Clarissa Simas
research assistant, The Vaccine Confidence Project, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Clarissa is a psychologist and research assistant for the Vaccine Confidence Project™. She has a professional background in global health and development and holds an MSc in medical anthropology from University College London (UCL) and a BSc in psychology from University of Brasília. She is currently investigating social impacts of the Zika epidemic in Brazil, the Ebola vaccine trial  deployment, acceptance and compliance, impact of new digital technology in health communication, public acceptance of health interventions, with a particular focus on vaccine confidence in South America, outbreak preparedness, risk perception and its impact in decision making, psychogenic adverse reactions to vaccines globally, and have investigated acceptance of HIV/STI prevention interventions amongst European youth. Her research interests include risk perception, rumours, trust and mistrust dynamics, health psychology, vaccines, medical anthropology, post-colonialism, structural violence, digital epidemiology, community engagement, health communication, and new social media.