Professional Profile

image for Smith, Becky

Smith, Becky

Associate Professor of Epidemiology
Health Innovation Professor

Department of Pathobiology
2001 South Lincoln Avenue
Urbana, IL 61802
M/C 002
Urbana, IL  61802
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8343-794X

Education

  • PhD in Epidemiology, Department of Population Medicine, Cornell University. Minors: Applied Economics and Management, Statistics
  • MS in Biosecurity and Risk Analysis, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University. 
  • DVM, School of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University. 
  • B.A. in Biology, Gustavus Adolphus College, MN.  Minor: English

Academic Positions

  • Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cornell University, 2011-2014
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Cornell University (Advisor, Yrjö Gröhn), full-time graduate student, 2007-2011
  • Graduate Research Assistant, Kansas State University (Advisor, Michael Sanderson), full-time graduate student, 2005-2007

show listOther campus affiliations

ASSOC PROF, Biomedical & Translational Sciences, Carle-Illinois College of Medicine

ASSOC PROF, Infection Genomics for One Health, Institute for Genomic Biology

ASSOC PROF, Kinesiology & Community Health 

ASSOC PROF, Women & Gender in Global Perspectives

AFFILIATE, Center for Social and Behavioral Sciences, Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute 

ASSOC PROF, National Center for  Supercomputing Applications 

ASSOC PROF, Center for Digital Agriculture

Research Interests

  • Infectious disease control
    • Mathematical modeling of infectious diseases
    • Model parameterization
    • Optimal disease control
  • Longitudinal data analysis
  • One Health

Links

show listCourses Taught

Current

  • Epidemiology Seminar, PATH527, every spring
  • Principles and Methods of Epidemiology, PATH517, every fall

Previous

  • Introduction to Epidemiology (VetPMD 6640), Cornell University Fall 2010-2012. 
  • Mathematical and Epidemiological Modeling of Endemic Infectious Disease, Cornell University Summer 2011. 
  • Advanced Epidemiology (VetPMD 6660), Cornell University Fall 2008-2009 (TA). 
  • Epidemic! workshop for Expanding Your Horizons (EYH), 2008-2011. 

show listCurrent Projects


  • Vector-Borne Diseases at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface
  • COVID-19 transmission and control, and the impact of human factors
  • Transmission and control of water-borne pathogens and interpretation of wastewater pathogen data
  • Evaluation of diagnostic tests longitudinally
  • Infection genomics to understand disease transmission and antimicrobial resistance

show listHonors and Awards

  • Presidential Medallion, University of Illinois, 2021
  • Mark Gearhart Award. Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, December, 2011. 
  • Guild of St. Ansgar. Gustavus Adolphus College, May 2001.

show listProfessional Affiliations

  • American Veterinary Medical Association, 2005-present, Member
  • American Dairy Science Association, 2010-2011, Member 
  • Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases, 2012-present, Member
  • United States Animal Health Association, 2014-present, Member
  • Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, 2014-present, Director