Sarita  Shah

My research and public health work have focused on drug-resistant TB and TB/HIV epidemiology for the past twenty years in multiple high-burden settings throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. A major interest is TB prevention through multi-disciplinary research that examines TB transmission dynamics, host susceptibility to TB infection and disease, novel drugs for TB preventive therapy, and real-world effectiveness of TB preventive therapy in high-risk groups. 

I serve as the Co-director of the Clinical & Population Sciences Core for the Emory/Georgia TB Center where I work with partners across Emory, University of Georgia, metro Atlanta, and internationally to expand TB research and training opportunities. Mentoring the next generation of TB scientists is integral to my research mission with trainees involved in all aspects, from study design to implementation, analysis,and dissemination. My work in Atlanta is centered on the Emory COVID-19 Response Collaborative (ECRC) whose mission is to bring together Rollins faculty, staff and students to support the Georgia Department of Public Health's response to emerging public health threats through partnerships with local health departments. 

Through my role as a TB expert for the Global Fund, World Health Organization (WHO), and US HIV treatment guidelines, I synthesize evidence to inform policy and programming at global, regional, and national levels. My research is funded by the NIH, CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and has been recognized through election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), Society for Epidemiologic Research (Roger Detels Award in Infectious Disease Epidemiology), The Union Scientific Prize, and several CDC awards for research and service. Media coverage has included the New York Times, National Public Radio, CNN, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and others.

I received my undergraduate and MD degree from Johns Hopkins University, followed by clinical training in Internal Medicine and MPH at Columbia University's New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Mailman School of Public Health. I served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the Division of TB Elimination, where I later served as the Associate Chief for Science and Team Lead (2012-2020). I joined the Emory faculty in 2020 and remain involved with TB/HIV research with the CDC in several countries. I am also a clinical care provider for people living with HIV, initially in the Bronx, NY, and currently at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, GA. 

A complete list of my published work can be found here.