Outbreak Investigation Taskforce - OITF
About
The multidisciplinary rapid response team-comprised of experts in early outbreak research, field epidemiology, anthropology, diagnostics, genomic surveillance, and mathematical modeling is designed to provide surge capacity support during international outbreaks at the request of local authorities and partners. At the same time, the OITF leverages IPP’s and the Pasteur Network’s strengths as leaders in global health research to address gaps in response, in coordination with existing partners and mechanisms.
Our Team
Michael Casera (Coordinator)
Michael Casera is an intervention epidemiologist with extensive field experience in humanitarian emergencies, having completed 15 missions with Médecins Sans Frontières. At OITF, he bridges operational epidemiology with applied research.
Natalie Fischer, PhD (Senior Epidemiologist, Deputy Coordinator)
Natalie Fischer is a senior epidemiologist specialised in international outbreak response and infectious disease surveillance. She has deployed with WHO, UNRWA, Africa CDC, and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team across responses to Ebola, mpox, and cholera.
Sayfonh Khamphasith (Administrative Coordinator)
Sayfonh Khamphasith is a project management professional with extensive experience in media development, education, and international cooperation. She streamlines administrative, HR, and organizational dimensions of the team.
Audrey Geoffroy, MD (Research Assistant)
Audrey Geoffroy is a final-year medical resident in public health based in Paris, with experience in epidemiology, infectious disease surveillance, and global health diplomacy.
Alumnis:
Diana Jeang, MD (Research Assistant)
Diana Jeang is a physician dual-trained in internal medicine and pediatrics. She completed a Master in Global Health Policy at Sciences Po. She holds experience in refugee resettlement case management, and community-based public health research in South Africa.
OITF Projects
The OITF's activities are structured around three core pillars: deployment, operational research, and capacity building.
The OITF contributes to the following projects:
1. Deployment
- Remote support provided by an anthropologist expert from the Institut Pasteur during the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Remote support provided to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva regarding the response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2. Operational Research
- Design and implementation of an epidemiological and serological study aimed at identifying Bundibugyo Ebola survivors at the epicenter of the outbreak.
- Conceptualization and coordination of a study on automated satellite image analysis in collaboration with the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar.
- Development of a climate and health project with the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar and IRSET (EHESP).
- Coordination of a hepatitis E project in Niger with Epicentre, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), CERMES, and the Institut Pasteur de Dakar.
3. Capacity Building
- Support for the implementation of a study with the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar at the onset of the mpox outbreak.
- Organization of a pandemic simulation exercise for the Pasteur Network, scheduled to take place in Brazil in 2027.
- Coordination of an outbreak preparedness working group in the Central African Republic with the Institut Pasteur de Bangui.
- Facilitation of Global Health seminars on outbreak investigation and response.
OITF Roster
- Amanda Munoz, MS (Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases)
- Camila Montesinos Guevara, MSc, MPH (Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases)
- Edith Turpyn, MSc (Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases)
- Laurie Pinaud, PhD, MPH (Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases)
- Olivier Rizk, MSc (Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases)
- Camille Lambert, MSc (Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Analytics)
- Marie-Fabrice Gasasira, PhD (Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Analytics)
- Libbie Goult, PhD (Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases)
- Eleana Dongas, DrPH (Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence)
- Jules Villa, PhD (Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence)
- Victoire Hubert, MSc (Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence)
- Isabelle Cailleau, MSc (Deputy Medical Director)
- Jessica Vanhomwegen, PhD (CIBU)
- Laurent Dacheux, PharmD, PhD (CIBU)
- Lucie Capuccio, PhD (CIBU)
- Katherine Worsley-Tonks, PhD (Lyssavirus Epidemiology and Neuropathology)