As an epidemiologist working at the intersection of infectious diseases and environmental health, my research focuses on using public health surveillance and population health data to drive declines in the occurrence of enteric illnesses. As a part of this work, my research involves understanding what populations might be disproportionately impacted by enteric illness or underrepresented in population-based health data. I am particularly interested in interdisciplinary research focused on the role that environments and human behaviors play in transmission of enteric illnesses and using the findings to develop population-level interventions and policies to protect human health. I am seeking to expand this work by exploring how climate change impacts the risk of enteric illness at the interface of interactions between humans, animals, and the environment using spatial methods.
Dr. Melanie Firestone is an epidemiologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She conducts research to improve public health surveillance and response and to drive declines in the occurrence of enteric illnesses. Dr. Firestone works collaboratively with the Minnesota Department of Health through the Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence. She has a PhD in Environmental Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and a Master of Public Health in epidemiology from Columbia University. She has experience working in public health at the federal, state, and local level. Prior to joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, she was the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer assigned to the Minnesota Department of Health. In this role, she developed population-level surveillance systems and conducted studies that supported and informed the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Firestone also has experience working in a variety of public health topics, including lead poisoning prevention, chronic disease prevention, injury and violence prevention, and emergency response as a Research Scientist at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.