Faculty: Erin M. Sorrell

Dr. Erin M. Sorrell is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology as well as a member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security. Dr. Sorrell’s work focuses on developing partnerships across the U.S. government, international organizations, and ministries around the world to identify elements required to support health systems strengthening and laboratory capacity building for disease detection, reporting, risk assessment, and response. Her research uses evidence-based approaches to determine gaps and identify capacities for effective global health programs and policies. Dr. Sorrell is currently a five-year term member at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Summary

  • B.S. Animal Science, Cornell University
  • MSc Virology, University of Maryland, College Park
  • Ph.D. Virology, University of Maryland, College Park
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Virology, Erasmus Medical Center
  • Science and Technology Policy Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Contact: (202) 687-8392; Erin.Sorrell@georgetown.edu

Current Research

Dr. Erin M. Sorrell is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Georgetown University as well as a member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security. Erin works with partners across the U.S. government, international organizations, and ministries around the world to identify elements required to support health systems strengthening and laboratory capacity building for disease detection, reporting, risk assessment, and response. Her research uses evidence-based approaches to determine gaps and identify capacities for effective global health programs and policies. Dr. Sorrell is currently a five-year term member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously Dr. Sorrell was a Senior Research Scientist at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in the Department of Health Policy and Management. Prior to joining GWU Erin was a senior analyst in the Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction’s Biosecurity Engagement Program at the Department of State where she also worked as an American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science and Technology Policy Fellow. Dr. Sorrell worked on foreign assistance activities in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa. Erin was a postdoctoral fellow both at Erasmus Medical Center, The Netherlands and the University of Maryland. Her research focused on the molecular mechanisms of interspecies transmission, primarily focusing on avian to human transmission of H7, H9 and H5 influenza A viruses. 

Areas of Interest: virology, influenza, zoonoses, One Health, emerging infectious disease, health systems strengthening, global health security, global health diplomacy

Publications

  • Standley CJ, Sorrell EM, Kornblet S, Vaught A, Fischer JE & Katz R. Cooperative Bioengagement through Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005).  Front. Public Health 3:231. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2015.00231
  • Sorrell EM, El Azhari M, Maswdeh N, Kornblet S, Standley C, Katz R, Ablan I, Fischer JE Mapping of Networks to Detect Priority Zoonoses in Jordan. Front. Public Health 2015. 3:219. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2015.00219
  • Spronken MI, Short KR, Herfst S, Bestebroer TM, Vaes VP, van der Hoeven B, Koster AJ, Kremers GJ, Scott DP, Gultyaev AP, Sorrell EM, de Graaf M, Bárcena M, Rimmelzwaan GF, Fouchier RA. Optimisations and
  • Challenges Involved in the Creation of Various Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Influenza A Virus Strains for In Vitro and In Vivo Applications. PLoS One. 2015 Aug 4;10 (8):e0133888. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133888.
  • Standley CJ, Sorrell EM, Kornblet S, Vaught A, Fischer JE, Katz R. Public heath. Linking funds to actions for global health emergencies. Science. 2015 May 15;348 (6236):762-3. doi: 10.1126/science.aaa5521
  • Seifman R, Kornblet S, Standley C, Sorrell EM, Fischer JE, Katz R. Think Big, World Bank: Time for a Public Health Safeguard. The Lancet Global Health. 2015 February; 95(4). DOI: 10.1016/S2214-109X(15)70012-4
  • Katz R, Sorrell EM, Kornblet S, Fischer JE.  Global Health Security Agenda and the International Health Regulations: Moving Forward. Biosecur Bioterror. 2014 Sep-Oct;12 (5):231-8. doi: 10.1089/bsp.2014.0038
  • Imai M, Herfst S, Sorrell EM, Schrauwen EJ, Linster M, De Graaf M, Fouchier RA, Kawaoka Y. Transmission of influenza A/H5N1 viruses in mammals. Virus Res. 2013 Dec 5;178 (1):15-20. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2013.07.017. Epub 2013 Aug 13.
  • Herfst S, Schrauwen EJA, Linster M, Chutinimitkul S, de Wit E, Munster VJ, Sorrell EM, Bestebroer TM, Burke DF, Smith DJ, Rimmelzwaan GF, Osterhaus ADME, Fouchier RAM. Aerosol transmission of avian influenza A/H5N1 virus. Science. 2012 Jun 22;336 (6088):1534-41. doi: 10.1126/science.1213362.
  • Sorrell EM, Schrauwen EJA, Linster M, De Graaf M, S. Herfst S, Fouchier RAM. Predicting “Airborne” Influenza Viruses: (Trans-) mission Impossible? Curr Opin Virol. 2011 Dec;1 (6):635-42. doi: 10.1016/j.coviro.2011.07.003. Epub 2011 Sep 3. Review.
  • Kimble JB, Sorrell E, Shao H, Martin PL, Perez DR. Compatibility of H9N2 avian influenza surface genes and 2009 pandemic H1N1 internal genes for transmission in the ferret model. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jul 19;108 (29):12084-8. Epub 2011 Jul 5.
  • Please find a complete list of published work in My Bibliography here.