum Vitae 

Labs: Wiens Lab

Courses Taught

Number

Name

Level

HRPR 5999

Research Experience in Health Professions

Graduate

Selected Publications

  • Xu, H., Zou, K., Dent, J., Wiens, K.E., Malembaka, E.B., Bwire, G., Okitayemba, P.W., Hampton, L.M., Azman, A.S., & Lee, E.C. (2024). Enhanced cholera surveillance to improve vaccination campaign efficiency. Nat Med. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-02852-8

  • Hegde, S.T., Khan, A.I., Perez-Saez, J., Khan, I.I., Hulse, J.D., Islam, M.d.T., Khan, Z.H., Ahmed, S., Bertuna, T., Rashid, M., Rashid, R., Hossain, M.d.Z., Shirin, T., Wiens, K.E., Gurley, E.S., Bhuiyan, T.R., Qadri, F., & Azman, A.S. (2024). Clinical surveillance systems obscure the true cholera infection burden in an endemic region. Nat Med. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-02810-4

  • Wiens, K.E., Xu, H., Zou, K., Mwaba, J., Lessler, J., Malembaka, E.B., Demby, M.N., Bwire, G., Qadri, F., Lee, E.C., & Azman, A.S. (2023). Estimating the proportion of clinically suspected cholera cases that are true Vibrio cholerae infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med, 20(9), p. e1004286. United States. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004286

  • Wiens, K.E., Iyer, A.S., Bhuiyan, T.R., Lu, L.L., Cizmeci, D., Gorman, M.J., Yuan, D., Becker, R.L., Ryan, E.T., Calderwood, S.B., LaRocque, R.C., Chowdhury, F., Khan, A.I., Levine, M.M., Chen, W.H., Charles, R.C., Azman, A.S., Qadri, F., Alter, G., & Harris, J.B. (2023). Predicting Vibrio cholerae infection and symptomatic disease: a systems serology study. Lancet Microbe, 4(4), pp. e228-e235. England. doi: 10.1016/S2666-5247(22)00391-3

  • Reiner, R.C., Collaborators, L.T.B., & Hay, S.I. (2022). The overlapping burden of the three leading causes of disability and death in sub-Saharan African children. Nat Commun, 13(1), p. 7457. England. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-34240-6

  • Xu, H., Zou, K., Dent, J., Wiens, K.E., Bwenge, E.M., Hampton, L.M., Azman, A.S., & Lee, E.C. (2022). Enhanced cholera surveillance as a tool for improving vaccination campaign efficiency. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. doi: 10.1101/2022.11.25.22282776

  • Aiemjoy, K., Rumunu, J., Hassen, J.J., Wiens, K.E., Garrett, D., Kamenskaya, P., Harris, J.B., Azman, A.S., Teunis, P., Seidman, J.C., Wamala, J.F., Andrews, J.R., & Charles, R.C. (2022). Seroincidence of Enteric Fever, Juba, South Sudan. Emerg Infect Dis, 28(11), pp. 2316-2320. United States. doi: 10.3201/eid2811.220239

  • Wiens, K.E., Xu, H., Zou, K., Mwaba, J., Lessler, J., Malembaka, E.B., Demby, M.N., Bwire, G., Qadri, F., Lee, E.C., & Azman, A.S. (2022). Towards estimating true cholera burden: a systematic review and meta-analysis ofVibrio choleraepositivity. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. doi: 10.1101/2022.10.05.22280736

  • Wiens, K.E., Jauregui, B., Arnold, B.F., Banke, K., Wade, D., Hayford, K., Denis, A.C., Hall, R.H., Salje, H., Rodriguez-Barraquer, I., Azman, A.S., Vernet, G., Leung, D.T., & Surveillance, C.o.n.I.B. (2022). Building an integrated serosurveillance platform to inform public health interventions: Insights from an experts' meeting on serum biomarkers. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 16(10), p. e0010657. United States. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010657

  • Collaborators, L.B.o.f.D.H.A.P. (2022). Mapping development and health effects of cooking with solid fuels in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-18: a geospatial modelling study. Lancet Glob Health, 10(10), pp. e1395-e1411. England. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00332-1

