Dr. Christine Moe’s Research Staff
Stephen Hilton, MS, MSE, Information Analyst III – Stephen is a public health and development professional with experience in wastewater monitoring and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). At the Center for Global Safe WASH, he has frequently managed data, disseminated results, and helped build data management systems for wastewater monitoring efforts for projects in the U.S., Ghana, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Nepal. Stephen also has experience advocating for initiatives that promote water, sanitation, and hygiene and preventing neglected tropical diseases. Stephen has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geosciences from Texas A&M University, and a Master’s in Environmental Engineering as well as Environment and Sustainability from the University of Michigan.

Suraja Raj, MPH, Associate Director of Research Projects – Suraja is a public health and development professional with 12 years of experience in strategic planning, project management, supervision, and designing and implementing applied research in international settings. She has been with the SaniPath study at the Center for Global Safe WASH at Emory University for 10 years and during that time led the development of the SaniPath Tool platform that guides users through the SaniPath methodology and can collect and manage data, and auto generate results and reports. Suraja has strong technical expertise in the areas of water, sanitation, and hygiene, monitoring and evaluation, and quantitative and qualitative data collection. She has extensive field experience and has led training on the SaniPath methodology and managed field teams in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Additionally, she has worked on setting up environmental and wastewater surveillance programs for SARS-CoV-2 and other enteric diseases including Typhoid and Cholera in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Prior to her work on SaniPath, Suraja worked in the areas of neglected tropical diseases, One Health, chronic diseases, and nutrition.

Orlando Sablon, III, MS, Lead Research Specialist, Moe Lab – Orlando  is the lead research specialist and laboratory manager of the Moe Lab at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University. He has a strong molecular biology background in bacteriology, parasitology, and virology. He obtained a dual Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology and Microbiology / Molecular biology along with a Master of Science in Biotechnology.  Orlando is also qualified as a Technologist in Molecular Biology under the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP). He completed one year of research studying Plasmodium falciparum. Orlando also participated as a guest research scientist at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researching Hepatitis A. Laboratory project manager and lead research scientist overseeing several groups while managing thirteen researchers at Emory University in the Rollins School of Public Health. A project lead on assay development involving digital PCR, real-time qPCR, and traditional PCR for wastewater surveillance domestically and internationally. Orlando also proudly served in the United States Navy earning the meritorious Navy/Marine Achievement Medal while leading a team of 5 technicians to full operational capability on a unoperational missile system during a time of war.

Habib Yakubu, MSPH, Associate Director of Research Projects – Habib is a public health and development professional with experience in environmental health, stakeholder engagement, and knowledge translation for policy action. He has over 20 years of experience in environmental health research and programming particularly waterborne and foodborne disease in community and healthcare settings. He spearheaded the SaniPath formative exposure assessment in Ghana, helped develop and pilot the SaniPath Tool, led trainings in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and led advocacy and knowledge translation efforts. He is also engaged in research to assess exposure to campylobacter infections in rural Ethiopia. Additionally, he is working to understand how exposure assessments can be used to inform WASH and vaccine interventions for Cholera in Kenya. He co-developed the WASHCON tool for the assessment of WASH conditions in healthcare facilities and led research into WASH in Healthcare facilities studies in Uganda, Ghana, and Ethiopia. Habib is leading environmental surveillance for multiple pathogens including SARS-COV-2 research in Ghana to build capacity and strengthen pandemic preparedness of public health agencies.

Kathleen “Kat” Peters, WASH Certificate Program Coordinator, Research Administrative Assistant, POC CGSW – Kat  has more than 30 years of experience working in the public, private and academic sectors. She has been working in public health since 2000 and at the Rollins School of Public Health since 2006. She currently supports the faculty and research staff of the Center for Global Safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as the Research Administrative Assistant. She is also the WASH Certificate Program Coordinator and POC for the Center for Global Safe WASH. Please contact her at kpeter5@emory.edu if you would like information about the WASH Certificate Program or would like more information about the Center for Global Safe WASH

Clasen Research – Dr. Thomas Clasen’s Research Website
Amy Lovorn, MPH, Research Coordinator – Amy is the Research Coordinator for the HAPIN trial, a multi-country LPG stove intervention trial.  She received her MPH in health behavior and health education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She has many years of experience managing research studies, primarily in the areas of reproductive health and HIV.

