Michael Arndt

Michael Arndt received his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Washington (UW) in 2016. He also holds a MPH from UW, and a BS in Biology from Duke University. Michael worked as a research assistant for the START Center from 2012 to 2014. As a doctoral candidate, Michael partnered with ICDDR,B in Bangladesh to examine fecal biomarkers for Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED), a subclinical intestinal disorder related to environmental contamination and intestinal infections. EED appears to be associated with increased risk of stunting and poor vaccine efficacy in children in low and middle income countries. His doctoral research also examined whether a certain hormone may be useful in predicting growth responses to supplemental nutrition among undernourished infants. Michael was a post-doctoral fellow with the Drug Development Program at PATH, helping to develop the group’s EED strategy and continuing research with UW faculty and ICDDR,B related to EED, hormonal responses to feeding, and diarrheagenic E. coli.

Michael shared these sentiments regarding his time with the START Center: "Working with a multidisciplinary team of graduate students and faculty members in the START Program helped transform my passion for global health into applicable skills and opened up great opportunities. These challenging and rewarding experiences pushed me to strengthen and utilize my critical thinking, communication, and analytic skills to be successful in a fast-moving, collaborative environment."

Michael currently works as a Research Scientist with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).