Ms. Kim Deok-Ryun (left) and Dr. Mohammad Ali
of the IVI’s data management and biostatistics department

Ms. Kim Deok-Ryun and Dr. Mohammad Ali of the IVI’s data management and biostatistics department won the Best Paper Award during the 2nd International Conference on Health Geographic Information Systems, which was held in Bangkok during January 14-16, 2008.

Ms. Kim, a statistician, and Dr. Ali, a senior scientist, were honored in the oral presentation category for their paper, “Geographic analysis of shigellosis in Vietnam,” which addresses risk factors associated with shigellosis, using an advanced spatial model, and identifies high-risk areas of the disease that can be targeted for interventions. The paper was co-authored by a number of IVI scientists and collaborators, and was published recently in Health and Place.