Dr. Tetyana Vasylyeva will use portable genetic sequencing and molecular epidemiology to study HIV and HCV in internally displaced populations in Ukraine and in refugees in Italy. The study will include data collection (behavior and viral genetic data) in refugee camps and places of concentrated living for migrants, as well as phylodynamic and phylogeographic data analysis. Dr. Vasylyeva aims to answer questions about when virus transmissions happen (home/receiving country, or waiting camps), which can help to develop targeted preventative strategies in forced migrants’ communities. She will also include viral genetic data available from the host countries’ autochthonous population to identify and quantify viral exchange between the migrant and host communities. This research can contribute to the debate about migrants’ influence on epidemics in receiving countries.
In the best tradition of Branco Weiss-supported research,[nbsp]Dr. Vasylyeva’s project allows the deployment of a state-of-the-art scientific technology to resolve an urgent sociopolitical issue, now in a real-time field research framework.
