Molly Leecaster

Molly Leecaster, PhD

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Internal Medicine

Divisions: Epidemiology

Molly Leecaster, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine, Division of Epidemiology. She earned her PhD in statistics from Colorado State University and has worked in environmental and epidemiology research. She is interested in infectious disease research with a focus on study design and data collection to fill knowledge gaps and inform models of transmission. She supervises a team of data managers who support University and Veterans Administration investigators.

Education History

Internship Marshfield Research Clinic
 Intern
Doctoral Training Colorado State University
 PhD
Graduate Training Virginia Tech
 MS
Undergraduate University of Wisconsin
 BS

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Nelson Chang NC, Leecaster M, Fridkin S, Dube W, Katz M, Polgreen P, Roghmann MC, Khader K, Li L, Dumyati G, Tsay R, Lynfield R, Mahoehney JP, Nadle J, Hutson J, Pierce R, Zhang A, Wilson C, Haroldsen C, Mulvey D, Reddy SC, Stone ND, Slayton RB, Thompson ND, Stratford K, Samore M, Visnovsky LD (2023). Assessing Pathogen Transmission Opportunities: Variation in Nursing Home Staff-Resident Interactions. J Am Med Dir Assoc, 24(5), 735.e1-735.e9. (Read full article)
  2. Tanner WD, Leecaster MK, Zhang Y, Stratford KM, Mayer J, Visnovsky LD, Alhmidi H, Cadnum JL, Jencson AL, Koganti S, Bennett CP, Donskey CJ, Noble-Wang J, Reddy SC, Rose LJ, Watson L, Ide E, Wipperfurth T, Safdar N, Arasim M, Macke C, Roman P, Krein SL, Loc-Carrillo C, Samore MH (2020). Environmental Contamination of Contact Precaution and Non-Contact Precaution Patient Rooms in Six Acute Care Facilities. Clin Infect Dis, 72(Suppl 1), S8-S16. (Read full article)
  3. Stevens VW, Russo EM, Young-Xu Y, Leecaster M, Zhang Y, Zhang C, Yu H, Cai B, Gonzalez EN, Gerding DN, Lawrence J, Samore MH (2020). Identification of patients at risk of Clostridioides difficile infection for enrollment in vaccine clinical trials. Vaccine, 39(3), 536-544. (Read full article)
  4. Mayer J, Stone ND, Leecaster M, Hu N, Pettey W, Samore M, Pacheco SM, Sambol S, Donskey C, Jencson A, Gupta K, Strymish J, Johnson D, Woods C, Young E, McDonald LC, Gerding D (2019). Reinforcement of an infection control bundle targeting prevention practices for Clostridioides difficile in Veterans Health Administration nursing homes. Am J Infect Control, 48(6), 626-632. (Read full article)
  5. Visnovsky LD, Zhang Y, Leecaster MK, Safdar N, Barko L, Haroldsen C, Mulvey DL, Nevers M, Shaughnessy C, Stratford KM, Drews FA, Samore MH, Mayer J (2019). Effectiveness of a multisite personal protective equipment (PPE)-free zone intervention in acute care. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 40(7), 761-766. (Read full article)
  6. Tanner WD, VanDerslice JA, Goel RK, Leecaster MK, Fisher MA, Olstadt J, Gurley CM, Morris AG, Seely KA, Chapman L, Korando M, Shabazz KA, Stadsholt A, VanDeVelde J, Braun-Howland E, Minihane C, Higgins PJ, Deras M, Jaber O, Jette D, Gundlapalli AV (2019). Multi-state study of Enterobacteriaceae harboring extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and carbapenemase genes in U.S. drinking water. Sci Rep, 9(1), 3938. (Read full article)
  7. Jones BE, Haroldsen C, Madaras-Kelly K, Goetz MB, Ying J, Sauer B, Jones MM, Leecaster M, Greene T, Fridkin SK, Neuhauser MM, Samore MH (2018). In Data We Trust? Comparison of Electronic Versus Manual Abstraction of Antimicrobial Prescribing Quality Metrics for Hospitalized Veterans With Pneumonia. Med Care, 56(7), 626-633. (Read full article)
  8. Thomas A, Khader K, Redd A, Leecaster M, Zhang Y, Jones M, Greene T, Samore M (2015). Extended models for nosocomial infection: parameter estimation and model selection. Math Med Biol, 35(suppl_1), 29-49. (Read full article)
  9. Khader K, Thomas A, Huskins WC, Leecaster M, Zhang Y, Greene T, Redd A, Samore MH (2017). A Dynamic Transmission Model to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Infection Control Strategies. Open Forum Infect Dis, 4(1), ofw247. (Read full article)
  10. Nelson RE, Jones M, Leecaster M, Samore MH, Ray W, Huttner A, Huttner B, Khader K, Stevens VW, Gerding D, Schweizer ML, Rubin MA (2016). An Economic Analysis of Strategies to Control Clostridium Difficile Transmission and Infection Using an Agent-Based Simulation Model. PLoS One, 11(3), e0152248. (Read full article)
  11. Leecaster M, Toth DJ, Pettey WB, Rainey JJ, Gao H, Uzicanin A, Samore M (2016). Estimates of Social Contact in a Middle School Based on Self-Report and Wireless Sensor Data. PLoS One, 11(4), e0153690. (Read full article)
  12. Toth DJ, Leecaster M, Pettey WB, Gundlapalli AV, Gao H, Rainey JJ, Uzicanin A, Samore MH (2015). The role of heterogeneity in contact timing and duration in network models of influenza spread in schools. J R Soc Interface, 12(108), 20150279. (Read full article)
  13. Thomas A, Redd A, Khader K, Leecaster M, Greene T, Samore M (2015). Efficient parameter estimation for models of healthcare-associated pathogen transmission in discrete and continuous time. Math Med Biol, 32(1), 79-98. (Read full article)
  14. Mull HJ, Rosen AK, Shimada SL, Rivard PE, Nordberg B, Long B, Hoffman JM, Leecaster M, Savitz LA, Shanahan CW, Helwig A, Nebeker JR (2015). Assessing the potential adoption and usefulness of concurrent, action-oriented, electronic adverse drug event triggers designed for the outpatient setting. EGEMS (Wash DC), 3(1), 1116. (Read full article)
  15. Jones M, Huttner B, Leecaster M, Huttner A, Damal K, Tanner W, Nielson C, Rubin MA, Goetz MB, Madaras-Kelly K, Samore MH (2014). Does universal active MRSA surveillance influence anti-MRSA antibiotic use? A retrospective analysis of the treatment of patients admitted with suspicion of infection at Veterans Affairs Medical Centers between 2005 and 2010. J Antimicrob Chemother, 69(12), 3401-8. (Read full article)
  16. Khader K, Leecaster M, Greene T, Samore M, Thomas A (2014). Improved hidden Markov model for nosocomial infections. Math Med Biol, 31(4), 338-52. (Read full article)
  17. Rubin MA, Jones M, Leecaster M, Khader K, Ray W, Huttner A, Huttner B, Toth D, Sablay T, Borotkanics RJ, Gerding DN, Samore MH (2013). A simulation-based assessment of strategies to control Clostridium difficile transmission and infection. PLoS One, 8(11), e80671. (Read full article)
  18. Garvin JH, Redd A, Bolton D, Graham P, Roche D, Groeneveld P, Leecaster M, Shen S, Weiner MG (2013). Exploration of ICD-9-CM coding of chronic disease within the Elixhauser Comorbidity Measure in patients with chronic heart failure. Perspect Health Inf Manag, 10, 1b. (Read full article)
  19. Weir C, Drews FA, Leecaster MK, Barrus RJ, Hellewell JL, Nebeker JR (2012). The orderly and effective visit: impact of the electronic health record on modes of cognitive control. AMIA Annu Symp Proc, 2012, 979-87. (Read full article)
  20. Leecaster M, Gesteland P, Greene T, Walton N, Gundlapalli A, Rolfs R, Byington C, Samore M (2011). Modeling the variations in pediatric respiratory syncytial virus seasonal epidemics. BMC Infect Dis, 11, 105. (Read full article)
  21. Staes CJ, Wuthrich A, Gesteland P, Allison MA, Leecaster M, Shakib JH, Carter ME, Mallin BM, Mottice S, Rolfs R, Pavia AT, Wallace B, Gundlapalli AV, Samore M, Byington CL (2011). Public health communication with frontline clinicians during the first wave of the 2009 influenza pandemic. J Public Health Manag Pract, 17(1), 36-44. (Read full article)
  22. Price RC, Pettey W, Freeman T, Keahey K, Leecaster M, Samore M, Tobias J, Facelli JC (2010). SaTScan on a Cloud: On-Demand Large Scale Spatial Analysis of Epidemics.LID - 10.5210/ojphi.v2i1.2910 [doi]LID - ojphi.v2i1.2910 [pii]. Online J Public Health Inform, 2(1). (Read full article)
  23. Staes CJ, Gesteland PH, Allison M, Mottice S, Rubin M, Shakib JH, Boulton R, Wuthrich A, Carter ME, Leecaster M, Samore MH, Byington CL (2009). Urgent care providers' knowledge and attitude about public health reporting and pertussis control measures: implications for informatics. J Public Health Manag Pract, 15(6), 471-8. (Read full article)