  • Collaborators, C.C.I. (2022). Estimating global, regional, and national daily and cumulative infections with SARS-CoV-2 through Nov 14, 2021: a statistical analysis. Lancet, 399(10344), pp. 2351-2380. England. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00484-6

  • Wiens, K.E., Iyer, A.S., Bhuiyan, T.R., Lu, L.L., Cizmeci, D., Gorman, M.J., Yuan, D., Becker, R.L., Ryan, E.T., Calderwood, S.B., LaRocque, R.C., Chowdhury, F., Khan, A.I., Levine, M.M., Chen, W.H., Charles, R.C., Azman, A.S., Qadri, F., Alter, G., & Harris, J.B. (2022). A systems serology analysis of correlates of protection against cholera. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. doi: 10.1101/2022.06.08.22276167

  • Wiens, K.E., Smith, C.P., Badillo-Goicoechea, E., Grantz, K.H., Grabowski, M.K., Azman, A.S., Stuart, E.A., & Lessler, J. (2022). In-person schooling and associated COVID-19 risk in the United States over spring semester 2021. Sci Adv, 8(16), p. eabm9128. United States. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abm9128

  • Allorant, A., Biswas, S., Ahmed, S., Wiens, K.E., LeGrand, K.E., Janko, M.M., Henry, N.J., Dangel, W.J., Watson, A., Blacker, B.F., Kyu, H.H., Ross, J.M., Rahman, M.S., Hay, S.I., & Reiner, R.C. (2022). Finding gaps in routine TB surveillance activities in Bangladesh. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis, 26(4), pp. 356-362. France. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0624

  • Wiens, K.E., Smith, C.P., Badillo-Goicoechea, E., Grantz, K.H., Grabowski, M.K., Azman, A.S., Stuart, E.A., & Lessler, J. (2021). In-person schooling and associated COVID-19 risk in the United States over Spring Semester 2021. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. doi: 10.1101/2021.10.20.21265293

  • Bhattacharjee, N.V., Schaeffer, L.E., Hay, S.I., & Collaborators, L.B.o.f.D.E.B. (2021). Mapping inequalities in exclusive breastfeeding in low- and middle-income countries, 2000-2018. Nat Hum Behav, 5(8), pp. 1027-1045. England. doi: 10.1038/s41562-021-01108-6

  • Wiens, K.E., Mawien, P.N., Rumunu, J., Slater, D., Jones, F.K., Moheed, S., Caflisch, A., Bior, B.K., Jacob, I.A., Lako, R.L., Guyo, A.G., Olu, O.O., Maleghemi, S., Baguma, A., Hassen, J.J., Baya, S.K., Deng, L., Lessler, J., Demby, M.N., Sanchez, V., Mills, R., Fraser, C., Charles, R.C., Harris, J.B., Azman, A.S., & Wamala, J.F. (2021). Seroprevalence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 IgG in Juba, South Sudan, 20201. Emerg Infect Dis, 27(6), pp. 1598-1606. United States. doi: 10.3201/eid2706.210568

  • Wiens, K.E., Mawien, P.N., Rumunu, J., Slater, D., Jones, F.K., Moheed, S., Caflish, A., Bior, B.K., Jacob, I.A., Lako, R.L.L., Guyo, A.G., Olu, O.O., Maleghemi, S., Baguma, A., Hassen, J.J., Baya, S.K., Deng, L., Lessler, J., Demby, M.N., Sanchez, V., Mills, R., Fraser, C., Charles, R.C., Harris, J.B., Azman, A.S., & Wamala, J.F. (2021). Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies in Juba, South Sudan: a population-based study. MedRxiv. United States. doi: 10.1101/2021.03.08.21253009

  • Team, I.C.F. (2021). Modeling COVID-19 scenarios for the United States. Nat Med, 27(1), pp. 94-105. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1132-9

  • Collaborators, L.B.o.f.D.V.C. (2021). Mapping routine measles vaccination in low- and middle-income countries. Nature, 589(7842), pp. 415-419. England. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-03043-4

