Professor
Biography
Agricola Odoi, BVM, MSc, PhD, FAHA, FACE, is a Professor of Epidemiology with specific interests and expertise in spatial/geographic and quantitative epidemiology. He earned his veterinary degree from Makerere University (Uganda), MSc in Epidemiology and Animal Health Economics from University of Nairobi (Kenya) and PhD in Epidemiology from University of Guelph (Canada). Before joining the University of Tennessee, Dr. Odoi taught epidemiology, public health and veterinary preventive medicine at Makerere University. He served as a Public Health epidemiologist, a Health Information Analyst and an Information Management Analyst with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care in Ontario (Canada). Dr Odoi also held an adjunct faculty position at McMaster University (Canada) and East Tennessee State University and is currently an extra-ordinary lecturer at University of Pretoria (South Africa). He has also been a visiting researcher at University of South Africa. Dr. Odoi currently serves as a senior staff of the National Institute of Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS) and is a Fellow of both the American College of Epidemiology (FACE) and the American Heart Association (FAHA).
CV is available at: www.orcid.org/0000-0001-5050-6737
Research
Dr. Odoi has eclectic research interests. However, his major expertise is the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Epidemiology in veterinary and public health research and practice. His work involves using GIS and spatial epidemiologic/statistical approaches to investigate health disparities and the impact of place on health outcomes and access to health services. He has used GIS and spatial epidemiologic techniques in the investigations of a number of health problems ranging from vector-borne to water-borne as well as chronic diseases. Many of these investigations have focused on identifying the influence of place of residence on the health of the population so as to provide information to guide health planning and policy decisions.
He has been actively involved in research on the epidemiology of diabetes for several years. As a result of his significant research contributions in prediabetes, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, he was inducted a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) and is currently a research grant reviewer for the American Heart Association (AHA). His research has also focused on providing information to guide provision of emergency care for heart disease and stroke patients. This line of inquiry resulted in identification of geographic disparities in access to emergency care and health outcomes for heart disease and stroke patients. Findings of these studies have been used to recommend strategies to address the issues of disparities at the neighborhood level so as to reduce these disparities and improve population health.
Using GIS and spatial epidemiologic tools, Dr. Odoi has also been involved in research investigating vector distribution, habitat preference and predictors of geographic distribution of vectors and hence risk of a number of vector-borne diseases. The information obtained from these research projects have been instrumental in informing surveillance programs and in guiding decisions to control vector-borne diseases.
Finally, Dr. Odoi’s research activities extend to the area of antimicrobial resistance which is currently a major global public health and animal health problem that if not addressed urgently might render antimicrobial treatments useless. Due to the potential for cross-species transmission of resistant organisms, Dr Odoi has been investigating the epidemiology of these infections in both humans and companion animals that may be sources of infections to their human companions.
Education
- BVM - Veterinary Medicine, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda - 1994
- Research Project: Assessment of the suitability of carbamide peroxide in milk preservation under prevailing conditions in Uganda
- MSc. - Epidemiology & Animal Health Economics, University of Nairobi, Kenya - 1998
- Thesis: Production constraints with special reference to the effects of gastrointestinal nematodosis on weight gain of small ruminants in smallholder mixed farms In Kiambu District, Kenya
- PhD - Epidemiology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada - 2002
- Dissertation: A Spatial Epidemiologic Study of Giardiasis Cases Reported in Southern Ontario, 1990-1998
Professional Service
Dr. Odoi is an academic editor at PLOSONE but has also served as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Biosciences as well as the Open Journal of Preventive Medicine. He has served as a member of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) Infectious Disease, Reproductive Health, Asthma and Pulmonary Conditions (IRAP) Study Section. Additionally, Dr Odoi has served as a grant reviewer for the USDA Agricultural Research Service Office of Scientific Quality Review (USA), American Heart Association (AHA) (USA), Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Research Program (Canada), Innovational Research Incentives Scheme (Vici), (The Netherlands), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) (Canada) and Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP).
He has also been a peer reviewer for over 37 international scientific journals and an external reviewer of several dossiers for promotion as well as thesis and dissertations. Dr. Odoi has also served as a senator at the University of Tennessee Faculty Senate. In addition to being a member of several professional associations, Dr Odoi has been a committee member of the Data Sub-committee of the Tennessee Stroke Systems of Care. This committee provides advice on data analyses the results of which are used to provide empirical/epidemiological evidence to guide health planning decisions. As a mentor of the National Association of Chronic Disease (NACDD) epidemiology mentoring program, he has mentored many Public Health Epidemiologists from across the United States.
Dr. Odoi has served as the Awards Chair as well as Executive Director of the Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (AVEPM). He has been a member of several committees including: the Organizing Committee of the Canadian Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (Canada), Technical Advisory Committee of the Central West Health Planning Information Network (Canada), Technical Working Group of the Ontario provincial Local Health System Monitoring Project (Canada), and Steering Committee of the Central West Health Planning Information Network (Canada). Dr Odoi has been an instructor for the Appalachian Institute of Epidemiology that offers continuing epidemiology training for veterinary and health professionals.
Awards and Recognitions
- International Society of Vet. Epidemiology and Economics Travel Award
- Wharton Faculty Development Award
- Fellow of the American Heart and Stroke Association (FAHA)
- Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology (FACE)
- Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program Award (2015 and 2018)
- Visiting Researcher Award by the University of South Africa (UNISA) (2015 and 2018).
- Nominated for Chancellor's Excellence in Advising/Mentoring Award at University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
Publications
Full List of Publications available at:
Contact Information
- 2407 River Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996
- Phone: 865-974-5568
- E-mail: aodoi@utk.edu
- Personal Website