Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele

Dr. Helena Solo-Gabriele is a Professor in the Department of Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL.  As a faculty member she teaches courses in environmental measurements, water and wastewater treatment plant design, and in environmental engineering microbiology.  Her research focuses on problems that relate the environment to human health.  During the COVID-19 pandemic her research team used wastewater to track illnesses within campus dormitories, University hospital, within Miami-Dade County Public Schools, and for the entire county through a major centralized wastewater treatment plant.  Since the pandemic, her team has expanded measurements to include additional respiratory viruses including Influenza A/B and RSV, plus poliovirus, Mpox, and C. auris.  Most recently her team has initiated studies to utilize wastewater to track dengue virus within Miami-Dade County and Florida.  During this presentation she will describe results emphasizing the utility of wastewater in tracking disease and will indicate next steps for tracking dengue and other arboviruses.