  • Wiens, K.E., Schaeffer, L.E., Sow, S.O., Ndoye, B., Cain, C.J.o., Baumann, M.M., Johnson, K.B., Lindstedt, P.A., Blacker, B.F., Bhutta, Z.A., Cormier, N.M., Daoud, F., Earl, L., Farag, T., Khalil, I.A., Kinyoki, D.K., Larson, H.J., LeGrand, K.E., Cook, A.J., Malta, D.C., Månsson, J.C., Mayala, B.K., Mokdad, A.H., Ogbuanu, I.U., Sankoh, O., Sartorius, B., Topor-Madry, R., Troeger, C.E., Welgan, C.A., Werdecker, A., Hay, S.I., & Reiner, R.C. (2020). Oral rehydration therapies in Senegal, Mali, and Sierra Leone: a spatial analysis of changes over time and implications for policy. BMC Med, 18(1), p. 405. England. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01857-7

  • Collaborators, G.2.R.F. (2020). Global burden of 87 risk factors in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet, 396(10258), pp. 1223-1249. England. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30752-2

  • Collaborators, G.2.D.a.I. (2020). Global burden of 369 diseases and injuries in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet, 396(10258), pp. 1204-1222. England. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30925-9

  • Collaborators, G.2.D. (2020). Global age-sex-specific fertility, mortality, healthy life expectancy (HALE), and population estimates in 204 countries and territories, 1950-2019: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet, 396(10258), pp. 1160-1203. England. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30977-6

  • Collaborators, L.B.o.f.D.W. (2020). Mapping geographical inequalities in access to drinking water and sanitation facilities in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17. Lancet Glob Health, 8(9), pp. e1162-e1185. England. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30278-3

  • Collaborators, L.D.B.o.f.M. (2020). Author Correction: Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017. Nat Med, 26(8), p. 1308. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0972-7

  • Collaborators, L.B.o.f.D.D. (2020). Mapping geographical inequalities in oral rehydration therapy coverage in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17. Lancet Glob Health, 8(8), pp. e1038-e1060. England. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(20)30230-8

  • Collaborators, L.B.o.f.D.D. (2020). Mapping geographical inequalities in childhood diarrhoeal morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, 2000-17: analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet, 395(10239), pp. 1779-1801. England. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30114-8

  • (2020). Department of Error. Lancet, 395(10239), p. 1762. England. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31248-4

  • Collaborators, L.D.B.o.f.M. (2020). Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017. Nat Med, 26(5), pp. 750-759. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0807-6

  • Collaborators, G.2.L.R.I. (2020). Quantifying risks and interventions that have affected the burden of lower respiratory infections among children younger than 5 years: an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Infect Dis, 20(1), pp. 60-79. United States. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30410-4

  • Collaborators, G.2.D.D. (2020). Quantifying risks and interventions that have affected the burden of diarrhoea among children younger than 5 years: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Infect Dis, 20(1), pp. 37-59. United States. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(19)30401-3

  • Hulland, E.N., Wiens, K.E., Shirude, S., Morgan, J.D., Bertozzi-Villa, A., Farag, T.H., Fullman, N., Kraemer, M., Miller-Petrie, M.K., Gupta, V., Reiner, R.C., Rabinowitz, P., Wasserheit, J.N., Bell, B.P., Hay, S.I., Weiss, D.J., & Pigott, D.M. (2019). Travel time to health facilities in areas of outbreak potential: maps for guiding local preparedness and response. BMC Med, 17(1), p. 232. England. doi: 10.1186/s12916-019-1459-6

  • Reiner, R.C., Welgan, C.A., Casey, D.C., Troeger, C.E., Baumann, M.M., Nguyen, Q.P., Swartz, S.J., Blacker, B.F., Deshpande, A., Mosser, J.F., Osgood-Zimmerman, A.E., Earl, L., Marczak, L.B., Munro, S.B., Miller-Petrie, M.K., Kemp, G.R., Frostad, J., Wiens, K.E., Lindstedt, P.A., Pigott, D.M., Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Ross, J.M., Burstein, R., Graetz, N., Rao, P.C., Khalil, I.A., Weaver, N.D., Ray, S.E., Davis, I., Farag, T., Brady, O.J., Kraemer, M.U.G., Smith, D.L., Bhatt, S., Weiss, D.J., Gething, P.W., Kassebaum, N.J., Mokdad, A.H., Murray, C.J.L., & Hay, S.I. (2019). Identifying residual hotspots and mapping lower respiratory infection morbidity and mortality in African children from 2000 to 2017. Nat Microbiol, 4(12), pp. 2310-2318. England. doi: 10.1038/s41564-019-0562-y

