Biography
As an infectious disease epidemiologist with a special interest in tuberculosis (TB) and a focus on health economics, Dr Zwerling’s main areas of expertise and interest involves cost-effectiveness analyses to guide thoughtful implementation of new tools and treatment regimens for TB both globally and at home in Canada. She received her PhD in Epidemiology from McGill University, and subsequently specialized in health economic evaluation during a postdoctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Prior to joining the University of Ottawa, Dr. Zwerling worked with the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation in The Hague to provide technical support to national TB programs through the USAID funded Challenge TB program.
Her current research program focuses on assessing cost-effectiveness of novel diagnostics, and screening approaches for TB and novel approaches for TB preventative treatment and involves both domestic and international collaborations to assess the potential impact and cost-effectiveness of scaling up preventive TB treatment using economic modelling approaches. As well as international work, Dr Zwerling has ongoing collaborations with the government of Nunavut and indigenous organizations to address key questions around how we can reach TB elimination across the Canadian artic region and among Canadian Inuit populations where the rate of TB is several hundred times greater than that of the general population in Canada.