Sarah Rhea

Bio

Dr. Sarah Rhea earned her DVM from Purdue University and then worked in small animal community practice in Indiana before obtained her MPH and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following her graduate training, Dr. Rhea served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She subsequently completed CDC’s Preventive Medicine Residency/Fellowship program. Dr. Rhea joined the non-profit research institute, RTI International, in 2016 where she rose to Senior Research Epidemiologist. She began her faculty appointment at NCSU in 2021.

Area(s) of Expertise

GLOBAL HEALTH, INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Dr. Rhea’s research interests encompass multiple areas of infectious disease epidemiology in human and animal populations, including antimicrobial resistance, healthcare-associated infections, disease surveillance, and emerging and zoonotic pathogens. Most recently, she has used disease transmission models to evaluate antimicrobial stewardship interventions for Clostridioides difficile infection prevention and to predict COVID-19’s impact on healthcare resources under various public health planning scenarios. Through her research, Dr. Rhea applies traditional epidemiologic methods and disease modeling to address real-world challenges in global health and clinical practice using a One Health approach.

Publications

• Epidemiologic and clinical features of cyanobacteria harmful algal bloom exposures reported to the National Poison Data System, United States, 2010-2022: a descriptive analysis , ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (2024)
• Assessing Livestock Production Practices on Small-Scale Multi-Species Farms Located on Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands , ANIMALS (2023)
• Assessing the impact of the early COVID-19 era on antibiotic resistant threats in inpatient settings: A mixed-Poisson regression approach , American Journal of Infection Control (2023)
• Geographic Variability, Seasonality, and Increase in ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Harmful Blue-Green Algae Calls-United States and Canada, 2010-2022 , TOXINS (2023)
• Presence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in Food-Producing and Companion Animals and Wildlife on Small-Holder Farms of Floreana Island, Galapagos Islands , VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES (2023)
• Enhancing the prediction of hospitalization from a COVID-19 agent-based model: A Bayesian method for model parameter estimation , PLOS ONE (2022)
• Estimate of undetected severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in acute-care hospital settings using an individual-based microsimulation model , Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology (2022)
• Estimates of Presumed Population Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 by State in the United States, August 2021 , Open Forum Infectious Diseases (2022)
• Incorporation of near-real-time hospital occupancy data to improve hospitalization forecast accuracy during the COVID-19 pandemic , Infectious Disease Modelling (2022)
• Substance use disorder treatment providers’ knowledge and opinions toward testing and treatment of chronic hepatitis C in rural North Carolina. , Journal of Rural Mental Health (2022)