Brown Water Group

School of Civil & Environmental Engineering @ the Georgia Institute of Technology

People

Joe Brown PhD PE (PI) is an environmental engineer with interests in water and sanitation infrastructure, treatment processes, and environmental health microbiology. He is currently Carlton S. Wilder Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously, he served on the faculty of the Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), University of London. Brown has also been a consultant with UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and numerous other organizations on topics related to water and sanitation. He has an adjunct appointment in the Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University and is affiliated faculty in the Center for Global Safe WASH. He maintains PE licensure in NC and AL.

Drew Capone PhD is a post-doc studying sanitation in low-income settings. After a brief stint in cosmetics manufacturing, Drew taught high school math and chemistry with the US Peace Corps in rural Mozambique. After returning to the US, Drew joined the Brown Water Group to study fecal sludge management in Maputo, Mozambique and worked on the Maputo Sanitation (MapSan) trial to assess the use of environmental matrices for public health surveillance and health impact assessment, receiving his PhD in 2020. Drew is also interested in communities on the margins of US society that experience poor sanitation. He studies open defecation in US cities by people experiencing homelessness and soil-transmitted helminth infections (intestinal worms) among children in rural Alabama.

Kevin Zhu is a PhD student working on novel approaches to fecal source tracking and SARS-CoV-2 monitoring, with funding from the National Science Foundation. He has served as a TA for the core graduate course CEE 6311: Microbial Principles.

Olivia Ginn is a PhD student studying the effects of widespread fecal contamination on air quality and the associated risks. Her studies are based in Kanpur, India and La Paz, Bolivia where there is widespread fecal contamination and potential for transmission of microbes through the air. As a part of her thesis, she works closely with undergraduate students to facilitate application of classroom learning to real world problems. Aside from research, you’ll most likely find Olivia on top of a mountain somewhere in the world or having a banjo/ukulele jam sesh with her three-legged cat but don't worry she also loves dogs.

Amanda Lai is a PhD student working on antimicrobial resistance in environmental media and the NOURISH trial. She serves as a TA for the VIP Humanitarian Engineering course & is a research assistant at GTRI, where she contributes to a Gates Foundation-supported research project on novel toilet technologies.

Gouthami Rao is a PhD student working on MapSan and SARS-CoV-2 monitoring.

Dennis Nichols Nichols is an MPH student at Emory University working with the Brown Water Lab on the La Paz bioaerosols project. He is interested in using GIS applications and methods to improve research, programs, and communication in environmental health. Before coming to Emory he studied neuroscience at Georgia State, and before that he operated nuclear reactors for the US Navy. One of his personal goals is to become bilingual in Spanish and live in Latin America at some point.

Soseimiebi "Soso" Ogan is an undergraduate research assistant currently working with Drew Capone to process and analyze stool samples to test for the presence of Hookworm ova. She previously assisted Olivia Ginn with her work on quantifying and evaluating the enteric pathogens found in the bioaerosols using droplet digital PCR and Quantasoft software.

Maria Cardelino is an undergraduate research assistant working on testing the effects of fecal contamination on bioaerosol samples with Olivia Ginn. She is studying Environmental Engineering.

Sarah Lowry is an undergradate assistant working on pathogen detection via ddPCR in water.

Erin Kowalski, undergraduate assistant.

Caroline Ackerley, undergraduate assistant.

Zion Martell, undergraduate assistant.

Atiya Jangda, undergraduate assistant.

Timothy Purvis, jack-of-all-trades and ME undergraduate who has been tempted by the Dark Side (WASH & EnvE).

Yifeng Wang, MS student helping with our hookworm study.

Former group members

Aaron Bivins MSEnvE PhD PE is an Atlanta native and three-time Georgia Tech graduate. He successfully defended his PhD in October 2019. He is interested in mathematically characterizing the interactions between humans and fecal-oral pathogens particularly interactions mediated by engineered infrastructure. In this PhD work, he used dead-end ultrafiltration and droplet digital PCR to quantify fecal-oral pathogens in drinking water supplies, developing quantitative microbial risk assessment models to estimate human health risks associated with water supplies in underserved settings. Although he is deeply fascinated by microbes, his favorite water quality indicator will always be the trout. He's now heading to Notre Dame as a postdoctoral fellow in Kyle Bibby's group.

Jackie Knee MSPH PhD is a public health scientist interested in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene and the interface between environmental microbiology and human health. Following the completion of her BSPH and MSPH degrees at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jackie was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and spent a year abroad researching stored rainwater quality in rural Thailand. Upon her return to the U.S., she worked as an environmental scientist in the Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jackie researched the relationships between improved sanitation and outcomes of enteric infections and environmental enteric dysfunction in the MapSan trial, set in urban Maputo, Mozambique, completing her PhD in 2019. Jackie has been selected as the 2019 Marshall Sherfield Fellow for post-doctoral training in the United Kingdom - she's now at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine working in the Environmental Health Group.

