Ganna Rozhnova

Dr. Ganna Rozhnova is an Associate Professor in Infectious Disease Modeling at the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands and the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon in Portugal. She is a group leader at the BioISI—Biosystems & Integrative Sciences Institute in Lisbon. Her research focuses on applying infectious disease modeling to address questions and support evidence-based policymaking in public health. Her mission as a researcher is to contribute to improving people’s health by providing guidance to stakeholders on the implementation of public health measures. She concentrates on highly relevant emerging and established infectious diseases that require massive control efforts and have a large societal impact. Dr. Rozhnova is interested in understanding the emergence, evolution, and spatio-temporal dynamics of infectious diseases on various scales (e.g., host, hospital/school, or population) and evaluating the impact of interventions on disease transmission. Her most recent research aims to explore the prospects of HIV elimination, promising HIV cure strategies, and the (post-)pandemic dynamics of SARS-CoV-2. Other applications include influenza, CMV, and childhood infections. 

Dr Rozhnova is a recipient of highly competitive awards (PhD and postdoctoral fellowships from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Award "Stimulus for Research" from Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation), institutional excellence programs (Research Career Development Program) and grants (list below). She held official appointments as an invited visiting scientist at the University of California (Santa Barbara, USA), the Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (Cambridge, UK), the Gladstone Institute of Immunology and Virology (San Francisco, USA), and the MRC Biostatistics Unit (Cambridge, UK). The main funders of her current research are Aidsfonds, FCT, NWO, ZonMw and European Commission. 

Selected recent scientific publications:

• Boldea O, Alipoor A, Pei S, Shaman J, Rozhnova G. Age-specific transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 during the first 2 years of the pandemic. PNAS Nexus 3(2), pgae024 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae024 [OA]
• Rouzine IM, Rozhnova G. Evolutionary implications of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for the future design of vaccination strategies. Communications Medicine 3(1), 86 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-023-00320-x [OA]
• Romijnders K, de Groot L, Vervoort S, Basten M, van Welzen B, Kretzschmar M, Reiss P, Davidovich U, Rozhnova G. The perceived impact of an HIV cure by people living with HIV and key populations vulnerable to HIV in the Netherlands: A qualitative study. Journal of Virus Eradication 8(1), 100066 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jve.2022.100066 [OA]
• Viana J, van Dorp CH, Nunes A, Gomes MC, van Boven M, Kretzschmar ME, Veldhoen M, Rozhnova G. Controlling the pandemic during the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination rollout. Nature Communications 12, 3674 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23938-8 [OA]
• Rozhnova G, van Dorp CH, Bruijning-Verhagen P, Bootsma MCJ, van de Wijgert JHHM, Bonten MJM, Kretzschmar ME. Model-based evaluation of school- and non-school-related measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Nature Communications 12, 1614 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21899-6 [OA]
• Teslya A, Pham TM, Godijk NG, Kretzschmar ME, Bootsma MCJ, Rozhnova G. Impact of self-imposed prevention measures and short-term government-imposed social distancing on mitigating and delaying a COVID-19 epidemic: A modelling study. PLoS Medicine 17(7), e1003166 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003166 [OA]
• Rouzine IM, Rozhnova G. Antigenic evolution of viruses in host populations. PLoS Pathogens 14(9), e1007291 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1007291 [OA]

Manuscripts under review:

• Teslya A, Heijne JCM, van der Loeff MFS, van Sighem A, Roberts JA, Dijkstra M, de Bree GJ, Schmidt AJ, Jonas KJ, Kretzschmar ME, Rozhnova G. Impact of increased diagnosis for early HIV infection and immediate antiretroviral treatment initiation on HIV transmission among men who have sex with men in the Netherlands.
  medRxiv 2024.04.10.24305619; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.10.24305619 
• Westerhof I, de Boer A, Lupattelli A, Slurink I, Boldea O, Nordeng HME, Bosdriesz JR, Pijpers F, van der Loeff MS, Knol M, van de Wijgert J, Bruijning P, Rozhnova G. Medical risk classification for severe COVID-19 based on chronic medical conditions: a comparative analysis. medRxiv 2024.09.06.24313189; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.06.24313189
• Roberts JA, Teslya A, Kretzschmar ME, van de Wijgert JHHM, Rozhnova G. Prospects of HIV elimination among men who have sex with men: a systematic review of modeling studies.
  medRxiv 2024.09.22.24313968; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.09.22.24313968
• Romijnders K, Gonzalez FR, Matser A, Verburgh ML, Dijkstra M, Reiss P, Kretzschmar M, Nieuwkerk P, van der Loeff MS, Basten M^*, Rozhnova G^*. The expected impact of HIV post-treatment control and HIV elimination on quality of life, sexual satisfaction, and stigma among people with HIV and key populations. Under review. ^*Equal contribution. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4311908/v1
• Westerhof I, Sikkema R, Rozhnova G, van Beek J, Koopmans M, Bruijning-Verhagen P. The effect of pre-existing coronavirus antibodies on SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes in exposed household members. medRxiv 2024.08.29.24312767; https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312767
• De Bellis A, Willemsen M, Guzzetta G, van Sighem A, Romijnders K, Reiss P, van der Loeff MS, van de Wijgert J, Nijhuis M, Kretzschmar M, Rozhnova G. Model-based evaluation of the impact of a potential HIV cure on HIV transmission dynamics. medRxiv 2024.11.20.24317612; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.11.20.24317612

Fellowships and awards:

