Characteristics of primary care and rates of pediatric hospitalizations in Brazil.

Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci, MSc, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Neurosurgery and Global Health. He is the Chief of the Division of Translational Health Sciences in the Department of Emergency Medicine, co-Director of the Global Emergency Medicine Innovation and Implementation (GEMINI) Research Center and a faculty member of the Research Design and Analysis Core (RDAC) in the Duke Global Health Institute. Dr. Vissoci has a background in social psychology and data science. Dr. Vissoci, a Brazilian native, earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from State University of Maringá/Brazil, a Masters in Physical Education, an MBA in Human Resources, and a PhD in Social Psychology. During his PhD, he completed a fellowship in Data Science at Duke University. After graduating his PhD in Social Psychology from the Pontificia Universidade Católica of São Paulo/Brazil, Dr. Vissoci completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Sao Paulo (2015) in Design and Analysis for Mental Health research. He completed a second postdoctoral fellowship at the Duke Global Health Institute in Global Health and Data Science in 2016. Dr. Vissoci held a faculty position and taught Public Health and Health Sciences in Brazil from 2009 to 2015. After completing his fellowship at DGHI, he joined the Duke Department of Emergency Medicine as faculty in 2017. In his last 14 years as faculty (2009-current), he has mentored over 200 trainees at all levels of training from undergraduate, graduate, medical education, postdoctoral to faculty level. He has published over 200 manuscripts and collaborated on over 6 R-level NIH grants, multiple (K and D) NIH training grants, other federal grants UK/Brazil based, and foundational grants.

His research interests focus on leveraging data through analytics and technology to bridge the gap in access and equity in care in low resource settings, translating evidence into practice or policy impact. He uses data science and mixed-methods research to design and implement innovative data-driven solutions to address health care gaps.

Catherine Staton MD MSc

Dr. Staton is an Associate Professor in Emergency Medicine (EM), Neurosurgery & Global Health with tenure at Duke University. She is the Director of the GEMINI (Global EM Innovation & Implementation) Research Center and the EM Vice Chair of Research Strategy & Faculty Development. Her research integrates innovative implementation methods into health systems globally to improve access to acute care. In 2012, with an injury registry at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, Tanzania Dr. Staton demonstrated 30% of injury patients had at risk alcohol use, providing preliminary data for a K01/Career Development Award. Her K01 award adapted a brief alcohol intervention to the KCMC ED and Swahili and is now being trialed in an NIAAA funded R01 pragmatic adaptive clinical trial. Dr. Staton and her mentor and collaborator Dr. Mmbaga are co-PD of the “The TReCK Program: Trauma Research Capacity Building in Kilimanjaro” to train 12 masters and doctoral learners to conduct innovative implementation and data science projects to improve care for injury patients. Currently, Dr. Staton and GEMINI partners with over a dozen faculty from over 6 low- and middle-income countries to conduct research, has mentored over 150 learners from undergraduate to post-doctoral levels from high, middle and low- income settings and has over 130 manuscripts.