David Berendes PhD MSPH (former post-doc, currently at CDC) is an interdisiplinary epidemiologist interested in evidence-based, sustainable, and applied public health solutions to water, sanitation, and hygiene-related diseases. David completed his BS in Molecular Biology from Duke University (Go Blue Devils**) and his MSPH in Global Epidemiology from Emory University. He worked as a research assistant and ORISE fellow in the International Emergency and Refugee Health Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the wake of the Haiti cholera epidemic from 2010 to 2012 before returning to Emory to complete his PhD with Dr. Christine Moe. His dissertation work focused on how coverage of toilets and fecal sludge management in urban neighborhoods is associated with fecal contamination in the public and private (household) domain and enteric infection in children.

Richard Chunga PhD was co-advised with Dr. Jeroen Ensink of LSHTM. Richard is a SHARE-funded student originally from Malawi, where he has worked extensively on sanitation with WaterAID and other organizations.  He has an MSc in Water Management from Cranfield University, an MSc in Project Planning and Management from the University of Bradford, and a BSc in Agriculture and Rural Development from the University of Malawi.  His PhD work focused on ecological sanitation uptake in peri-urban areas of Lilongwe and Blantyre City: "Investigating factors affecting the adoption of ecological sanitation in peri-urban areas: application of the theory planned behaviour". He (successfully) defended his thesis in 2015.

Ameer Shaheed PhD was co-advised with Prof. Sandy Cairncross at LSHTM. Before joining LSHTM, Ameer worked at the World Health Organization.  He received an MSc in Environmental Engineering from Imperial College London and a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of Warwick. His field-based PhD research has taken him to Cambodia, Zambia, and Pakistan. He (successfully) defended his thesis in 2015.

Michelo Simuyandi was co-advised with Dr. Val Curtis at LSHTM. Originally trained as a teacher, Michelo comes to LSHTM from the University of Cape Town, where he received a BSc (Hons) in Molecular and Cell Biology and an MSc in Radiation Oncology. He is a researcher with CIDRZ, Zambia, and previously was a member of the Tropical Gastroenterology and Nutrition (TROPGAN) group at the University of Zambia, School of Medicine. He recently led a randomized, controlled trial on a safe water intervention in urban Lusaka, the subject of his PhD work.

Victoria Dean completed her MS in environmental engineering at Georgia Tech, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She worked on antimicrobial resistance in the group, contributing to a CDC-funded project intended to measure AMR links between poultry farms and environmental waters. Victoria received her B.S. from The University of Texas at Austin Petroleum Engineering, and worked in the oil and gas industry for a few years. Amidst this career change, Victoria also taught high school Algebra I/II for a semester. Fun fact: Victoria enjoys playing her keytar and her electric drumset in her free time. She is continuing her graduate work as a PhD student in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech, under the supervision of Prof. Emily Grubert.

Eli Berger is an environmental engineering MS student. Eli is interested in water treatment and sanitation, particularly in developing countries. He received his B.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering from University of Maryland. One of his favorite hobbies is photography, and he is excited to capture the beautiful mountains and stunning skyline throughout his time in Atlanta. He is now working in the Chen lab and plans to continue for a PhD in EnvE.

Sid Patel worked on anti-microbial resistance (AMR) in fecal wastes, contributing to the MapSan project. He specializes in amazing meme-ology.

Joel Seibel is an MS student in EnvE, who worked on MapSan in Spring 2019.

Nikunj Khelurkar MS EIT completed his MS in EnvE in 2016. His work in the group focused on quantitative microbial risk assessment and water quality in the Ganges River.

Andrew Loo MS PE received his MS in EnvE in 2015. His work was focused on low-cost water quality tests and mobile applications in India.

Cat Reynolds (MS) worked on drinking water treatment technologies. She completed her bachelors in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Virginia, where she worked in the Limpopo Province of South Africa with emerging drinking water sanitation technologies. Cat is a devoted yogi and a lover of all things outdoor.

Yufan Lu (MS) studied quantitative microbial risk assessment and cholera risk. She served as the TA for CEE6311: Microbial Principles in Environmental Engineering.

Olivia Zarella (MS) developed and implemented a pPCR training program, Ministry of Health, Mozambique - part of the MapSan trial.

Anna Wood, an MS student in epidemiology at Emory, worked in our lab on antimicrobial resistance in stool samples and sludges from Mozambique, part of the HERCULES project.

Mio Unno (MS) worked on molecular analysis of surface water samples. Her current work seeks to estimate enteric pathogen prevalence and concentration in DEUF samples from the Ganges River, a collaboration with IIT-Kanpur.

Austin Rasbach (MS), worked on antimicrobial resistance in the Chattahoochee River.

Claire Anderson worked on MapSan as an undergraduate, and is now a PhD student at Stanford.

Celina Russo was an undergraduate research assistant on MapSan.

Olivia Stehr, undergraduate assistant on the Alabama EPA project and molecular analysis of DEUF samples.

Ann Johnson, undergrad researcher and current Fulbright-Nehru fellow in India, working on antimicrobial resistance and bioaerosols.

Collin Spencer, undergrad assistant, bioaerosols and methods development for capture of bacteriophages in air.

Jenia Molotkova, undergrad assistant, MapSan.

Diana Chumak, undergrad assistant, MapSan.

