Dr Van Kerkhove specializes in outbreaks of emerging and re-emerging pathogens. She completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University, a MS Degree in epidemiology at Stanford University, and a PhD in infectious disease epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Apart from being the Technical Lead for COVID-19, Dr Van Kerkhove is also the Head of the Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses Unit and the MERS-CoV Technical Lead in the World Health Organization’s Health Emergency Program.
Dr Van Kerkhove’s main research interests include zoonotic, respiratory and emerging/re-emerging viruses such as avian influenza, MERS-CoV, Ebola, Marburg, plague and Zika. Her work focuses on investigating factors associated pathogen emergence, transmission between animals and humans, the epidemiology of high threat pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential, and ensuring research directly informs public health policies for action.