Lone Simonsen is Research Professor, Department of Global Health, Research Director, and Co-Director, MPH Global Health Epidemiology Program CE
Dr. Simonsen calls herself a "science buff," and her knowledge of infectious diseases, the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, the use of mathematical models in epidemiology, the methodological challenges of observational studies and the development of novel analytic tools to conduct surveillance all bear that out. So, too, do the many awards she has received from the Department of Health and Humans Services, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
An eager collaborator who has published extensively, Dr. Simonsen has worked with colleagues around the world, especially during her tenure as a senior epidemiologist and head of the Epidemiology Unit at the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases within NIAID, her last position before joining GW SPH in August 2007. In addition to her responsibilities as a visiting professor and Research Director in the Department of Global Health, Dr. Simonsen is also the president and founder of a small business, SAGE Analytica, consulting in surveillance strategies, data analysis, modeling, and international health issues. Dr. Simonsen has been posted temporarily to the World Health Organization on several occasions, including the SARS crisis in 2003 and more recently to assist with pandemic planning efforts.
Since arriving in the United States from her native Denmark in 1987 to pursue a doctoral degree, Dr. Simonsen has felt a strong drive to make a contribution, and sees global health issues as a great way to do it. Speaking of her passion for teaching, Dr. Simonsen says, "I love inspiring students to become self-confident, kind and generous in their collaborations, to spot the good scientific problems and avoid the tedious ones, to think sharply and artfully in their research, and to always use their common sense and be prepared to examine scientific evidence critically."