Arjun Bir focused on development and dissemination of the Ojal water quality test (formerly Oasis), a low-cost, semi-quantitative test for E. coli. His current work includes comparing low-cost methods in Bangalore, where Ojal plc is based.

Winnie Zambrana worked on molecular analysis of MapSan samples and biomarkers of environmental enteric dysfunction.

Lauren Aycock worked on population density measurements for MapSan.

Kelsey Eichbauer assisted with spatial analysis and GIS for MapSan.

Valeria Angulo Hernandez worked on molecular methods.

Samantha Becker received her BS in Civil Engineering at Georgia Tech, focusing on low-cost water treatment.

Shannon Evanchec co-founded Drinkably with Samantha Becker. Also while at Georgia Tech, Shannon has co-oped for Center for Transportation and the Environment and studied abroad at Georgia Tech Lorraine.

Lorenzo Tolentino worked on low-cost water quality testing in India. A recent BS in EnvE grad from Georgia Tech, he's currently working on a number of projects in international development.

Rebecca Yoo was an undergraduate researcher with the group, now working in industry.

Papers

Peer-reviewed journal articles
Contact for full-text versions

2020

Thomas, E. and Brown, J. 2020. Using feedback to improve accountability in global environmental health and engineering. Environmental Science and Technology [accepted].

Maxcy-Brown, J., Elliott, M., Krometis, L. A., White, K., Brown, J., Lall, U. 2020. Right in our backyard: surface discharge of untreated wastewater from homes in the United States. Water Research [accepted].

Medina, C., Ginn, O., Brown, J., Soria, F., Garvizu, C., Salazar, D., Tancara, A., and Herrera, J. 2020. Assessment of the presence and antibiotic resistance of Enterobacteriaceae recovered from bioaerosols in the Choqueyapu River area, La Paz, Bolivia. Science of the Total Environment [accepted].

Capone, D., Berendes, D., Cumming, O., Knee, J., Nala, R., Risk, B., Stauber, C., Zhu, K., Brown, J. 2020. Analysis of fecal sludges reveals common enteric pathogens in urban Maputo, Mozambique. Environmental Science and Technology Letters [accepted].

Rosenthal, J., Arku, R.E., Baumgartner, J., Brown, J., Clasen, T., Eisenberg, J.N.S., Hovmand, P., Jagger, P., Luke, D.A., Quinn, A., and Yadama, G.N. 2020. Systems science approaches for global environmental health research: enhancing intervention design and implementation for Household Air Pollution (HAP) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs. Environmental Health Perspectives doi: 10.1289/EHP7010 [accepted].

Goddard, F., Ban, R., Barr, D., Brown, J., Cannon, J., Colford, J., Eisenberg, J., Ercumen , A., Petach, H., Freeman, M., Levy, K., Luby, S., Moe, C., Pickering, A., Sarnat, J.A., Stewart, J., Thomas, E., Taniuchi, M., Clasen, T. 2020. Measuring environmental exposure to enteric pathogens in low-income settings: review and recommendations of an interdisciplinary working group. Environmental Science and Technology 54(19): 11673–11691. [full text].

Goddard, F.G.B., Pickering, A.J., Ercumen, A., Brown, J., Chang, H.H., Clasen, T. 2020. Faecal contamination of the environment and child health: a systematic review and meta-analysis using individual participant data. Lancet Planetary Health 4(9): e405-e415. [full text].

Muirhead, A., Zhu, K., Brown, J., Basu, M., Brinton, M., Costa, F., Hayat, M., Stauber, C. 2020. Zika virus RNA persistence in sewage. Environmental Science and Technology Letters 7(9): 659-664. [full text].

Johnson, A., Ginn, O., Bivins, A., Rocha-Melogno, L., Tripathi, S.N., and Brown, J. 2020. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-positive Escherichia coli presence in urban aquatic environments in Kanpur, India. Journal of Water and Health jwh2020065. [full text].

Bivins, A., Lowry, S., Murphy, H. M., Borchardt, M., Coyte, R., Labhasetwar, P., and Brown, J. 2020. Waterborne pathogen monitoring in Jaipur, India reveals potential microbial risks of urban groundwater supply. npj-Clean Water 3(35). [full text].

Zhu, K., Suttner, B., Pickering, A., Konstantinidis, K., and Brown, J. 2020. A novel droplet digital PCR human mtDNA assay for fecal source tracking. Water Research 116085. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2020.116085. [full text]

Capone, D., Nichols, D., Cumming, O., and Brown, J. 2020. Water and sanitation in urban America, 2017-2019. American Journal of Public Health 110(10): 1567–1572. [full text].

