The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) recently selected Kacey Ernst, associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, as a 2017-2018 public engagement fellow.
As part of her fellowship, Ernst will attend the Alan I. Leshner Leadership Institute for Public Engagement with Science in June of this year.
Ernst specializes in examining how human-environment interactions change the risk of vector-borne disease transmission, specifically focusing on how Aedes-species mosquitoes spread diseases like dengue and Zika virus. She also focuses her efforts on the development of sustainable control strategies for malaria in western Kenya.
“As infectious diseases emerge and re-emerge around the globe, it is critical that scientists, such as myself, are equipped with the tools to better communicate risk,” Ernst said. “I am particularly interested in learning how to discuss uncertainty in a way that is meaningful and informative. Communities can play a significant role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases, but only if accurate information is available.”
AAAS fellows will meet in June for a week of public engagement and science communication training, networking, and public engagement plan development. After the training session, fellows then return to their respective institutions to develop and implement public engagement activities and the ability to offer training for local scientists in public engagement leadership.