Elena Ambrosino (E.)
Dr. Elena Ambrosino has a degree in Medical Biotechnology (summa cum laude) from the University of Torino Medical School (Torino, Italy), and a PhD with distinction in Immunology and Cellular Biology for the work she performed at the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, USA). She has worked several years in the field of cancer immunoregulation and immunotherapy (including optimization of anti-cancer vaccines).
She then obtained an Advanced Master in International Health from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Basel, Switzerland and TropEd Network).
In 2008, she was awarded a fellowship by the French Foundation for Scientific Cooperation to work in Marseille at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Marseille, France). There, she conducted research in the field of clinical and genetic epidemiology of P. falciparum malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2009, she moved to Maastricht University where she is currently Associate Professor within the Department of Genetics and Cell Biology.
Dr. Ambrosino combines her background in biomedical sciences and international public health. She has international experience in wet lab and field research in, Italy, France, USA, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Burkina Faso, and consultancy experience in Mexico, Angola and Mozambique.
Dr. Ambrosino is extensively involved in education in the public health and biomedical fields and in research on reproductive health, maternal health and sexually transmitted diseases. Furthermore, she is currently Associate Editor for the journals 'PLoS one', ‘International Health’ and 'Frontiers in Medicine/Public Health', and collaborates with non-profit organizations working in the field of global health and tropical medicine.
Past and current academic leadership and management roles include: member Management Team Research School GROW; Programme Leader (Division Development) Research School GROW; PhD coordinator Research School GROW; member Committee for Strategic Agenda setting GRiP (cross-school initiative in genetics, reproduction and paediatrics); member Faculty PhD Committee.
Expertises
Global Health, reproductive and maternal health, infectious diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, immunology, cancer, maternal healthcare
Career history
Dr. Elena Ambrosino has a degree in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Torino Medical School (Torino, Italy), where she graduated in 2003 summa cum laude. After a first year as a Research Fellow in Italy working on cancer vaccines, she moved to the NIH (Bethesda, USA), working as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Immunology at the Vaccine Branch within the NCI. During the three years of research in the USA, she studied mechanisms of immune regulation and in 2006 she was short-listed for the “PostDoc of the year Award”. Meanwhile, in collaboration with the University of Torino Medical School, she enrolled in a PhD program in Immunology and Molecular Biology, and obtained her degree in November 2007.
At the beginning of 2008, Dr. Ambrosino enrolled in the TropEd-Network Master of Advanced Studies in International Health at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Basel, Switzerland). At the end of 2008, she concluded all the required courses. Soon after, she was awarded a fellowship by the French Foundation for Scientific Cooperation “Infectiopole Sud” to work in Marseille at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Marseille, France). There, she conducted Public Health research in the field of clinical and genetic epidemiology of P.falciparum malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2009, after concluding her research in Marseille, she moved to Maastricht University (Maastricht, The Netherlands) to work at the Institute for Public Health Genomics (IPHG).
As a teaching staff within the IPHG, she is responsible for developing and coordinating modules for medical students. In addition, she is constantly involved in teaching university students both at the under-graduate (BA), as well as the post-graduate (MA and PhD) level, and supervising MA and PhD theses.
Dr. Ambrosino is also the Manager of the Genome-based Research and Population Health International (GRaPH-Int) Network Administrative Hub. Her role involves project management tasks, as coordination of scientific progresses, communication with the members and key stakeholders, outreach and information dissemination, and tracking and monitoring of deliverables of international and interdisciplinary teams. Furthermore, she recently planned and coordinated: a workshop on Public Health Genomics at the European Conference on Public Health organized in Amsterdam; the second International GRaPH-Int meeting (Rome, early April 2012); and developed a parallel session on Public Health Genomics at the World Conference on Public Health (Addis Ababa, late April 2012).
Along with those tasks, she was also the Associate Editor and Editorial Office Manager for the peer-reviewed journal ‘Public Health Genomics’ (IF 2.333).
Recently Dr. Ambrosino was also involved in a project aiming at investigating a new Public Health intervention in resource limited setting in urban and rural setting, and conducted field research in Burkina Faso between November and December 2011.