Team | Ko Laboratory

Albert Ko

Principal Investigator

Dr. Albert Icksang Ko is the Raj and Indra Nooyi Professor of Public Health at the Yale School of Public Health and a Collaborating Researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health. His research centers on the health problems that have emerged as a consequence of rapid urbanization and social inequity. Dr. Ko coordinates a research program in Brazil, which focuses on delineating the role of social marginalization, urban ecology, and climate in the emergence of infectious disease threats in slum communities and informal settlements. He and his team have mobilized research capacity to develop and implement community-based interventions to epidemics of meningitis, leptospirosis, dengue, Zika virus infection and associated birth defects, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Ko is also Program Director of the Fogarty/NIH Global Health Equity Scholars Program, which provides research training opportunities for US and LMIC post and pre-doctoral fellows at collaborating international sites. He is a member of the WHO R&D Taskforce for Zika Virus and R&D Blueprint Working Group. During the pandemic, he served with Indra Nooyi as co-chair of Governor Lamont's Reopen Connecticut Advisory Group. Dr. Ko continues to advise the Governor and the State on its pandemic prevention and control plan, in addition to supporting the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in its COVID-19 response in Brazil.

Catherine Muenker

Lab Manager

Cate Muenker is a seasoned molecular biologist with over 25 years of experience spanning both academic and industry settings. As the lab manager in the Ko Laboratory for the past eight years, she has played a pivotal role in emerging infectious disease research, specializing in molecular biology techniques such as qPCR, serology assays, cell culture, and microbiology. Cate has contributed to numerous high-impact research projects, managed bio-repositories, and led animal studies. Her leadership extends beyond the lab, as she is deeply committed to mentoring and training the next generation of scientists. Within the EMD Department, her guidance and technical acumen have earned her the respect of colleagues and trainees. Beyond the lab, she enjoys cheering on her children at their sports events, growing a small business, and immersing herself in reading.

Chelsea Evankow

Project administrator (Yale)

Chelsea is a global health professional and Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with over eight years of experience in global health and program management. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Tulane University, where she focused on addressing health challenges through a lens of equity and inclusion.

Before joining Yale, Chelsea worked at Planned Parenthood in Louisiana, where she led efforts to streamline operations, foster strategic partnerships, and advance advocacy initiatives in a complex policy environment. Her work has centered on sexual and reproductive health, HIV, malaria, and maternal, infant, and child health, with a commitment to gender equality and racial equity.

A skilled leader and collaborator, Chelsea thrives in dynamic environments, bringing expertise in program design, capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and cross-cultural collaboration. At Yale, she serves as the Program Manager, supporting groundbreaking research and initiatives under the leadership of Dr. Ko.

Monique Cavalcante

Project administrator (Fiocruz)

Monique holds a degree in Business Administration specializing in Finance (2006), a Master's in Regional and Urban Development from Universidade Salvador (2018), and a Public Health MBA (2023). Since 2008, she has been involved in managing research projects focused on the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines for Leptospirosis, cohort studies on children with congenital Zika virus syndrome, and a cohort project for the diagnosis of COVID-19 at the Laboratory of Pathology and Molecular Biology at the Gonçalo Moniz Institute, Fiocruz-BA. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling.