Jessica Taaffe

Biomedical PhD. Classical soprano. Global Health & Science Consultant. Half Paraguayan. Dancing Queen. Lover of dressing up. German Shepherd mom. Gypset.

Not content to strictly do science or public health, Jessica aims to use her scientific expertise to directly impact global health and international development through policy, advocacy, and communication activities. Her professional interests include evidence-based health policy, building research capacity and access to scientific information in resource-poor settings, promoting innovative and multidisciplinary research, global health diplomacy, and the One Health approach to global health. She is also particulary interested in the intersect between wildlife conservation and zoonotic disease surveillance.

Through her personal use of social media, Jessica strives to challenge the stereotype of scientists being poor communicators and socially awkward, with few interests outside of science. She hopes that, in doing so, she can educate on and promote more public awareness of important scientific and global health issues.

Renaissance Woman

Since first being called a "Renaissance Woman" in 11th grade, Jessica has embraced this description of the wide-range of interests and activities she has pursued both professionally and personally. A dedicated figure skater as a youth, she later went on to pursue music, which has been a serious avocation for her now for over 20 years. A classically trained singer, Jessica has performed with church and semi-professional choirs in New York City and Philadelphia, including with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and at venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts. She currently studies the "Science of Singing" with Chrisselene Petropoulos in Potomac, Maryland, and is a member of the Schola Cantorum at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, DC. Jessica also is a big supporter of live music and loves to go out and listen to both classical and popular genres performances.

In the truest sense of beng a "Renaissance Woman," Jessica double-majored in Biology and Medieval & Renaissance Studies at Duke University (naturally, she bleeds Duke Blue). She geeks out over

biomedical archeo