https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-rss/?orgId=116016&title=Latest+News A selection of the latest research, academic, and other newsworthy developments at Pitzer Lab en-us Copyright 2026 Yale School of Medicine Thu, 14 May 2026 20:14:11 Z https://www.courant.com/2026/03/17/opinion-vaccination-is-not-just-about-personal-choice-in-ct-or-elsewhere/ https://www.courant.com/2026/03/17/opinion-vaccination-is-not-just-about-personal-choice-in-ct-or-elsewhere/ Herd immunity is about more than just eliminating transmission by reaching an often unattainable threshold of population-level protection, YSPH Professors Virginia Pitzer and Gregg Gonsalves say in this Op-Ed. Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/new-ysph-pilot-grants-aim-to-support-innovative-interdisciplinary-research/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/new-ysph-pilot-grants-aim-to-support-innovative-interdisciplinary-research/ The Yale School of Public Health recently launched its inaugural Transformational Pilot Funding grants, providing internal seed money to empower faculty to pursue ambitious, cross-disciplinary studies that have the potential to transform health outcomes locally and globally. Mon, 21 Jul 2025 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/yale-study-shows-viral-backbone-influences-rotavirus-vaccine-effectiveness/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/yale-study-shows-viral-backbone-influences-rotavirus-vaccine-effectiveness/ A new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health shows that differences in the entire rotavirus genome – not just its two surface proteins – affect how well rotavirus vaccines work. This may explain why some people still get infected with rotavirus even though they have been vaccinated. Wed, 09 Apr 2025 04:00:00 Z https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/health/mpox-vaccines-gay-bisexual.html https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/health/mpox-vaccines-gay-bisexual.html The 2022 outbreak of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, was curbed in large part by drastic changes in behavior among gay and bisexual men, and not by vaccination, according to a new analysis published on Thursday in the journal Cell. Thu, 29 Feb 2024 05:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/study-identifies-countries-vulnerable-to-extensively-drug-resistant-typhoid/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/study-identifies-countries-vulnerable-to-extensively-drug-resistant-typhoid/ Using air travel records and data on where local conditions make transmission more likely, Yale School of Public Health researchers have identified countries where outbreaks of an extensively drug-resistant form of typhoid fever are most likely to occur. The research, published in Nature Communications, could help prevent and control additional outbreaks. Wed, 08 Nov 2023 20:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/severe-flooding-linked-to-increased-diarrhea-risk-in-children/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/severe-flooding-linked-to-increased-diarrhea-risk-in-children/ Weather patterns driven by climate change are causing more severe flooding around the globe increasing the risk of potentially life-threatening diarrhea among children under the age of five, particularly among those living in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new study by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health. Mon, 02 Oct 2023 04:00:00 Z https://theplosblog.plos.org/2023/09/code-policy-interview/ https://theplosblog.plos.org/2023/09/code-policy-interview/ On March 31, 2021, PLOS Computational Biology introduced a new journal requirement: mandated code sharing. The aim was to improve reproducibility and increase understanding of research. At the end of the year-long trial period, code sharing had risen from 53% in 2019 to 87% in 2021. Today, the sharing rate is 96%. Mon, 25 Sep 2023 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/studies-on-cancer-climate-change-and-covid-19-among-the-top-ysph-research-honored-in-2023/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/studies-on-cancer-climate-change-and-covid-19-among-the-top-ysph-research-honored-in-2023/ Research studies focused on cancer, climate change, COVID-19, and Medicaid spending took top honors this year at the Yale School of Public Health. Thu, 08 Jun 2023 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/two-y-age-lab-members-among-clinical-research-forum-semifinalists/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/two-y-age-lab-members-among-clinical-research-forum-semifinalists/ Two members of the Yale Center for Research on Aging (Y-Age) are among three Yale School of Medicine faculty whose work is included on the Clinical Research Forum’s 2023 list of the Top 20 recent research achievements. Wed, 01 Feb 2023 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/hesitant-about-holiday-gatherings-here-are-some-tips-for-staying-healthy/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/hesitant-about-holiday-gatherings-here-are-some-tips-for-staying-healthy/ Yale School of Public Health Associate Professor Virginia Pitzer, ScD, provides advice for people concerned about holiday gatherings this year given the current multi-pronged threat of COVID-19, flu, and RSV. Fri, 16 Dec 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/jul/19/reinfections-are-going-continue-occur-covid-19-imm/ https://www.politifact.com/article/2022/jul/19/reinfections-are-going-continue-occur-covid-19-imm/ Although COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available, reinfections have risen in recent weeks. Tue, 19 Jul 2022 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/study-drought-linked-to-higher-diarrhea-risk-in-children/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/study-drought-linked-to-higher-diarrhea-risk-in-children/ Diarrhea is a leading killer of young children around the world, and cases often rise after heavy rains and flooding. But diarrhea risks can also increase in dry conditions, an ominous sign as the world continues to get warmer due to climate change. Thu, 30 Jun 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/health/covid-deaths-plateau.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/20/health/covid-deaths-plateau.html Most Americans now carry some immune protection, experts said, whether from vaccines, infection or both. Mon, 20 Jun 2022 04:00:00 Z https://gizmodo.com/what-is-monkeypox-outbreak-countries-1848949473 https://gizmodo.com/what-is-monkeypox-outbreak-countries-1848949473 Around 100 cases of the rare, usually hard-to-transmit infection have been found in at least 11 countries. Fri, 20 May 2022 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/delta-variant-waning-immunity-reduced-pfizer-vaccines-effectiveness-against-household-transmission/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/delta-variant-waning-immunity-reduced-pfizer-vaccines-effectiveness-against-household-transmission/ A new study by Yale School of Public Health researchers suggests that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was more than 91% effective at reducing transmission of coronavirus in Israeli households before the emergence of the delta variant. However, the combined effect of the new variant and waning vaccine-induced immunity considerably reduced the vaccine’s effectiveness against transmission over time. Thu, 27 Jan 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/01/omicron-wave-immunity/621324/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/01/omicron-wave-immunity/621324/ A variant that spreads comprehensively won’t necessarily protect comprehensively. Fri, 21 Jan 2022 04:00:00 Z https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/health/covid-boosters-cdc.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/19/health/covid-boosters-cdc.html As infections rise, Americans over 18 will be permitted to get extra doses. But it’s not clear boosters really are needed by so many people, or that the shots will turn back the pandemic. Fri, 19 Nov 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2021/03/04/vaccine-transmission https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2021/03/04/vaccine-transmission A handful of recent studies suggest that the coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna not only prevent people who are exposed to the virus from contracting Covid-19, but also prevent them from spreading the virus to others—and some experts say public health messaging should start reflecting that benefit. Thu, 04 Mar 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22291959/covid-vaccines-transmission-protect-spread-virus-moderna-pfizer https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/22291959/covid-vaccines-transmission-protect-spread-virus-moderna-pfizer For more than two months now, the US has been vaccinating its population with two Covid-19 vaccines — one by Pfizer/BioNTech, the other by Moderna — that are highly effective at preventing illness, hospitalization, and death. Tue, 23 Feb 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00450-z https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00450-z Controlling the pandemic will require shots that prevent viral spread, but that feature is difficult to measure. Fri, 19 Feb 2021 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/yales-new-vaccine-initiative-targeting-covid-19/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/yales-new-vaccine-initiative-targeting-covid-19/ Amid a global effort to bring vaccines to the public, Yale School of Public Health researchers and their colleagues around the university are hard at work to speed up the process. Mon, 25 Jan 2021 04:00:00 Z https://www.today.com/health/5-popular-covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked-today-t204215 https://www.today.com/health/5-popular-covid-19-vaccine-myths-debunked-today-t204215 This week health care workers across the United States proudly bared their arms to be the first to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Yet, misinformation about coronavirus vaccines started circulating even before any vaccine had been approved. While the experts say that some side effects from vaccines can happen, these myths are simply not true. Thu, 17 Dec 2020 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/covidestim-the-latest-coronavirus-data-state-by-state-county-by-county/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/covidestim-the-latest-coronavirus-data-state-by-state-county-by-county/ A team of epidemiologists at the Yale School of Public Health and the T.H. Chan Harvard School of Public Health have created a series of models that show in real-time the latest COVID-19 levels county by county throughout the United States. Thu, 08 Oct 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/health/coronavirus-herd-immunity.