Bivins, A., North, D., Ahmad, A., Ahmed, W., Alm, E., Béen, F., Bhattacharya, P., Bijlsma, L., Boehm, A., Brown, J., Buttiglieri, G., Calabró, V., Carducci, A., Castiglioni, S., Cetecioglu, Z., Charkraborty, S., Costa, F., de los Reyes III, F., Delgado Vela, J., Farkas, K., Fernandez Cassi, X., Gerba, C., Gerrity, D., Girones, R., Gonzalez, R., Haramoto, E., Harris, A., Holden, P., Islam, T., Jones, D., Kasprzyk-Hordern, B., Kitajima, M., Kotlarz, N., Kumar, M., Kuroda, K., La Rosa, G., Malpei, F., Matus, M., McLellan, S., Medema, G., Meschke, J. S., Mueller, J., Newton, R., Nilsson, D., Noble, R., van Nuijs, A., Peccia, J., Perkins, A., Pickering, A., Rose, J., Sánchez, G., Smith, A., Stadler, L., Stauber, A., Thomas, K., van der Voorn, T., Wigginton, K., Zhu, K., Bibby, K. 2020. Wastewater-Based Epidemiology: Global Collaborative to Maximize Contributions in the Fight Against COVID-19. Environmental Science and Technology Letters 54(13): 7754–7757. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.0c02388. [full text].

Rocha-Melogno, L., Ginn, O., Bailey, E., Soria, F., Andrade, M., Bergin, M., Brown, J., Gray, G.C., Deshusses, M.A. 2020. Bioaerosol Sampling Optimization for Community Exposure Assessment in Cities with Poor Sanitation: A One Health Cross-Sectional Study. Science of the Total Environment 738: 139495. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139495. [full text].

Bedell, E., Sharpe, T., Purvis, T., Brown, J., and Thomas, E. 2020. Demonstration of tryptophan-like fluorescence sensor concepts for fecal exposure detection in drinking water in remote and resource constrained settings. Sustainability 12(9): 3768. doi: 10.3390/su12093768. [full text].

Goddard, F.G.B., Knee, J., Sumner, T., Nalá, R., Clasen, T., and Brown, J. 2020. Child salivary SIgA and its relationship to enteric infections and EED biomarkers in Maputo, Mozambique. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(9): 3035. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17093035. [full text].

Berendes, D., Kirby, A., Brown, J., and Wester, A.L. 2020. Estimation of human feces-associated extended spectrum beta-lactamase-1 producing E. coli discharge into sanitation systems: a first global- and regional-scale calculation. Lancet Planetary Health 4(6): E246-E255. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30099-1.[full text].

Holcomb, D.A., Knee, J., Sumner, T., Adriano, Z., de Bruijn, E., Nala, R., Cumming, O., Brown, J., Stewart, J.R. 2020. Human fecal contamination of water, soil, and surfaces in households sharing poor-quality sanitation facilities in Maputo, Mozambique. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 226: 113496. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113496. [full text].

Brown, J., Bir, A., and Bain, R.E.S. 2020. Novel methods for global water safety monitoring: comparative analysis of low-cost, field-ready E. coli assays. npj Clean Water 3:9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-020-0056-8. [full text].

Salazar, D., Ginn, O., Brown, J., Soria, F., Garvizu, C. 2020. Assessment of antibiotic resistant coliforms from bioaerosol samples collected above a sewage-polluted river in La Paz, Bolivia. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 228: 113494. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113494. [full text].

Bick, S., Perieres, L., D’Mello-Guyett, L., Baker, K., Brown, J., Muneme, B., Nala, R., Dreibelbis, R., Cumming, O. 2020. Risk factors for child food contamination in low-income neighbourhoods of Maputo, Mozambique – an exploratory, cross-sectional study. Maternal and Child Nutrition e12991. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12991. [full text].

Humphrey, J.H., Brown, J., Cumming, O., Evans, B., Howard, G., Kulabako, R.N., Lamontagne, J., Pickering, A.J., and Wang, E.N. 2020. The potential for atmospheric water harvesting to accelerate household access to safe water. Lancet Planetary Health 4(3): e91-e92. doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30034-6. [full text].

Berendes, D., Capone, D., Knee, J., Holcomb, D., Sultana, S., Pickering, A., Brown, J. 2020. Associations between enteric pathogen carriage and height-for-age, weight-for-age, and weight for height in children under 5 years old in urban Dhaka, Bangladesh. Epidemiology and Infection 148:e39. doi: 10.1017/S0950268820000369. [full text].

Capone, D., Buxton, H., Cumming, O., Dreibelbis, R., Knee, J., Nalá, R., Ross, I., Brown, J. 2020. Impact of an intervention to improve pit latrine emptying practices in low income urban neighborhoods of Maputo, Mozambique. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 226: 113480. doi: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113480. [full text].

2019

Berendes, D., Knee, J., Sumner, T., Capone, D., Lai, A., Wood, A., Patel, S., Nalá, R., Cumming, O., and Brown, J. 2019. Gut carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes among young children in urban Maputo, Mozambique: associations with enteric pathogen carriage and environmental risk factors. Plos One 14(11):e0225464. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225464. [full text]

Capone, D., Adriano, Z., Berendes, D., Cumming, O., Dreibelbis, R., Holcomb, D.A., Knee, J., Ross, I., and Brown, J. 2019. A localized sanitation status index as a proxy for fecal contamination in urban Maputo, Mozambique. Plos One 14(10):e0224333. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224333. [full text]

Brown, J. and Cumming, O. 2019. Stool-based pathogen detection offers advantages as an outcome measure for water, sanitation, and hygiene trials. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0639. [full text]

