Dr. Sandra Chaves

Current Students

David Collins

David Collins

PhD Student

---

Email : DCollins@kemri-wellcome.org

Collins is a molecular virologist interested in the applications of molecular techniques and bioinformatics in investigating infectious diseases. He holds a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Technology from the University of Nairobi (First Class Honours) and a Master’s in Molecular Genetics and Diagnostics from the University of Nottingham. He is currently an IDeAL PhD student under the Virus Epidemiology and Control Group. His PhD seeks to understand the introduction, evolution, and transmission of the 2009/2010 pandemic influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus in Kenya
He has previously worked as a research scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-Kenya; a current collaborating institution for his PhD project.

Currently Dr. Chaves is the Influenza Program Director at the CDC Kenya office.
Dr. Chaves completed her medical degree in Brazil followed by several years of clinical practice in tropical countries, working with a broad spectrum of infectious diseases. In 1997, Dr. Chaves completed a Master of Science in Communicable Disease Epidemiology degree program from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, working as a medical epidemiologist in various settings afterwards, including Bolivia, Brazil, East Timor and The Netherlands, both at local and national levels, through which she has acquired extensive practical experience in public health.

In 2002, Dr. Chaves joined the CDC, and has since worked with viral vaccine preventable diseases (varicella and zoster viruses, viral hepatitis and more recently influenza), investigating issues related to long-term vaccine-induced immunity and disease severity. Dr. Chaves joined the Influenza Division, in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, in 2009 and moved to Kenya in 2015. As the Influenza Program Director in Kenya, she oversees a large research portfolio as well as programmatic activities implemented in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Health. She has been the author or co-author of more than 80 papers and book chapters.