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/health/coronavirus-herd-immunity.html In what may be the world’s most important math puzzle, researchers are trying to figure out how many people in a community must be immune before the coronavirus fades. Mon, 17 Aug 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/07/how-help-parents-without-fully-reopening-schools/614836/ https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/07/how-help-parents-without-fully-reopening-schools/614836/ Other potential solutions exist to fully reopening schools—but implementing them would require substantially more time, money, and imagination. Fri, 31 Jul 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/slideshow/CT-public-health-infectious-disease-experts-206119.php?src=ctphpcorona https://www.ctpost.com/news/coronavirus/slideshow/CT-public-health-infectious-disease-experts-206119.php?src=ctphpcorona Will they get a COVID vaccine? Three CT health experts weigh in Fri, 31 Jul 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/CT-s-coronavirus-transmission-rate-tops-15437624.php https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/CT-s-coronavirus-transmission-rate-tops-15437624.php The coronavirus transmission rate in Connecticut has risen slightly above one, meaning that COVID-19 may have started to spread again in the state, albeit slowly, even as new case numbers remain low. “If that is greater than one, the number of cases is going to grow,” Virginia Pitzer, an associate professor of the epidemiology of microbial disease at the Yale School of Public Health, explained about the transmission rate. Tue, 28 Jul 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-tricky-math-of-covid-19-herd-immunity-20200630/ https://www.quantamagazine.org/the-tricky-math-of-covid-19-herd-immunity-20200630/ While much about the COVID-19 pandemic remains uncertain, we know how it will likely end: when the spread of the virus starts to slow (and eventually ceases altogether) because enough people have developed immunity to it. At that point, whether it’s brought on by a vaccine or by people catching the disease, the population has developed “herd immunity.” Wed, 01 Jul 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/coronavirus-symptomless-transmission-households-survive-surfaces-lockdown-covid-19-china-a9571961.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/coronavirus-symptomless-transmission-households-survive-surfaces-lockdown-covid-19-china-a9571961.html “Significant transmission” of coronavirus takes place in households before infected patients develop recognisable symptoms, according to new research from China. Thu, 18 Jun 2020 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/fourth-virtual-deans-workshop-highlights-mathematical-modeling-as-a-valuable-covid-19-tool/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/fourth-virtual-deans-workshop-highlights-mathematical-modeling-as-a-valuable-covid-19-tool/ Sophisticated mathematical modeling and quantitative science were the topics of the fourth virtual Dean’s Workshop on the COVID-19 pandemic, held May 21, 2020. Sat, 06 Jun 2020 04:00:00 Z https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-wastewater-could-help-track-spread-new-coronavirus-180974858/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-wastewater-could-help-track-spread-new-coronavirus-180974858/ Smithsonian: The virus that causes COVID-19 is unlikely to remain active in sewage, but its genetic material can still help researchers identify at-risk communities Thu, 14 May 2020 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/ysph-washington-post-form-partnership-to-investigate-coronavirus/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/ysph-washington-post-form-partnership-to-investigate-coronavirus/ The Washington Post and the Yale School of Public Health have formed a partnership to research and report on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mon, 27 Apr 2020 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/covid-19-is-here-now-how-long-will-it-last/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/covid-19-is-here-now-how-long-will-it-last/ COVID-19 Is Here. Now How Long Will It Last? With COVID-19 case numbers climbing dramatically in the United States and millions of people sheltered in their homes to help quell the outbreak, many are asking the obvious question: How long will all this last? Yale School of Public Health Associate Professor Virginia Pitzer shares her perspective on this timely question. Pitzer is an expert in infectious disease transmission dynamics. Her research involves the creation and development of mathematical models to assess how different interventions, such as vaccination, affect disease transmission among populations. Here are her thoughts: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 04:00:00 Z https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/innovation-award-showcases-strength-of-ysph-modeling-unit/ https://websites4-live-prod.ysmdevs.com/lab/pitzer/news-article/innovation-award-showcases-strength-of-ysph-modeling-unit/ A third member of the Yale School of Public Health’s Modeling Unit has received a prestigious federal innovation award, bolstering the unit’s position as an international leader in modeling science in the field of public health. Tue, 14 Jan 2020 04:00:00 Z