Timileyin Adediran, assistant professor of epidemiology in the University of Iowa College of Public Health, has been selected by the Institute for Public Health Practice, Research and Policy (IPHPRP) to establish a new collaboratory designed to unite researchers, students, public health professionals, and community partners to address infectious disease challenges affecting Iowa and other rural communities.

A collaboratory is a creative group process designed to solve complex problems and connect collaborators from different backgrounds and disciplines to expand the scope, scale, and impact of critical public health research. 

Led by Dr. Adediran, the collaboratory will create a campus-wide network of infectious disease researchers, identify strategic research priorities, and foster collaboration through seminars, networking opportunities, and an annual research conference.

The initiative recognizes that rural communities face unique infectious disease risks, including antimicrobial resistance, healthcare-associated infections, zoonotic disease threats, and public health preparedness challenges. By bringing together expertise from public health, environmental health, biostatistics, geography, microbiology, and related fields, the collaboratory aims to build a sustainable foundation for innovative research and future funding opportunities.

Over the next year, the team will develop a directory of infectious disease researchers, conduct assessments of existing resources and needs, establish priority research themes, and create a strategic plan for a long-term interdisciplinary research center. A seminar series and infectious disease research conference will further strengthen collaborations across campus and with community partners.

In addition to Adediran, the collaboratory team members include:

• Kathryn Dalton, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Jin Pan, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health
• Grant Brown, Department of Biostatistics
• Margaret Carrel, Department of Earth, Environment, and Sustainability
• Michael Pentella, Department of Epidemiology and State Hygienic Laboratory

Read more about the IPHPRP collaboratories and their work.