Tallis, H. Katharine Kreis, Lydia Olander, Claudia Ringler, David Ameyaw, Mark E. Borsuk, Diana Fletschner, Edward Game, Daniel O. Gilligan, Marc Jeuland, Gina Kennedy, Yuta J. Masuda, Sumi Mehta, Nicholas Miller, Megan Parker, Carmel Pollino, Julie Rajaratnam, David Wilkie, Wei Zhang, Selena Ahmed, O.C. Ajayi, Harold Alderman, George Arhonditsis, Ines Azevedo, Ruchi Badola, Rob Bailis, Patricia Balvanera, Emily Barbour, Mark Bardini, David N. Barton, Jill Baumgartner, Tim G. Benton, Emily Bobrow, Deborah Bossio, Ann Bostrom, Ademola Braimoh, Eduardo Brondizio, Joe Brown, Benjamin P. Bryant, Ryan S.D. Calder, Becky Chaplin-Kramer, Alison Cullen, Nicole DeMello, Katherine L. Dickinson, Kristie L. Ebi, Heather E. Eves, Jessica Fanzo, Paul J. Ferraro, Brendan Fisher, Edward A. Frongillo, Gillian Galford, Dennis Garrity, Lydiah Gatere, Andrew P. Grieshop, Nicola J. Grigg, Craig Groves, Mary Kay Gugerty, Michael Hamm, Xiaoyue Hou, Cindy Huang, Marc Imhoff, Darby Jack, Andrew D. Jones, Rodd Kelsey, Monica Kothari, Ritesh Kumar, Carl Lachat, Ashley Larsen, Mark Lawrence, Fabrice DeClerck, Phillip S. Levin, Edward Mabaya, Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson, Robert I. McDonald, Georgina Mace, Ricardo Maertens, Dorothy I. Mangale, Robin Martino, Sara Mason, Lyla Mehta, Ruth Meinzen-Dick, Barbara Merz, Siwa Msangi, Grant Murray, Kris A. Murray, Celeste E. Naude, Nathaniel K. Newlands, Ephraim Nkonya, Amber Peterman, Tricia Petruney, Hugh Possingham, Jyotsna Puri, Roseline Remans, Lisa Remlinger, Taylor H. Ricketts, Bedilu Reta, Brian E. Robinson, Dilys Roe, Joshua Rosenthal, Guofeng Shen, Drew Shindell, Ben Stewart-Koster, Terry Sunderland, William J. Sutherland, Josh Tewksbury, Heather Wasser, Stephanie Wear, Chris Webb, Dale Whittington, Marit Wilkerson, Heidi Wittmer, Benjamin D.K. Wood, Stephen Wood, Joyce Wu, Gautam Yadama, Stephanie Zobrist. 2019. Aligning Evidence Generation and Use Across Health, Development, and Environment. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability 39: 81-93. doi: 10.1016/j.cosust.2019.09.004. [full text]

Bivins, A., Beetsch, N., Majuru, B., Montgomery, M., Sumner, T., and Brown, J. 2019. Selecting household water treatment options on the basis of World Health Organization performance testing protocols. Environmental Science and Technology 53(9): 5043-5051. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b05682. [full text]

DuChanois, R., Liddle, E., Fenner, R., Jeuland, M., Evans, B., Cumming, O., Zaman, R., Mujica-Pereira, A., Ross, I., Gribble, M., and Brown, J. 2019. Factors Associated with Water Service Continuity for the Rural Populations of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Mozambique. Environmental Science and Technology 53(8): 4355-4363. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.8b07173. [full text]

Loo, A., Bivins, A., John, V., Becker, S., Evanchec, S., George, A., Hernandez, V., Mullaney, J., Tolentino, L., Yoo, R., Nagarnaik, P., Labhasetwar, P., Brown, J. 2019. Development and field testing of low-cost, quantal microbial assays with volunteer reporting as scalable means of drinking water safety estimation. Journal of Applied Microbiology 126(6): 1944-1954.doi: 10.1111/jam.14253. [abstract]

Brown, J., Albert, J., and Whittington, D. 2019. Community led total sanitation moves the needle on ending open defecation in Zambia. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 100(4): 767-769. [full text]

Brown, J., Hayashi, M., and Eisenberg, J. 2019. The critical role of compliance in delivering health gains from environmental health interventions. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 100(4): 777-779. [full text]

2018

Rocha-Melogno, L., Yoo, R., Broesicke, O., Kallergis, A., Garcia, J., Herbas, E., Torrez-Daza, A., Johnson, A., Boey, D., Beard, V., Frisbie, S.H., Murcott, S. and Brown, J. 2018. Rapid drinking water safety estimation in cities: piloting a globally scalable method in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Science of the Total Environment 654: 1132-1145. [full text]

Knee, J., Sumner, T., Adriano, Z., Berendes, D., de Bruijn, E., Schmidt, W-P., Nalá, R., Cumming, O., and Brown, J. 2018. Risk factors for childhood enteric infection in urban Maputo, Mozambique: a cross-sectional study. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 12(11): e0006956. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0006956. [full text]

