Pandemic Center

Shilo McBurney is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and the Epidemiology Concentration Lead for students in the Master of Public Health Program at Brown University's School of Public Health.

Shilo's research falls under the broad umbrella of applied epidemiology, but she is particularly passionate about public health surveillance and interventions, infectious and vaccine-preventable diseases, and data validation. Shilo is interested in innovative education, and has expertise in developing instructional strategies and curriculum specifically in the area of applied public health. She aims to foster scientific literacy and critical-thinking, and is interested in developing best practices for communicating complex scientific concepts to stakeholder communities to drive public health and policy change. 

Shilo received her MSc in Epidemiology and Community Health from Dalhousie University in 2016. In 2022, she completed her PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto with a Collaborative Specialization in Public Health Policy. Her PhD dissertation on evaluating pertussis detection in health administrative and surveillance data was funded by a CIHR Doctoral Research Award. Before and after her PhD, Shilo practiced public health directly under the Provincial Cancer Surveillance Epidemiologist in Prince Edward Island with a focus on screening program evaluation. She has continued her work in cancer surveillance, screening, and evaluation here in Rhode Island, working directly with the local Department of Health.