Microbial Risk Analysis

Officers

Dr. Jade Mitchell is an Associate Professor at Michigan State University. After earning her B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, she went on to Drexel University, earning both a M.S. Civil Engineering (Thesis: “Performance of Polypropylene: Geosynthetic Filters Under Pressurized Hydraulic Flow Conditions”) and a Ph.D. Environmental Engineering (Thesis: “Using Analytic Models for Risk-Based Responses to Pathogenic Agents in the Environment”). Her research interests include:

Risk assessment: chemical and microbial stressors from diverse environmental exposures including bioterrorism and food safety
Quantitative analysis: decision analysis, Bayesian statistics, and systems analysis
Modeling: Dose-response and exposure modeling including both exogenous and endogenous fate
Risk management and environmental policy: benefit-cost analysis, risk perception and communication

jade@msu.edu | LinkedIn Profile | Michigan State Profile

Dr. Amir Mokhtari is a Senior Risk Modeler with FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN). He has over 12 years of experience in developing novel probabilistic models to solve complex risk assessment problems, leading technical teams from design requirements through implementation and model verification/testing. Dr. Mokhtari’s areas of expertise specifically include: data analytics and visualization; developing probabilistic models to characterize exposure and risk associated with chemical and microbial hazards in food; quantitative analysis of uncertainty and variability in probabilistic risk models; ranking and prioritization of food commodities, hazards, and decision alternatives in terms of risk management solutions; optimal, risk-based allocation of resources; and multi-attribute decision making involving health, feasibility, and economic criteria. Dr. Mokhtari has developed innovative modeling approaches to compare risk mitigation strategies intended to reduce the transmission and, ultimately, the burden of disease associated with infectious pathogens.

Amir.Mokhtari@fda.hhs.gov | LinkedIn Profile

Ainsley Otten is a Risk Assessor in the Public Health Risk Sciences Division of the National Microbiology Laboratory, within the Public Health Agency of Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the University of Guelph, specializing in Biological and Food Engineering. Ainsley’s past areas of work have included zoonotic pathogens transmitted through routes such as food, water and vectors, disease prioritization tools and disease transmission models within a community setting.

Ainsley.Otten@C anada.ca | LinkedIn Profile | Gov of Canada Directory | ResearchGate

Patrick Gurian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering. He holds a doctoral degree in Engineering & Public Policy and Civil & Environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Patrick generally works at the intersection of microbial risk assessment and decision analysis. His previous work includes studies of how to manage risks from bioterrorism, risks associated with the beneficial reuse of biosolids, and risks from Legionella growth in building plumbing systems. He is the area editor for the “Risk Characterization” section of the QMRA Wiki and an editorial board member for AWWA Water Science.