  • Bhattacharjee, N.V., Schaeffer, L.E., Marczak, L.B., Ross, J.M., Swartz, S.J., Albright, J., Gardner, W.M., Shields, C., Sligar, A., Schipp, M.F., Pickering, B.V., Henry, N.J., Johnson, K.B., Louie, C., Cork, M.A., Steuben, K.M., Lazzar-Atwood, A., Lu, D., Kinyoki, D.K., Osgood-Zimmerman, A., Earl, L., Mosser, J.F., Deshpande, A., Burstein, R., Woyczynski, L.P., Wilson, K.F., VanderHeide, J.D., Wiens, K.E., Reiner, R.C., Piwoz, E.G., Rawat, R., Sartorius, B., Weaver, N.D., Nixon, M.R., Smith, D.L., Kassebaum, N.J., Gakidou, E., Lim, S.S., Mokdad, A.H., Murray, C.J.L., Dwyer-Lindgren, L., & Hay, S.I. (2019). Publisher Correction: Mapping exclusive breastfeeding in Africa between 2000 and 2017. Nat Med, 25(9), p. 1458. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0577-1

  • Bhattacharjee, N.V., Schaeffer, L.E., Marczak, L.B., Ross, J.M., Swartz, S.J., Albright, J., Gardner, W.M., Shields, C., Sligar, A., Schipp, M.F., Pickering, B.V., Henry, N.J., Johnson, K.B., Louie, C., Cork, M.A., Steuben, K.M., Lazzar-Atwood, A., Lu, D., Kinyoki, D.K., Osgood-Zimmerman, A., Earl, L., Mosser, J.F., Deshpande, A., Burstein, R., Woyczynski, L.P., Wilson, K.F., VanderHeide, J.D., Wiens, K.E., Reiner, R.C., Piwoz, E.G., Rawat, R., Sartorius, B., Weaver, N.D., Nixon, M.R., Smith, D.L., Kassebaum, N.J., Gakidou, E., Lim, S.S., Mokdad, A.H., Murray, C.J.L., Dwyer-Lindgren, L., & Hay, S.I. (2019). Mapping exclusive breastfeeding in Africa between 2000 and 2017. Nat Med, 25(8), pp. 1205-1212. United States. doi: 10.1038/s41591-019-0525-0

  • Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Cork, M.A., Sligar, A., Steuben, K.M., Wilson, K.F., Provost, N.R., Mayala, B.K., VanderHeide, J.D., Collison, M.L., Hall, J.B., Biehl, M.H., Carter, A., Frank, T., Douwes-Schultz, D., Burstein, R., Casey, D.C., Deshpande, A., Earl, L., Bcheraoui, C.E.l., Farag, T.H., Henry, N.J., Kinyoki, D., Marczak, L.B., Nixon, M.R., Osgood-Zimmerman, A., Pigott, D., Reiner, R.C., Ross, J.M., Schaeffer, L.E., Smith, D.L., Weaver, N.D., Wiens, K.E., Eaton, J.W., Justman, J.E., Opio, A., Sartorius, B., Tanser, F., Wabiri, N., Piot, P., Murray, C.J.L., & Hay, S.I. (2019). Mapping HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa between 2000 and 2017. Nature, 570(7760), pp. 189-193. England. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1200-9

  • Hulland, E., Wiens, K., Shirude, S., Bell, B., Rabinowitz, P., Wasserheit, J., Weiss, D., Hay, S., & Pigott, D. (2019). PRECISION PUBLIC HEALTH AND PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS: QUANTIFYING TRAVEL TIME TO HEALTH CARE AND LOCATIONS AT RISK FOR PATHOGEN TRANSMISSION. AMERICAN JOURNAL of TROPICAL MEDICINE and HYGIENE, 101, pp. 29-30. Retrieved from http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/

  • Reiner, R.C., Wiens, K., Deshpande, A., Lindstedt, P., Blacker, B., & Hay, S. (2019). GEOGRAPHIC INEQUALITY IN CHILDHOOD DIARRHEAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY IN LOW-INCOME AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES, 2000-2017. AMERICAN JOURNAL of TROPICAL MEDICINE and HYGIENE, 101, pp. 336-336. Retrieved from http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/