Team
Klausner Research Group
The Klausner Research Group, directed by Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, is housed in the Division of Inequalities of Global Health within the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California.
Faculty
Clinical Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Population and Public Health Sciences
Noah Kojima, MD
Adjunct Research Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences
Postdoctoral Research Associates
Research Staff
Affiliated Researchers
Students
Jeffrey Klausner is a Clinical Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences and Medicine. In addition to directing the Klausner Research Group, he is an Investigator with the COVID-19 Pandemic Research Center (CPRC) within the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences. Dr. Klausner earned his Medical Degree from Cornell University Medical College and his Master’s in Public Health with a focus on International Health and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Klausner has more than 25 years of HIV and STI prevention and clinical research experience, especially with high-risk populations. Dr. Klausner’s research interests are in applied epidemiology and the prevention and control of infectious disease s of public health importance like HIV, STDs, TB and cryptococcus. Dr. Klausner has a particular interest in the use of technology—information, digital, and laboratory—to facilitate access to treatment for disadvantaged populations
jdklausner@med.usc.edu
Chrysovalantis Stafylis, MD MPH
Chrysovalantis (Chrys) Stafylis is a Postdoctoral Research Associate. His main focus is syphilis, HIV prevention through telehealth and COVID-19 epidemiology. He enjoys mentoring students and junior researchers. Chrys studied in Greece, and he received his MD from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece and his MPH from the Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Thessaly, Larisa, Greece.
chrysovalantis.stafylis@med.usc.edu
Chibuzor (Chibz) Babalola is a Postdoctoral Research Associate. She manages international research projects in South Africa and Botswana, centered around investigating and mitigating STIs in pregnancy. Prior to this, she was an Epidemiologist and Analyst with the Detroit Health Department on a team that actively surveilled, monitored, and reported on the status of COVID-19 in the city; ultimately informing evidence-based decision making by a myriad of stakeholders. Chibz was a general physician in Nigeria after receiving her Medical Degree in 2014. She also holds a MPH degree from Emory University to purse population health research. She is quite passionate about sustainable public health initiatives in developing countries. In her short stint, Chibz has been privileged to lead, learn and innovate on vaccine development and neglected tropical disease studies in West Africa.
chibuzor.babalola@med.usc.edu
Fatema Dossajee is the Program Manager for the group, with a leading role in financial, operational and personnel management. Fatema is currently collaborating with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop a digital platform that will serve as the go-to resource for global stakeholders on congenital syphilis elimination and fuel momentum to tackle this issue. She several years of prior experience developing, implementing, and managing projects in the healthcare and hospital industry. Fatema has demonstrated ability in streamlining operational processes and workflows to improve efficiency in various clinical, research, academic, non-profit, and government organizations. She received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, San Diego, and her Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from National University She is passionate about the intersection public health and technology to improve healthcare delivery and efficiency.
fatema.dossajee@med.usc.edu
Kori Keith is a Project Specialist. She manages an international clinical trial evaluating the clinical efficacy of oral Cefixime medication versus the standard of care, penicillin G, in the treatment of early syphilis infections in men and women both HIV infected and uninfected. Kori received her bachelor’s in Health and Human Sciences at the University of Southern California and her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
kori.keith@med.usc.edu
Joshua Tapia is a Project Specialist. They are currently working on a research project that explores ways to improve access to PrEP among Latinx men who have sex with men and transwomen in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties. They received their Bachelor’s in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.
joshua.tapia@med.usc.edu
Paul Adamson is an affiliated researcher with the group. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he specializes in Infectious Diseases. He is interested in global health, sexually transmitted infections, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Currently, he is collaborating with our group on a research project aimed at improving the diagnosis of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae infections, as well as identifying the prevalence and risk factors for AMR in N. gonorrhoeae, among people in a HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) program in Hanoi, Vietnam. He attended UC Berkeley for his undergraduate and MPH degrees and completed medical school at UC San Francisco. He did residency training in Internal Medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital before completing his fellowship training in Infectious Diseases at UCLA.
padamson@mednet.ucla.edu