Conference Proceedings

  1. Gundlapalli A, Ma X, Benuzillo J, Pettey W, Greenberg R, Hales J, Leecaster M, Samore M (2009). Social network analyses of patient-healthcare worker interactions: implications for disease transmission. AMIA Annu Symp Proc, United States, 2009, 213-7. (Read full article)

Abstract

  1. Jones, M, Rubin, M, Greene, T, Leecaster, M, Spuhl, J, Nielson, C, Evans, M, Jain, R, Samore, M (10/2011). Comparing the Performance of Clinical History of MRSA vs. Active Surveillance at Individual and Hospital Ward Levels [Abstract]. Infectious Disease Society of America Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
  2. Jones, M, Ying, J, Greene, T, Leecaster, M, Huttner, B, Mayer, J, Rubin, M, Samore, M (04/2011). Analysis of MRSA Transmission Dynamics in the Veterans Affairs System [Abstract]. Annual Scientific Meeting of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
  3. Jones, M, Leecaster, M, Ford, L, Spuhl, J, Howell, J, Nechodom, P, Samore, M, Rubin, M (10/2010). Bias Over Time When Human Reviewers Diagnose Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Due to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) [Abstract].
  4. Gundlapalli A, Ma X, Benuzillo J, Pettey W, Greenberg R, Hales J, Leecaster M, Samore M (12/1/2009). Developing Social Networks of Patients and Healthcare Workers in the Emergency Department for Pandemic Influenza Surveillance [Abstract]. International Society for Disease Surveilla.
  5. Gundlapalli AV, Ma X, Benuzillo J, Pettey W, Greenberg R, Hales H, Leecaster M, Samore MH (11/1/2009). Studying Emerging Infections in Social Networks of Patients and Healthcare Workers. [Abstract]. Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) 47th Annual Meeting 2009, Baltimore.