Shiras, T., Cumming, O., Brown, J., Muneme, B., Nala, R., and Dreibelbis, R. 2018. Shared sanitation management and the role of social capital: findings from an urban sanitation intervention in Maputo, Mozambique. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15(10). pii: E2222. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102222. [full text]

Zhang, S., Tsementzi, D., Hatt, J.K., Bivins, A., Khelurkar, N., Brown, J., Tripathi, S.N., and Konstantinidis, K.T. 2018. Intensive allochthonous inputs along the Ganges River and their effect on microbial community composition and dynamics. Enviromental Microbiology 21(1):182-196. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.14439. [full text]

Berendes, D.M., Yang, P.J., Lai, A., Hu, D., an Brown, J. 2018. Estimation of global recoverable human and animal fecal biomass. Nature Sustainability 1: 679-685. [full text]

Farling, S., Rogers, T., Knee, J., Tilley, E., Brown, J., and Deshusses, M. 2018. Bioaerosol emissions associated with pit latrine emptying operations. Science of the Total Environment https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.147. [full text]

Shiras, T., Cumming, O., Brown, J., Muneme, B., Nala, R., and Dreibelbis, R. 2018. Shared latrines in Maputo, Mozambique: exploring emotional well-being and psychosocial stress. BMC International Health and Human Rights 18(1):30. doi: 10.1186/s12914-018-0169-z. [full text]

Shaheed, A., Rathore, S., Bastable, A., Bruce, J., Cairncross, S., Brown, J. 2018. Adherence to point-of-use water treatment over short-term implementation: parallel crossover trials of flocculation-disinfection sachets in Pakistan and Zambia. Environmental Science and Technology 52: 6601-6609. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b00167. [full text]

Capone, D., Ferguson, A., Gribble, M.O., and Brown, J. 2018. Open defecation sites, unmet sanitation needs, and potential sanitary risks in Atlanta, 2017-2018. American Journal of Public Health 109(9): 1238-1240. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304531. [abstract]

Trent, M., Dreibelbis, R., Bir, A., Tripathi, S., Labhasetwar, P., Nagarnaik, P., Loo, A., Bain, R., Jeuland, M., Brown, J. 2018. Access to household water quality information leads to safer water: a cluster randomized controlled trial in India. Environmental Science and Technology 52:5319-5329. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b00035 [full text]

2017

Chunga, R., Jenkins, M.W., Ensink, J., and Brown, J. 2017. Moving up the sanitation ladder with the help of microfinance in urban Malawi. Journal of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Development DOI: 10.2166/washdev.2017.186. [abstract]

Bivins, A., Sumner, T., Kumpel, E., Howard, G., Cumming, O., Ross, I., Nelson, K., Brown, J.   2017. Estimating infection risks and the global burden of diarrheal disease attributable to intermittent water supply using QMRA.  Environmental Science and Technology 51(13):7542–7551. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b01014 [full text]

Berendes, D., Sumner, T., and Brown, J.  2017. Safely managed sanitation for all means fecal sludge management for at least 1.8 billion people in low and middle income countries.  Environmental Science and Technology 51(5): 3074–3083. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.6b06019 [abstract]

Burt, Z., Njee, R.M., Mbatia, Y., Msimbe, V., Brown, J., Clasen, T.F., Malebo, H.M., and Ray, I.  2017. User preferences and willingness to pay for safe drinking water: experimental evidence from rural Tanzania.  Social Science and Medicine 173: 63-71. [full text].

2016

Chunga, R., Jenkins, M.W., Ensink, J., and Brown, J.  2016. Adopt or adapt: sanitation technology choices in urbanising Malawi.  PLoS ONE 11(8): e0161262. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0161262. [full text]

Brown, J., Hamoudi, A., Jeuland, M., and Turrini, G.  2016. Seeing, believing, and behaving: Heterogeneous effects of an information intervention on household water treatment.  Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (accepted). [full text]

Marois-Fiset, J.-T., Shaheed, A. Brown, J., Dorea, C.  2016. Laboratory evaluation of a new coagulant/disinfectant POU water treatment product for emergencies.  Journal of Applied Microbiology 121(3):892-902. doi: 10.1111/jam.13206. [full text]

Stauber, C., Wedgworth, J., Johnson, P.D., Olson, J., Ayers, T., Elliott, M., and Brown, J.  2016. Associations between self-reported gastrointestinal illness and water system characteristics in community water supplies in rural Alabama: a cross-sectional study.  PLoS ONE [full text].

