Denisse Vega Ocasio

BWF PUP program: University of Rochester "Infection and immunity

from molecules to populations"

Email: Denisse_VegaOcasio@urmc.rochester.edu

Research Interests: tropical infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Dengue viral infections in marginalized communities of Puerto Rico and South America.

Current Projects: I am applying the Medical Ecological Framework (MEF) to explain the multifaceted and interactive effects of individual, community, and environment, and how these factors are associated with the pathogenesis and experience of disease progression in individuals coinfected with HIV/AIDSDENV. MEF includes several domains (sociocultural, biotic, physical, and health) at different levels (individual, household, community). The mechanism of how these levels and domains intersect explains socialbiological processes, such as infections, exposures, and treatment responses. As such, MEF is well suited to examine biological processes – such as coinfection within the broader socialenvironmental context. The advantage of MEF over other models is that MEF can be used prospectively to identify major adjustments, actions, and changes needed in the systems and resources available to communities to reach those with the greatest risk.

System of Study: