About

Find out more about my research

About Me

Hi, I’m Andrea — an epidemiologist working at the intersection of mobility, climate change, and digital health.

I lead the Mobility & Planetary Health Group at the University of Zurich Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Prevention Institute (EBPI), where we use digital data, participatory methods, remote sensing and other environmental data, and on-the-ground fieldwork to understand how human and animal movement shapes health outcomes across diverse environments. My work spans topics from climate-sensitive disease surveillance and sexually transmitted infection (STI prevention) to maternal and child health impacts of migration, with projects in Switzerland, Mozambique, Uganda, and beyond.

At the heart of my research is a commitment to adaptive, equity-centered health systems—ones that integrate environmental change, digital tools, and mobility dynamics into real-time decision-making. I collaborate with institutions across public health, environmental research, and data science to design scalable One Health solutions for a mobile world.

See my abbreviated CV below:

Andrea C. Farnham

Senior Researcher – Head of Mobility & Planetary Health Group
Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Prevention Institute (EBPI), University of Zurich
📍 Hirschengraben 84, 8001 Zurich
📧 andrea.farnham@uzh.ch
🔗 Website | LinkedIn

Personal Information

Education

  • PhD Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of Zurich (2014–2017)
    Supervisors: Prof. Christoph Hatz, Prof. Milo Puhan
  • MPH Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health (2010–2012)
  • International Summer Research Program, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (2011)
  • BA Biology & Spanish, Tufts University (2005–2008)

Employment

  • Senior Researcher, Head of Mobility & Planetary Health Group, EBPI, University of Zurich (2023–present)
  • Postdoctoral Scientific Collaborator, Health Impact Assessment Group, Swiss TPH, Basel (2017–2023)
  • Research Scientist, Vaccine-Preventable Disease Surveillance, NYC Dept. of Health (2012–2014)
  • Research Intern, Foodborne Disease Investigation, NYC Dept. of Health (2011–2012)
  • Clinical Research Assistant, Pediatrics, Tufts Medical Center, Boston (2008–2010)

Awards and Honors

  • April 2025: Profiled in UZH News Networking Series, Achieving More Together
  • March 2025: Profiled in UZH Magazine for data stewardship outreach, Lotsen im Datenmeer
  • June 2023: Winner of Best Free Communication, CISTM18 Conference
  • July 2016: UZH Representative, LERU Summer School, Data Stewardship for Scientific Discovery and Innovation
  • September 2014: Beatric Ederer-Weber PhD Fellowship
  • June 2004: National Merit Scholar

Funded Research Projects (CHF 617,559 as PI, CHF 188,713 as co-investigator)

  • 2025–2028 – SNSF SPIRIT Grant (PI): CliMaH – CHF 493,310
  • 2025–2026 – Trialogue Days Seed Grant (PI): CUHRS – CHF 4,000
  • 2025–2026 – MSD IIS Grant (Co-I): HIV PrEP study – CHF 188,713
  • 2025–2026 – UZH PRC Seed Grant (PI): PlanetHealth – CHF 19,850
  • 2025–2026 – UZH Global Strategy Grant (PI): PlanetHealth – CHF 5,000
  • 2021–2023 – University of Basel Junior Researcher Grant (PI): Mozambique migration crisis – CHF 79,889
  • 2022 – University of Basel stay on track Grant (PI) – CHF 8,375
  • 2019–2020 – SNSF/SDC r4d E2P Mobile App (co-PI) – CHF 25,000

Committees and Boards

International - Chair, ISTM Technology SIG (2025–) - Committee Member, ISTM Research and Awards (2024–) - Editorial Board, Journal of Travel Medicine (2023–) - Organizing Committee, ISTM18, Basel (2023)

University - Organizer, ZH Population Research Center Conference (2025) - Fellow, CRS UZH (2024–) - Member, UZH Data Stewards Network (2023–) - Scientific Committee, PRC UZH (2023–)

Institutional - Co-founder, Mid-level Researchers Club (2023–) - Deputy Head, HIA Group, Swiss TPH (2019–2023) - Co-founder, Swiss TPH Postdoc Club (2019–2023)

Teaching

UZH - Public Health Epidemiology (MD), Co-Lecturer (2024–)

Swiss School of Public Health - EEPE Summer Course, Florence (2021–)

University of Lucerne - Health Equity, Intro to Public Health, Public Health MSc (2023–2024)

Swiss TPH & University of Basel - Statistical Modeling, Biostatistics, Presentation Skills, Intro to R (2018–2022)

ETH Zurich - HIA: Concept and Case Studies (2020–2022)

Conference Presentations

Invited plenary or keynote indicated by ★

  1. ★ Reassessment of travelers’ morbidity through m-Health based surveys, CISTM19, New Orleans (2025)
  2. Morbidity from non-communicable events during travel, CISTM19, New Orleans (2025)
  3. Mapping mobility: migration through a planetary health lens, Trialogue Days, Bangalore (2024)
  4. ★ The role of non-infectious causes of morbidity in travelers, Tropical Medicine Conference, Düsseldorf (2024)
  5. High-risk STI screening via machine-learning, Swiss Infectious Disease Meeting, Bern (2024)
  6. Understanding travel to remote areas via GPS data, CISTM18, Basel (2023)
  7. ★ Tracking Travellers: mHealth and travel, CISTM17, online (2021)
  8. Using DHIS2 for spatial health impact assessment, IAIA, Seville (2020)
  9. ★ The Traveler in the Digital World, CISTM16, Washington DC (2019)
  10. Pesticide use and health in Ugandan farmers, Dialogue Days, Zurich (2019)
  11. Neurological effects of pesticide exposure, ISEE, Utrecht (2019)
  12. Data-driven innovation in travel medicine, ECTMIH, Antwerp (2017)
  13. Travel risks and perceptions, Swiss Travel Medicine Meeting (2017)
  14. The Future of E-Health in Travel Medicine, Swiss TPH Symposium (2016)
  15. IPD and PCV13 in NYC, IDSA, San Francisco (2013)
  16. Legionnaires’ Disease, NYC, Northeast Epi Conference (2012)
  17. IPD after PCV13 in children <5, Northeast Epi Conference (2012)

Selected Publications

→ Full list available on Google Scholar or ORCID

Peer-Reviewed Highlights

  • Farnham, A. et al. Sexual behaviours and SARS-CoV-2 risk in MSM. BMC Public Health (2024). DOI
  • Farnham, A. et al. Travel to malaria-endemic areas: geolocation & exposure. Journal of Travel Medicine (2024). DOI
  • Cambaco, O. et al., Farnham, A. Photovoice with adolescents in Mozambique. Global Health Action (2024). DOI
  • Farnham, A. et al. Digital cohort study of Swiss travellers. Travel Medicine & Infectious Disease (2022). DOI
  • Hampel, B., Farnham, A. Low prevalence of asymptomatic mpox. The Lancet Microbe (2023). DOI
  • Farnham, A. et al. Open science perspectives from early-career researchers. Genome Biology (2017). DOI
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