Mohamed, H., Clasen, T., Mussa, R., Malebo, H.M., Mbuligwe, S., and Brown, J.  2016. Microbiological Effectiveness of household water treatment technologies under field use conditions in rural Tanzania.  Tropical Medicine & International Health 21(1):33-40. [abstract]

2015

Jeuland, M., Orgill, J., Shaheed, A., Revell, G., and Brown, J.  2015. A matter of good taste: Investigating preferences for in-house water treatment in peri-urban communities in Cambodia.  Environment and Development Economics DOI: 10.1017/S1355770X15000248. [abstract]

Brown, J., Cumming, O., Bartram, J., Cairncross, S., Ensink, J., Holcomb, D., Kolsky, P., Knee, J., Liang, K., Liang, S., Nala, R., Norman, G., Rheingans, R., Stewart, J., Zavale, O., Zuin, V., Schmidt, W.P.  2015. A controlled, before-after trial of an urban sanitation intervention to reduce enteric infections in children: research protocol for the Maputo Sanitation (MapSan) study, Mozambique.  BMJ-Open doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008215. [full text

Wedgworth, J.C., Brown, J., Olson, J.B., Elliott, M., Grammer, P. and Stauber, C.E. 2015.  Temporal heterogeneity of water quality from rural water supplies in Alabama. Journal of the American Water Works Association 107(8): E401-E415. [abstract]

Mohamed, H., Brown, J., Mussa, R., Clasen, T., Malebo, H.M., and Mbuligwe, S.  2015.  Point of use chlorination of turbid water in Tanzania.  Journal of Water and Health 13(2):544-552. [abstract]

2014

Wedgworth, J.C., Brown, J., Johnson, P., Olson, J., Elliott, M., Forehand, R., and Stauber, C.E.  2014.  Associations between perceptions of drinking water service delivery and measured drinking water quality in rural Alabama.  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11(7): 7376-7392. [full text]

Heijnen, M., Cumming, O., Peletz, R., Chan, G., Brown, J., Clasen, T. 2014. Shared sanitation versus individual household latrines: a systematic review of health outcomes.  PLoS ONE.  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0093300. [full text]

Shaheed, A., Orgill, J., Montgomery, M., Jeuland, M., Brown, J.  2014.  Why “improved” water sources are not always safe.  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 92: 283-289. [full text]

Shaheed, A., Orgill, J., Ratana, C., Montgomery, M.A., Jeuland, M.A., Brown, J.  2014. Water quality risks of "improved" water sources: evidence from Cambodia.  Tropical Medicine & International Health 19(2): 186-194. [full text]

Presser, E., Simuyandi, M., Brown, J.  2014.  The effects of storage time and temperature on recovery of salivary immunoglobulin A.  American Journal of Human Biology.  DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.22525. [abstract]

Izenberg, M., Johns-Yost, O., Johnson, P.D., and Brown, J.  2014. Nocturnal convenience: the problem of securing universal sanitation access in Alabama’s Black Belt.  Environmental Justice 6(6): 200-205. [abstract]

Holman, E.J. and Brown, J.  2014.  Safety of packaged water distribution limited by household recontamination in rural Cambodia.  Journal of Water and Health doi:10.2166/wh.2013.118. [abstract]

2013

Wedgworth, J.J. and Brown, J.  2013.  Limited access to safe drinking water and sanitation in Alabama’s Black Belt: a cross-Sectional case study.  Water Quality, Exposure and Health 10.1007/s12403-013-0088-0. [full text]

Bhathena, Z.P., Shrivastava, S., Londhe, P., and Brown, J.  2013.  Microbiological performance of novel household water treatment devices in India.  Water Science and Technology: Water Supply 14(1): 91-98. [abstract]

Brown, J., Cairncross, S., and Ensink, J.  2013.  Sanitation, water and hygiene and child health: a critical review.  Archives of Disease in Childhood 98(8):629-634. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2011-301528. [full text]

Orgill, J., Shaheed, A., Brown, J., Jeuland, M.  2013.  Water quality perceptions and willingness to pay for clean water in peri-urban Cambodian communities.  Journal of Water and Health 11(3): 489–506. [abstract]

Brown, J., Hien, V.T., McMahan, L., Jenkins, M., Thie, L., Liang, K., Printy, E., and Sobsey, M.  2013.  Relative benefits of on-plot water supply over other “improved” sources in rural Vietnam.  Tropical Medicine and International Health 18(1): 65-74. doi: 10.1111/tmi.12010. [full text]

Brown, J., Ratana, C., Wang, A., and Sobsey, M.  2013.  Microbiological effectiveness of mineral pot filters in Cambodia.  Environmental Science and Technology 46(21): 12055-12061. doi: 10.1021/es3027852. [abstract

2012

Brown, J. and Clasen, T.  2012.  High adherence is necessary to realize health gains from water quality interventions.  PLoS ONE 7(5): e36735. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0036735. [full text]

Brown, J., Cavill, S., Cumming, O., and Jeandron, A.  2012.  Water, sanitation, and hygiene in emergencies: summary review and recommendations for further research.  Waterlines 31(1&2): 11-29. [abstract]

Brown, J. and Sobsey, M.  2012.  Boiling as household water treatment in Cambodia: a longitudinal study of boiling practice and microbiological effectiveness.  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 87(3): 394–398. [full text]

Before 2012

Özdemir, S., Elliott, M., Brown, J., Pham, N.K., Vo Thi, H., and Sobsey, M.D.   2011.  Practices, preferences and attitudes for rainwater harvesting in Mekong Delta, Vietnam.  Journal of Water, Saniation, and Hygiene for Development 1(3): 171-177. [abstract]

