Dr. Wirichada Pan-ngum Assistant Professor of Mathematical modelling and Epidemiology

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wirichada.pan@mahidol.ac.th
+66 (0) 23069188, Ext 104

Background

Dr. Wirichada is a lecturer in Biostatistics and data management. She teaches graduate students and supervises several Masters and PhD students from both Tropical Medicine and Biomedical and Health Informatics courses. She is a principal investigator in many projects funded by national and international funding agencies. Those projects often involve using a multidisciplinary approach.

Dr. Wirichada is the deputy head and a senior member of the mathematical modelling group at Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), one of the strongest research units working in collaboration with the Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University. She has an extensive network of collaborators in the UK, South Africa, Kenya, and many in the SE Asia region.

Her primary research focuses on the mathematical modelling of neglected diseases, with zoonotic diseases being a particular interest.

Affiliations

Department of Tropical Hygiene
Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit
MAthematical and Economic MODelling group (MAEMOD)

Research

Dr. Wirichada Pan-Ngum’s research mainly involves using modelling approaches to gain a better understanding of transmission routes of zoonotic diseases at the Human-Animal-Ecosystems interface. She received funding from the Faculty of Tropical Medicine and from the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) to build a transmission model to describe leptospirosis and dengue epidemiology. She is very interested in combining field surveys with mathematical modelling to gain insights into specific health issues and to find practical and sustainable solutions for community health.

Her current work focuses on leptospirosis, one of many long-term health problems for agricultural workers in Thailand. The influence of climate change, and flooding in particular, has caused increased concern over leptospirosis outbreaks. Her model explores the importance of these environmental factors as well as the risk of disease exposure during traditional rice farming activities in relation to the incidence of human leptospirosis. Her other research interests include dengue in the urban setting: spatial modelling to guide optimal spraying intervention strategies and the impacts of population transience on infectious disease epidemiology. Dr. Wirichada has so far received funding from Thailand (TRF, NSTDA), UK (Newton Funds) and Belgium (GSK- Biologicals) for her research.

Wirichada is a leader on the modelling network TDModNet (http://www.tdmod.net/), a forum for mathematical modellers and their collaborators who are based in the tropics and working on tropical infectious diseases. Funded in part by the Wellcome Trust, the TDModNet network offers annual meetings, workshops and fellowships to support independent modellers with their work.

Qualifications

2006 PhD, Mathematical Modelling University of Liverpool, UK
1999 MSc, Applied Statistics University of oxford, UK
1998 BSc, Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics, and Economics (MORSE) University of Warwick, UK

Research Areas

  • Mathematical modelling of infectious diseases
  • Biostatistics and clinical data management
  • Health informatics

Publications

Selected publications by Dr. Wirichada Pan-ngum are listed below. The full list can be seen on NCBI.

Selected Publications

Burden of Liver Abscess and Survival Risk Score in Thailand: A Population-Based Study.
Poovorawan K, Pan-Ngum W, Soonthornworasiri N, Kulrat C, Kittitrakul C, Wilairatana P, Treeprasertsuk S, Kitsahawong B, Phaosawasdi K.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2016 Jun 20. pii: 16-0228.

Long-term impact of childhood malaria infection on school performance among school children in a malaria endemic area along the Thai-Myanmar border.
Vorasan N, Pan-Ngum W, Jittamala P, Maneeboonyang W, Rukmanee P, Lawpoolsri S.
Malar J. 2015 Oct 9;14:401.

Defining the in vivo phenotype of artemisinin-resistant falciparum malaria: a modelling approach.
White LJ, Flegg JA, Phyo AP, Wiladpai-ngern JH, Bethell D, Plowe C, Anderson T, Nkhoma S, Nair S, Tripura R, Stepniewska K, Pan-Ngum W, Silamut K, Cooper BS, Lubell Y, Ashley EA, Nguon C, Nosten F, White NJ, Dondorp AM.
PLoS Med. 2015 Apr 28;12(4):e1001823.

Spatio-temporal patterns of leptospirosis in Thailand: is flooding a risk factor?
Suwanpakdee S, Kaewkungwal J, White LJ, Asensio N, Ratanakorn P, Singhasivanon P, Day NP, Pan-Ngum W.
Epidemiol Infect. 2015 Jul;143(10):2106-15.

Evaluating clinical trial designs for investigational treatments of Ebola virus disease.
Cooper BS, Boni MF, Pan-ngum W, Day NP, Horby PW, Olliaro P, Lang T, White NJ, White LJ, Whitehead J.
PLoS Med. 2015 Apr 14;12(4):e1001815.