Damon Toth

Damon Toth, PhD, MS

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Internal Medicine

Divisions: Epidemiology

Damon Toth, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in The Research Track in the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Internal Medicine, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics. As an applied mathematician, his research interests include mathematical modeling and simulation of the spread of infectious diseases.
Dr. Toth's research accomplishments include major contributions to the Final Supplementary Risk Assessment for the Boston University National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL). His ongoing work includes network and transmission modeling for the CDC-sponsored Contacts among Utah's School-age Population (CUSP) project, modeling of the infection and transmission of Clostidium difficile in hospitals, and modeling of dose-response, incubation period, and transmission of infectious pathogens for use in risk analysis and outbreak prediction and surveillance.
Dr. Toth received his PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Washington. He received post-doctoral training in the Mathematical Biology group in the University of Utah's Department of Mathematics.

Education History

Undergraduate Princeton University
 BSE
Graduate Training University of Washington
 MS
Doctoral Training University of Washington
 PhD
Postdoctoral Training University of Utah
 Postdoctoral Training

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Toth D, Khader K, Slayton R, Kallen A, Gundlapalli A, O'Hagan J, Fiore A, Rubin M, Jernigan J, Samore (2017). The potential for interventions in a long-term acute care hospital to reduce transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in affiliated healthcare facilities. Clinical infectious diseases, 65(4), 581-587.
  2. Toth D, Samore M, Nelson (2021). Economic evaluations of new antibiotics: the high potential value of reducing healthcare transmission through decolonization. Clinical infectious diseases, 72(Supplement_1), S34-S41.
  3. Toth D, Khader K, Beams A, Samore (2019). Model-based assessment of the effect of contact precautions applied to surveillance-detected carriers of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in long-term Acute care hospitals. Clinical infectious diseases, 69(Supplement_3), S206-S213.
  4. Beams A, Toth D, Khader K, Adler (2016). Harnessing Intra-Host Strain Competition to Limit Antibiotic Resistance: Mathematical Model Results. Bulletin of mathematical biology, 78(9), 1828-1846.
  5. Pettey W, Carter M, Toth D, Samore M, Gundlapalli (2017). Constructing Ebola transmission chains from West Africa and estimating model parameters using internet sources. Epidemiology and infection, 145(10), 1993-2002.
  6. Tanner W, Toth D, Gundlapalli (2015). The pandemic potential of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus: a review. Epidemiology and infection, 143(16), 3359-3374.
  7. Slayton R, Toth D, Lee B, Tanner W, Bartsch S, Khader K, Wong K, Brown K, McKinnell J, Ray W, Miller L, Rubin M, Kim D, Adler F, Cao C, Avery L, Stone N, Kallen A, Samore M, Huang S, Fridkin S, Jernigan (2015). Vital Signs: estimated effects of a coordinated approach for action to reduce antibiotic-resistant infections in health care facilities - United States. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 64(30), 826-831.
  8. Toth D, Keegan L, Samore M, Khader K, O'Hagan J, Yu H, Quintana A, Swerdlow (2020). Modeling the potential impact of administering vaccines against Clostridioides difficile infection to individuals in healthcare facilities. Vaccine, 38(37), 5927-5932.
  9. Toth D, Gundlapalli A, Khader K, Pettey W, Rubin M, Adler F, Samore (2015). Estimates of outbreak risk from new introductions of Ebola with immediate and delayed transmission control. Emerging infectious diseases, 21(8), 1402-1408.
  10. Pettey W, Toth D, Redd A, Carter M, Samore M, Gundlapalli (2016). Using network projections to explore co-incidence and context in large clinical datasets: application to homelessness among U.S. Veterans. Journal of biomedical informatics, 61, 203-213.
  11. Toth D, Gundlapalli A, Schell W, Bulmahn K, Walton T, Woods C, Coghill C, Gallegos F, Samore M, Adler (2013). Quantitative models of the dose-response and time course of inhalational anthrax in humans. PLoS pathogens, 9(8), e1003555.
  12. Toth D, Leecaster M, Pettey W, Gundlapalli A, Gao H, Rainey J, Uzicanin A, Samore (2015). The role of heterogeneity in contact timing and duration in network models of influenza spread in schools. Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 12(108), 20150279.
  13. Leecaster M, Toth D, Pettey W, Rainey J, Gao H, Uzicanin A, Samore (2016). Estimates of social contact in a middle school based on self-report and wireless sensor data. PloS one, 11(4), e0153690.
  14. Rubin M, Jones M, Leecaster M, Khader K, Ray W, Huttner A, Huttner B, Toth D, Sablay T, Borotkanics R, Gerding D, Samore (2013). A simulation-based assessment of strategies to control Clostridium difficile transmission and infection. PloS one, 8(11), e80671.
  15. Khader K, Thomas A, Jones M, Toth D, Stevens V, Samore (2019). Variation and trends in transmission dynamics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Veterans Affairs hospitals and nursing homes. Epidemics, 28, 100347.
  16. Toth D, Tanner W, Khader K, Gundlapalli (2016). Estimates of the risk of large or long-lasting outbreaks of Middle East respiratory syndrome after importations outside the Arabian Peninsula. Epidemics, 16, 27-32.
  17. Love J, Keegan L, Angulo F, McLaughlin J, Shea K, Swerdlow D, Samore M, Toth (2021). Continued need for non-pharmaceutical interventions after COVID-19 vaccination in long-term-care facilities. Scientific reports, 11, 18093.
  18. Khader K, Thomas A, Stevens V, Visnovsky L, Nevers M, Toth D, Keegan L, Jones M, Rubin M, Samore (2021). Association between contact precautions and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Veterans Affairs hospitals. JAMA network open, 4(3), e210971.
  19. Toth D, Beams A, Keegan L, Zhang Y, Greene T, Orleans B, Seegert N, Looney A, Alder S, Samore (2021). High variability in transmission of SARS-CoV-2 within households and implications for control. PloS one, 16(11), e0259097.
  20. Toth D, Sheets T, Beams A, Ahmed S, Seegert N, Love J, Keegan L, Samore (2024). Model-based estimates of age-structured SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology in households. BMC public health, 24, 2965.
  21. Toth D, Khader K, Mitchell C, Samore (2025). Transmission thresholds for the spread of infections in healthcare facilities. PLoS computational biology, 21(10), e1013577.

Commentary

  1. Toth D, Khader (2021). Efficient SARS-CoV-2 surveillance strategies to prevent deadly outbreaks in vulnerable populations. BMC medicine, 19(1), 25.