Ellen Santos, Ph.D., MS

Assistant Professor
Epidemiology and Biostatistics

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Education

Research Interests

Vector-borne diseases, particularly in bridging epidemiology and medical entomology. Primary disease systems include malaria, dengue, and Chagas disease across the Midwest (Illinois and Missouri), East Africa, and Mexico.

Publications and Media Placements

1. Bofu RM*, Santos EM, Betwel J, Kahamba M, Swilla J, Njalambaha R, Kelly AH, Lezaun J, Christofides N, Okumu FO, Finda MF. (2023). The needs and opportunities for housing improvement as a malaria intervention in southern Tanzania. Malaria Journal, 22:69, doi: 10.1186/s12936-023-04499-1. 

2. Coalson JE, Anderson E, Santos EM, Garcia VM, Romine J, Dominguez B, Richard D, Little AC, Hayden MH, Ernst KC. (2021). The complex epidemiological relationship between flooding events and human outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases: a scoping review.  Environmental Health Perspectives, 129(9) doi: 10.1289/EHP8887

3. Santos EM, Curtis TM*. The unsustainability of long-lasting insecticidal nets (2021). AJTMH, 105(4); 876-878. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.21-0276. PMID: 34370706

4. Santos, EM, Coalson, JE, Munga S, Agawo M, Jacobs ET, Klimentidis YC, Hayden MH, Ernst KC. (2020). “After those nets are torn, most people use them for other purposes”: an examination of alternative bed net use in western Kenya. Malar J 19, 272 https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.5077524.v1

5. Santos EM, McClelland DJ, Shelly CE, Hansen L, Jacobs ET, Klimentidis YC, Ernst KC. (2020). Malaria education interventions addressing bed net care and repair practices: a systematic review. Pathogens and Global Health 114:1, 2-15 DOI: 10.1080/20477724.2020.1719727


6. Coalson JE, Santos EM, Little AC, Anderson E, Stroupe N, Agawo M, Hayden M, Munga S, Ernst KC. (2020) Insufficient ratio of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) to household members challenges universal coverage in western Kenya: a cross-sectional study. Am J Trop Med Hyg  102(6):1328-1342 doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0119.

7. Santos EM, Coalson JE, Jacobs ET, Klimentidis YC, Munga S, Agawo M, Anderson E, Stroupe N, Ernst KC. (2019) Bed net care and repair practices and associated factors in western Kenya. Malaria Journal 18(1): 274 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-019-2908-6

8. Shelly E, Acuna-Soto R, Ernst K, Sterling C, Brown HE. (2016) A critical assessment of officially reported Chagas Disease surveillance data in Mexico. Public Health Reports 131: 59-66.  doi: 10.1177/003335491613100112. PMID: 26843671; PMCID: PMC4716473.

Professional Organizations and Associations

• American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (ASTMH)
• Illinois Mosquito and Vector Control Association (IMVCA)
• Society for Epidemiological Research (SER)