Gloria D. Sclar, MPH, Senior Public Health Program Associate – Gloria received her MPH in Global Health from Emory University in 2015 and is currently pursuing a PhD in Psychology at the University of Zürich. She has worked in the WASH sector for the past several years, collaborating with research teams in Tajikistan, Ethiopia, and India. Her work focuses on exploring behavioral factors influencing WASH practices, application of behavioral theory to intervention design, and psychological topics such as collective efficacy and social support. Currently, Gloria manages a cluster randomized-controlled trial evaluating a behavior change intervention aimed at improving child feces management practices among caregivers in rural Odisha, India.

Allison Salinger, MPH, Public Health Program Associate – Allison received an MPH in Global Health and a Certificate in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene from Emory University in 2018. She has worked in collaboration with a variety of international and local NGOs to conduct programmatic WASH research and evaluations, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Her work focuses on the social and behavioral aspects of WASH; she is particularly interested in community-based WASH interventions and the social antecedents of collective action. Currently, Allison is working with a group of transdisciplinary researchers from Atlanta, Australia, Fiji, and Indonesia on RISE (Revitalizing Informal Settlements and their Environments), a randomized controlled trial that takes a planetary health approach to community WASH in informal settlements in Fiji and Indonesia.

Freeman Research – Dr. Matt Freeman’s Research Website

Emily Ogutu Awino, MPH, Public Health Program Associate: Emily was a Foege Fellow in the Rollins School of Public Health. She has worked with the group for over a decade leading studies in Kenya on WASH and nutrition and currently works on the Vaccine Exemplars project.

Erika Canda, MPH, Public Health Program Associate: Erika interests include WinS, emergency preparedness and response, and climate change. She earned an MPH in Global Environmental Health and a WASH Certificate at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University.

Lilly O’Brien, MPH, Public Health Program Associate: Lilly is public health professional with a strong background in environmental health and sciences, with a passion for promoting safe water, sanitation, and hygiene worldwide. She earned an MPH in Global Environmental Health and a WASH Certificate at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University.

Jedidiah Snyder, MPH, Lead Public Health Program Associate: Jedidiah is an environmental engineer and public health professional with a passion for international development – particularly programs focused on water, sanitation and hygiene.

 Wolfe Lab Website – Dr. Marlene Wolfe’s Research Website

Additional CGSW research staff are highlighted on the research program websites of their core faculty mentors and supervisors.

CGSW Fellows include the doctoral and post-doctoral trainees working with CGSW Faculty.  Their biographies and research interests are listed below.

Valerie Bauza, Ph.D, Clasen Research Group  – Valerie earned a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and has experience working on water and sanitation projects in the USA, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia. Valerie is interested in research that expands understanding of critical sources and transmission pathways for fecal contamination in low-income settings, and her current projects primarily focus on practices and interventions related to child feces management.

Rina Das, MBBS, MPH, PhD Student-Freeman Research Group: Rina is pursuing a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences. She is interested in enteric infectious diseases, WASH research, gut microbiome, maternal & child nutrition, and clinical trials.

Frederica (Freddy) Lamar, PhD, MSPH was awarded a PhD in Environmental Health Sciences. She is interested in the intersection of WASH and behavior change interventions in low and middle income countries. She is working on formative research in Mozambique exploring childhood exposure to chicken feces and opportunities for interventions. Dissertation title: ChickFlows in Maputo, Mozambique: High-risk Behaviors, Management Practices, and Pathways for Childhood Exposure to Enteropathogens from Chickens. Freddy is currently at the FIRST program at Emory as part of her postdoctoral training.

Devi Prasad, MPH – PhD Student – Freeman Research Group: Devi is pursuing a PhD in Global Health with a focus on improving public health outcomes. Her research interests include enhancing service delivery of interventions and applying implementation science frameworks to optimize impact.

Kellin Slater, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher, Freeman Research Group: Kellin is an environmental epidemiologist whose research focuses on the health impacts of environmental exposures. She brings expertise in advanced quantitative methods, epidemiologic study design, and mixed-methods approaches to evaluate interventions at the intersection of environment and public health. She currently works in the Freeman Research Group