Researcher Spotlight: Jesse Waggoner

What is your professional background?
I received a BA in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and then attended medical school and completed residency training in internal medicine at Duke University. Following this, I completed a fellowship in adult infectious diseases at Stanford. Between the completion of my fellowship and starting at Emory, I lived and worked in Nicaragua, studying dengue, chikungunya, and Zika among children in Managua. I came to Emory in July 2016, where I continue to study human arboviral infections and attend on the ID consult service.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I am in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Nadine Rouphael has been kind enough to be my mentor. 

Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?
My research focuses on the development and evaluation of new laboratory methods for the detection and characterization of arbovirus infections. This research began with the study of dengue virus, which is the most common arbovirus worldwide. Subsequently, we have developed new tests for over 20 different arboviruses as well as Plasmodium and Leptospira species. Implementation of these methods has allowed us to identify and characterize important subsets of human infections while building testing capacity in dengue endemic regions. Current projects now involve expanding the use of these assays to new regions, evaluating predictors of disease severity, and developing inexpensive and robust molecular methods for use near the point of patient care.

What do you like most about Emory?
I enjoy the collegial and collaborative environment of the Department of Medicine and the University, as well as the academic freedom to pursue new research directions as interesting questions arise.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?
My favorite movie is “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.” Although, to be honest, the movie I watch most is “The Bourne Identity.”

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy spending time with my family, swimming with my son, and struggling to learn Spanish.

What is a fun fact about you?
I got campylobacter in the Amazon after eating piranha ceviche made from fish that we caught earlier in the day. The ceviche was prepared on cutting boards that had also been used for our chicken dinner the night before. Did I mention I also attend in the TravelWell clinic?