Dr Cassandra Kelly-Cirino joined FIND in May 2017 and is currently Director of Emerging Threats. She has over 20 years of experience working in Canadian and US public health and private sector settings. Cassandra began her career at the Canadian National Microbiology Laboratory working on emerging infectious diseases, including bacteria, viruses and prions. In her 10-year tenure at the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Cassandra served as the Deputy Director of the Biodefense Laboratory. She hold a PhD in Immunology and Infectious Diseases and developed vaccine and passive immunotherapeutic candidates for anthrax infections. She has engaged national and international stakeholders in the development of public health policy for infectious diseases with a focus on emergency response and preparedness, developed novel diagnostic assays for multiple pathogens, and served as a development partner for commercial companies developing novel tools to combat infectious diseases. Most recently, she served as Vice President, Infectious Diseases with DNA Genotek, leading multiple initiatives to bring simple collection and stabilization solutions to the global public health and outbreak response fields.
Scientist: Cassandra Kelly
A scientist’s opinion : Interview with Dr. Cassandra Kelly about COVID-19 tests
Interview with Dr. Cassandra Kelly, director of Emerging Threats at FIND. Why is FIND assessing the performance of COVID-19 tests? Cassandra Kelly: In the past 15 years, FIND has worked in the development of diagnostics for low and middle-income countries. During the past several outbreaks, including Ebola and Zika, companies were rushing to make tests, ...
“Unlocking” COVID-19: the use and misuse of tests
“Test, test, test” was one of the mantras of the WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus against COVID-19. The issue is particularly relevant in the “unlocking” phase several European countries are going through, as the curve of the pandemics bends. At this stage, and while effective vaccines or therapies are still not available, tests are crucial to keep the disease at bay. But are they effective and reliable?
