Yasmin is a first-year PhD student looking to investigate how the changing environment and biodiversity affect mosquito-borne disease dynamics. Focusing on West Nile virus as her model system, she aims to understand how anthropogenic changes, including urbanization and climate impact the disease transmission patterns by altering habitats and behaviors of vectors and hosts. Yasmin holds a MS in medical entomology and nematology from University of Florida (FMEL) and has previous experience in other vector-borne disease systems, including those related to cervid health. Coming from Brazil, where mosquito-borne diseases are a major issue for public health, her fascination with this research field has grown over many years and is fueling her passion for her own work. Here at Columbia, Yasmin seeks to uncover the underlying mechanisms that drive WNV transmission by integrating ecological and epidemiological approaches, with a particular emphasis on the role of biodiversity in modulating disease risk and resilience in changing landscapes.
PhD student