Desiree LaBeaud

Dr. Desiree LaBeaud is a physician-scientist, epidemiologist, and professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. She received her MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and trained at the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital during her pediatric residency and pediatric infectious disease fellowship program. She earned her master’s degree in Clinical Research and Epidemiology at Case Western Reserve University. Dr. LaBeaud studies the epidemiology and ecology of domestic and international arboviruses and emerging infections, with an interest in the vector, host, and environmental factors that affect transmission dynamics and spectrum of disease. Her research is community-engaged and seeks to define and then disrupt the underlying structural determinants of health. She studies the human health impacts of climate change including research focused on innovative solutions to the global plastic pollution crisis. Her current field sites include Kenya, Grenada, and Brazil. She currently heads a clinical research lab focused on better understanding the risk factors and long-term health consequences of arboviral infections and the most effective means of prevention. She has also recently launched a nonprofit, the Health and Environmental Research Institute- Kenya (www.heri-kenya.org) which is an initiative focused on Kenya to inspire community education, new research, policy change and grass roots activism in environmental health issues.