ID Fellow
Penn State Hershey Medical Center
Disclosure(s): No financial relationships to disclose
Dr. Ssentongo is a physician-scientist and an infectious disease fellow at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. His clinical research focuses on characterizing the epidemiology and pathophysiology of infectious causes (SARS-CoV-2, HIV, Malaria, CMV, Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus) of brain disorders, particularly post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, mental health disorders, epilepsy, and hydrocephalus. He works on NIH-funded projects to study neonatal sepsis and hydrocephalus in Africa.
Dr. Ssentongo pioneered and developed the first murine models of epilepsy as a sequela of malaria and the first murine model of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus, the causative agent of postinfectious hydrocephalus. With a global public health perspective, Dr. Ssentongo’s work further deconstructs the intersection of micro- and micronutrient malnutrition and infectious disease dynamics. His work incorporates spatial epidemiology and statistics, remote sensing, predictive modeling, and meta-analyses to optimize precision medicine and public health.
Dr. Ssentongo's research output has guided public health recommendations and guidelines by The World Health Organization, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations. His research has been featured in various press releases, including the US News and World Report, Reuters, CNN, The Guardian, The Washington Post, NPR, ABC TV, Penn State News, Yahoo News, Futurity, WebMD, HealthDay, Lancaster Online, and The Hill.
Dr. Ssentongo profoundly believes in the power of mentorship. He volunteers to mentor undergraduates, graduates, medical students, residents, and fellows in study designs, biostatistics, SAS and R programming (including Shiny Apps), ArcGIS, writing grants, systematic reviews/meta-analyses, and successful publishing of high-quality research studies. His mentees have been first authors in various journals, including JAMA Network Open, BMJ Open, Scientific Reports, and other peer-reviewed journals.