• ZonMw grant PCNN (2024-2027). Role: Participant WP2 Cohort and real world data. €9.118.978,81 (total budget), €66.379,5 (my budget). Contract No. 11080012310002. "Post-COVID Network Netherlands".
• Strategic Program Infection & Immunity Boost Grant (2024). Role: Coordinator, co-applicants Myrthe Willemsen, Monique Nijhuis, Anniek Tanja. €25.000. Integrating Experimental and Mathematical Models to Assess the impact of HIV-1 Subtype Variability on Latency Reversal and Viral Rebound Dynamics. 
• ZonMw grant RE-PASS (2024-2025). Role: Principal Investigator. €499.999,57. Contract No. 10710062310007. "REfining PAndemic Strategies for Schools: Multiscale modeling of their societal & public health impact". 
• ZonMw grant R2M2P2 (2024-2025). Role: Project Partner. €496.813,00 (total budget), €60.001,61 (my budget). Contract No. 10710062310011. "R2M2P2 Consortium: Readying Regional Mobility Data for Modelling Pandemic Preparedness".
• NWO/Aidsfonds grant SPIRAL (2024-2010). Role: Co-Lead WP5 Modelling and health technology assessment of cure strategies across different epidemiological settings. €5.893.765,00 (total budget exclusive of co-funding), €104.873,00 (my budget). Contract No. KICH2.V4P.AF23.001. "Spiral: integrated interventions to achieve durable HIV control in diverse populations".
• ZonMw grant (2023-2024). Role: Principal Investigator. €235k. Contract No. 10430362220002. "CoviChron: Covid-19 and Chronic illness interactions in transmission dynamics".
• ZonMw-NCOH grant (2023-2025). Role: Task Lead in WP4 Risk Prediction Models. €2.5M (total budget), €123.522 (my budget). Contract No. 10710022210003. "NCOH Pandemic Preparedness Research Kickstarter".
• Horizon Europe project (2022-2025). Role: Co-Applicant/University Medical Center Utrecht partner, co-chair Working Group on Transmission across all WPs, Task Lead in WP4 Model. €5M (total budget), €470k (University Medical Center Utrecht), €188.848 (my budget). Grant Agreement No. 10104598. VERDI Monkeypox Amendment.
• Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology grant (2023-2025). Role: Principal Investigator. €250k. Contract No. 2022.01448.PTDC. "Targeted control of COVID-19 post mass vaccination".
• NORDITA Program (2023). Role: Principal Investigator, organizer. €44k. "Unifying the epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of pathogens".
• Horizon Europe project (2021-2025). Roles: Co-Applicant/University Medical Center Utrecht partner, co-chair Working Group on Transmission across all WPs, Task Lead in WP4 Model. €10M (total budget), €671k (University Medical Center Utrecht), €170.000 (my budget). Grant Agreement No. 10104598. "VERDI: SARS-coV2 variants Evaluation in pRegnancy and paeDIatrics cohorts".
• Selected for Research Career Development Program for Assistant Professors, University Medical Center Utrecht (2021).
• Aidsfonds grant (2020-2024). Role: Principal Investigator. €275k. Contract No. P-53902. "Prospects of HIV elimination among Dutch MSM by targeted screening for acute HIV infection and partner notification".
• Aidsfonds grant (2020-2023). Role: Principal Investigator. €275k. Contract No. P-52901. "Making HIV cure work: impact on quality of life, risk behavior, and the Dutch epidemic".
• RESEARCH 4 COVID-19 grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2020). Role: Principal Investigator. €17,5k. Contract No. 131_596787873. "Making the way out: model-based evaluation of exit strategies from the COVID-19 lockdown in Portugal".
• ZonMw grant (2019-2021). Role: Co-Applicant. €47k. Contract No. 522008010. "Gini in a bottle: Impact of PrEP on sexual behavior and sexually transmitted infections in the MSM population".
• ZonMw grant (2018-2020). Role: Co-Applicant. €170k. Contract No. 522004009. "Risk underestimation, high-risk sexual behavior episodes and estimating the impact of tailored interventions".
• Invited visiting scientist, MRC Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge, UK (2016-2017).
• Invited visiting scientist, Cologne University, Cologne, Germany (2011–2014). Position funded by SFB 680, Molecular Basis of Evolutionary Innovations. 
• Invited visiting scientist, Gladstone Institute of Immunology and Virology, San Francisco, CA, USA (2013).
• Invited visiting scientist, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cambridge, UK (2013). Program "Infectious Disease Dynamics".
• CALSIMLAB scholarship from the Institut du Calcul et de la Simulation, Paris, France (2013).
• CoSyDy grant from the Warwick University, Warwick, UK (2012).
• Invited visiting scientist, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA (2011). KITP Program "Microbial and Viral Evolution".
• Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2010-2013). Role: Principal Investigator. €90k. Contract No. SFRH/BPD/69137/2010. "Stochastic metapopulation models for infection dynamics and viral evolution".
• Award "Stimulus for research" from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (2007-2010). Role: Principal Investigator. €12,5k. "The physics of populations: the role of the contact network in the competition of species and in the propagation of diseases".
• PhD Fellowship from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (2006-2010). Role: Principal Investigator. €60k. Contract No. SFRH/BD/32164/2006. "Spatio-temporal patterns on complex networks: the role of the structure of the interaction network".
• Merit Scholarship from V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Kharkiv, Ukraine (2000-2004).
• Gold Medal "For a Marked Progress in Studies" from the Ministry of Education of Ukraine (2000).