Brown, J., Stauber, C., Murphy, J., Khan, A.  Mu, T., Elliott, M., and Sobsey, M.  2011.  Ambient temperature incubation for the field detection of E. coli in drinking water.  Journal of Applied Microbiology 110(4): 915-923. [full text]

Brown, J. And Sobsey, M.  2010.  Microbiological effectiveness of locally produced ceramic filters for drinking water treatment in Cambodia.  Journal of Water and Health 8(1): 1-10. [full text]

Brown, J. And Sobsey, M.  2009.  Metal oxide amended ceramic media for the capture of viruses in drinking water.  Environmental Technology 30(4): 379-391. [abstract]

Brown, J., Proum, S., and Sobsey, M.  2009.  Sustained use of a household-scale water filtration device  in rural Cambodia.  Journal of Water and Health 7(3): 404-411. [full text]

Sobsey, M.D., Stauber, C.E., Casanova, L.M., Brown, J., and Elliott, M.A.  2008.  Point of use household drinking water filtration: a practical, effective solution for providing access to safe drinking water in the developing world.  Environmental Science and Technology 42: 4261-4267. [abstract]

Brown, J., Sobsey, M., and Loomis, D.  2008.  Drinking water filters reduce diarrheal disease in Cambodia: a randomized, controlled trial of locally made ceramic filters.   American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 79(3): 394-400. [full text]

Brown, J., Proum, S. and Sobsey, M.  2008.  E. coli in household drinking water and diarrheal disease risk: evidence from Cambodia.  Water Science and Technology 58(4): 757-763. [abstract]

Clasen, T., Brown, J., Collin, S.  2006.  Preventing diarrhoea with household ceramic water filters: assessment of a pilot project in Bolivia.  International Journal of Environmental Health Research 16(3):231-239. [full text]

Clasen, T., Brown, J., Collin, S., Suntura, O., and Cairncross, S.  2004.  Reducing diarrhea through the use of household-based ceramic water filters: a randomized, controlled trial in rural Bolivia.  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 70(6): 651-657. [full text]

Clasen, T., Brown, J., Suntura, O. and Collin, S.  2004.  Tratamiento casero de agua con filtros de cerámica por goteo.  Caudal Revista Sectoral de Agua y Saneamiento 4: 20-22.

Clasen, T., Brown, J., Suntura, O., and Collin, S.  2004.  Safe household water treatment and storage using ceramic drip filters: a randomized controlled trial in Bolivia.  Water Science and Technology 50(1):111-115. [abstract]

Johnson, P., Watson, M., Brown, J., Jefcoat, I.A.  2002.  Peanut hull pellets as a single use sorbent for the capture of Cu (II) from wastewater.  Waste Management 22(5): 471-480. [full text]

Brown, P., Brown, J., and Allen, S.  2001.  The application of kudzu as a medium for the adsorption of heavy metals from dilute aqueous wastestreams.  Bioresource Technology 78:195-201. [full text]

Brown, J.  2000.  Kudzu as a medium for the adsorption of heavy metals in dilute aqueous wastestreams, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management 4:82-87. [abstract]

Peer-reviewed books and book chapters

Berendes, D. and Brown, J. 2017. Inequality beyond the toilet: fecal sludge management and the community-level dimensions of sanitation. Chapter in: O. Cumming & T. Slaymaker (ed.) Achieving Equality in Water and Sanitation Service Delivery. London: Routledge.

Brown, J. and Grammer, P. 2015. ‘Indicators of microbial quality’, in Bartram, J., with Baum, R., Coclanis, P.A., Gute, D. M., Kay, D., McFayden, S., Pond, K., Robertson,W. and Rouse, M.J. (eds) Routledge Handbook of Water and Health. London and New York: Routledge.

Brown, J., Cavill, S., Cumming, O., and Jeandron, A. 2015. Water, sanitation, and hygiene in emergencies.  Chapter in: Richard Carter (ed.) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Humanitarian Contexts: Reflections on current practice.  London: Practical Action Publishing. ISBN 9781853398841. 

Sobsey, M., and Brown, J.  2011.  Evaluating household water treatment options: health- based targets and performance specifications.  Geneva: World Health Organization.  ISBN: 978 92 4 154822 9. [full text]

Peer-reviewed monographs 

Cairncross, S., Baker, S., Brown, J., Cavill, S., Cumming, O., Ensink, J., Rheingans, R., and Schmidt, W.P.  2013.  Evidence Paper: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene.  UK Department for International Development (DfID) commissioned review. [full text]

Brown, J., Jeandron, A., Cavill, S., and Cumming, O.  2012.  Evidence Review and Research Priorities: Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for Emergency Response.  UK Department for International Development (DfID) commissioned review/monograph.  SHARE Consortium. [full text]

Brown, J., Outlaw, T., Clasen, T., Wu, J., and Sobsey, M.  2009.  Safe Water for All:  Harnessing the Private Sector to Reach the Underserved.  Washington, D.C.: World Bank/International Finance Corporation. [full text]

Brown, J., Sobsey, M., and Proum, S.  2007.   Use of Ceramic Water Filters in Cambodia.  Washington, DC: WSP-World Bank Field Note. [full text]