Tracy R. Rosebrock

Biography

Tracy Rosebrock, PhD, is a scientist and public health professional with 20 years of experience in the biological and epidemiological bases of infectious diseases. She has uncovered novel mechanisms of bacterial and viral pathogenesis, discovered new diagnostic criteria and quantified the effectiveness of combinatorial antibiotic therapies for tuberculosis.

Rosebrock mentors undergraduate students through her research program on the biology and public health of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). HCMV disproportionately affects communities of low socio-economic status and those who live in resource-poor nations. HCMV is also the most common infectious agent transmitted vertically, from mother to child. Congenital HCMV infection is the leading cause of birth defects in the United States and the major cause of non-genetic hearing loss worldwide. Given the inequitable distribution of HCMV, these realities highlight an important health disparity.

Additionally, Rosebrock serves as a teacher and program evaluator with a Haitian healthcare non-profit. Closer to home, she co-leads a community-based participatory research study in Brockton, Massachusetts to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable community members and serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Plymouth County.

Rosebrock earned a bachelor of arts degree from New College of Florida. She later pursued a master's degree at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons. She received a doctorate from Cornell University's Boyce Thompson Institute. She expects to earn an MPH degree from University of Massachusetts in 2023.

Education

• MPH, University of Massachusetts (expected 2023)
• Ph.D., Cornell University, Boyce Thompson Institute
• M.A., Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
• B.A., New College of Florida

Research Interests

• Pathogens, pathogenesis, and the epidemiology of infectious diseases (focus: Human Cytomegalovirus)
• Public Health Program Design and Evaluation
• Evidence-based Policy

Courses Taught

• Clinical Epidemiology 
• Microbiology & Microbiology Lab
• Understanding Health Disparities
• Maternal and Child Health
• Cell Biology & Cell Biology Lab

Awards

• $26,600 Research Publication Grant in Engineering, Medicine and Science, American Association of University Women, 2022