Jeffrey Bethel

Project co-leader and Principal Investigator

Associate Professor, OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Jeffrey Bethel is an infectious disease epidemiologist with extensive public health experience. He previously worked as an epidemiologist at the CDC conducting infectious disease surveillance studies and pandemic influenza planning. He has extensive relationships with the public health community in Oregon and across the nation.

Benjamin Dalziel

Project leader and Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, OSU College of Science
Benjamin Dalziel specializes in the dynamics of epidemics, specifically the factors affecting the emergence, spread and control of infectious diseases. He has extensive experience leading international studies on transmission dynamics of measles, Ebola, influenza and SARS-COV-2.

Roy Haggerty

Board of Advisors and Principal Investigator

Dean and Professor, OSU College of Science
Haggerty brings experience with complex, multi-scale project planning, coordination and integration across multiple units within the university.

Kathryn A. Higley

Associate Director

PhD, CHP, Professor, OSU College of Engineering
I bring to my Associate Director role more than a decade of experience as Head of the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering, including development, implementation and tracking of strategic plans. I have built multi-million dollar budgets and implemented fiscal strategies, received training in fund (and friend) raising, and developed and implemented communication and outreach strategies – for OSU and for outside organizations, including our legislative bodies. I have substantial experience communicating scientific and policy issues to diverse audiences, and have served (and continue to serve) as technical liaison to radiologically impacted communities. I have been trained in emergency response, worked in radiologically impacted environments, and served on accident review boards.

Denise Hynes

Co-Investigator and Advisor

Professor, OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Director for Health Data and Informatics (HDI), Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing (CGRB), Oregon State University
I bring to my role decades of experience as a registered nurse and public health scientist leading research to improve healthcare quality, access, and value for people with chronic conditions and for vulnerable populations. An experienced leader in data governance and data knowledge sharing, I advise on data management policies and procedures for the TRACE-COVID-19 team.

Christine Kelly

Co-Investigator and Advisor

Professor, OSU College of Engineering
Dr. Kelly is a bioengineer who works in the area in wastewater treatment, and is focusing on the characterization of pathogens in sewage.

Jane Lubchenco

Board of Advisors and Principal Investigator

University Distinguished Professor, OSU College of Science
Lubchenco brings considerable experience with complex project management, effective response during crises, strategic communications, problem-solving, public outreach and government relations.

Katherine McLaughlin

Co-Principle Investigator

PhD, Assistant Professor, OSU College of Science and College of Agricultural Sciences
McLaughlin is an applied statistician specializing in sampling methodology and social network analysis, particularly for hidden populations at high risk for infectious diseases.

Allison Myers

Co-Investigator, Director of Participant Call Center, and Advisor on Community Engagement

Director, Oregon State University Center for Health Innovation

Allison Myers directs the Oregon State University Center for Health Innovation housed at the College of Public Health and Human Sciences. The Center connects external organizations and Oregon State University faculty in the discovery of innovative solutions to pressing health and wellness issues, and builds workforce capacity in public health and human sciences. Today, the Center leads projects related to integrating social needs care within the health care system, creating healthy neighborhoods and environments, promoting mental health and preventing substance use, and modernizing Oregon’s local public health system. Dr. Myers supports TRACE-COVID-19 community engagement activities including the participant call center, stakeholder communications, and post-testing response.

Javier Nieto

Board of Advisors and Principal Investigator

Dean and Professor, OSU College of Public Health and Human Sciences
Nieto is a physician-epidemiologist with considerable expertise and experience in the design and conduct of epidemiological surveys. He has considerable relationships with public health officials at the local, national and international level.

Aslan Noakes

Field Operations Manager

RN, MPH

Aslan Noakes oversees the logistics and staffing of the field teams and assists with their training, with emphasis on PPE & infection prevention protocol. She has been a nurse for 10 years, with experience in college ambulatory care and occupational medicine. She also runs a hypertension management program in Haiti and a for-profit social enterprise, Empower Haiti Together.

Tyler Radniecki

Principal Investigator

PhD, Associate Professor, OSU College of Engineering
Radniecki in an environmental engineer and specializes in the molecular characterization of wastewater microbiomes.

Justin Sanders

Principal Investigator

Assistant Professor, OSU Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine and Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Sanders is a molecular pathologist specializing in infectious diseases and the development of molecular diagnostic tests.

Tze-Yiu Yong

Operations and Project Manager

Project and Events Manager, OSU College of Science
Tze-Yiu Yong has over 25 years of professional experience as an engineering and project manager in numerous high technology fields, and now academia. He currently works within the Dean's Office in the College of Science where he is involved in and leads projects related to student recruitment and retention, online learning and student success analytics. He recently led a collaborative redesign of the College's main web presence, science.oregonstate.edu. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).