Thomas F. Clasen, J.D., Ph.D.

Thomas Clasen, an epidemiologist, is Professor of Environmental Health and Rose Salamone Gangarosa Chair of Sanitation and Safe Water at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. He is also Reader in Water, Sanitation and Health in the Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. His publications include randomized, controlled field trials to assess the health impact of water, sanitation and hygiene interventions, systematic reviews of water quality and sanitation interventions to prevent diarrhoeal disease and enteric infection, assessments of water and sanitation interventions in emergency and outbreak response, and cost and cost-effectiveness analyses of water and sanitation interventions in developing countries. His current research includes a large-scale evaluation of a rural water and sanitation programme in Orissa; an evaluation of the coverage and use of a large scale sanitation program in Bangladesh; a randomized, controlled trial to assess the impact of arsenic water filters in West Bengal; and a health impact evaluation of a large-scale deployment of water filters and improved cook-stoves in Rwanda. Professor Clasen is also an advisor to the World Health Organization in developing the first set of guidelines for sanitation and health. Dr. Clasen holds an MSc (Control of Infectious Diseases) and PhD from the University of London; he also holds a JD (Law) from Georgetown University.