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UrduMehta’s work as an infectious disease epidemiologist focuses on ensuring equitable access to prevention and treatment services for vulnerable and disenfranchised populations, particularly people who inject drugs who are at risk for, or living with, HIV or hepatitis C.
Mehta has led research programs in Baltimore and India that have produced more than 350 peer-reviewed papers. She has been continuously funded for more than 20 years with grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the National Science Foundation.
Established in 1919, the Bloomberg School’s Department of Epidemiology is one of the world’s oldest and largest epidemiology programs. Epidemiology explores the distribution and determinants of disease, injury, and disorder in different groups of people and is considered a foundation of public health. Epidemiologists often provide critical data upon which practitioners and policymakers develop prevention, control, and treatment strategies. During the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiologists played a prominent role in explaining, tracking, and modeling the spread of the virus.
“Epidemiology is the thread that needles the who, what, when, where, and why of disease into a meaningful context,” Mehta says. “It’s not just about identifying who is at risk for disease, but about the broader context in which this risk occurs and taking a step further to identify not only what the interventions are to mitigate disease, but how we deliver these interventions to populations that need them the most.”
She has also been appointed a Bloomberg Centennial Professor, supported by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative through a gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Initiative focuses on addressing major health challenges in the U.S., including food systems, environment, substance use and overdose, violence, and adolescent health.
Mehta received a Master of Public Health from the Bloomberg School in 1998 and a PhD, also from the Bloomberg School, in 2002. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Art Theory and Practice from Northwestern University in 1995.
After completing her undergraduate work, she took her first epidemiology course to bolster her knowledge for a job she’d taken as a research project coordinator. At about the same time, she read Randy Shilts’ book about the AIDS epidemic, And the Band Played On. Instead of heading to medical school, she applied to schools of public health.
“The problem-solving aspect of epidemiology and the opportunity to work on issues at the population level really appealed to me,” she says.
Mehta currently serves as the Department’s vice chair for Research and Administration and is also a member of the Bloomberg School’s Research Council. She will continue as director of the HIV Epidemiology training program for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows and the co-director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for AIDS Research, which promotes basic, clinical, epidemiologic, behavioral, and translational research in the prevention, detection, and treatment of HIV infection and AIDS.
Mehta will also continue to co-lead domestic and international clinical trials and cohort studies including the long-standing AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) Study and the Johns Hopkins COVID Long Study that she and colleagues launched in February 2021. The ongoing COVID Long Study has recruited more than 15,000 persons to date, primarily in the U.S.
Past leadership roles at the Bloomberg School include deputy chair of the Department of Epidemiology and serving on the Bloomberg School’s Committee on Appointments and Promotions.
“Shruti has an outstanding record of academic accomplishments, demonstrated leadership abilities, and an exciting vision for the Department’s future,” says Ellen J. MacKenzie, PhD, ScM, dean of the Bloomberg School. “In all aspects of her work, Shruti is known for her friendly demeanor, her highly collaborative spirit, and her commitment to a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.”
As chair, Mehta plans to investigate how the Department can build new partnerships and utilize novel tools to tackle critical public health issues and train the next generation.
“My goal is to innovate systems and build supports to free up space for creativity and to come together as a department to address the big challenges facing epidemiology and public health,” she says. “We do this by innovating within our existing programs but also by growing strategically through new partnerships within and outside the University, from industry to philanthropy, to address challenges like persistent health inequities and climate change while we leverage tools like data science and AI.”
Mehta succeeds David Celentano, ScD, MHS, who served as the Department chair for 16 years. Celentano will continue his research as a professor and remain director of the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research Prevention Core.
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