Lyn Finelli

{{Short description|American epidemiologist and infectious disease researcher}}

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| name = Lyn Finelli

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| nationality = American

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| education = Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

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| profession = Doctor

| field = Epidemiology

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Lyn Finelli is an American epidemiologist and infectious disease researcher, who helped lead the U.S. response to the 2009 H1N1 epidemic and contributed to research and public health communication about the COVID-19 pandemic. In 1990 Finelli was granted a doctorate in infectious disease epidemiology from Columbia University.{{Cite web |title=Lyn Finelli {{!}} Longdom Publishing SL {{!}} 111934 |url=https://www.longdom.org/author-profile/lyn-finelli-111934 |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=www.longdom.org}} She worked as chief of influenza surveillance and outbreak response at the Center for Disease Control.{{Cite web |last=Sapatkin |first=Don |date=2012-12-19 |title=Cough-and-cold season arrives suddenly, hits hard |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/health/coldandflu/20121219_Pediatric_ER_s_Busiest_Days.html |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=The Philadelphia Inquirer |language=en}} She led the CDC's response to the 2009 H1N1 outbreak and oversaw 200 employees.{{Cite web |title=Lyn Finelli, Chief of Surveillance and Outbreak Response, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases |url=https://isirv.org/site/index.php/10-board/51-lyn-finelli |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=isirv.org}} She was widely quoted in news coverage about the epidemic.{{Cite web |date=2011-09-02 |title=Novel H3N2 swine flu viruses infected 2 children, CDC says {{!}} CIDRAP |url=https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/h3n2v-influenza/novel-h3n2-swine-flu-viruses-infected-2-children-cdc-says |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=www.cidrap.umn.edu |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2009-06-25 |title=1 Million Americans May Have H1N1 Flu - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/1-million-americans-may-have-h1n1-flu/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=CBS News |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Allday |first=Erin |date=2014-01-29 |title=H1N1 flu strain has returned with a vengeance |url=https://www.sfgate.com/health/article/h1n1-flu-strain-has-returned-with-a-vengeance-5183305.php |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=SFGATE |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Sun |first=Lena H. |date=2023-05-17 |title=Second wave of flu blows in with spring; Northeast states hardest hit by influenza B |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/second-wave-of-flu-blows-in-with-spring-northeast-states-hardest-hit-by-influenza-b/2014/04/23/c361500a-ca62-11e3-a75e-463587891b57_story.html |access-date=2023-12-19 |issn=0190-8286}} Finelli now serves as executive director of new vaccine development at Merck Research Laboratories.{{Cite web |last=Burling |first=Stacey |date=2021-04-08 |title=Merck study finds survival rates among hospitalized COVID-19 patients rose after early months |url=https://www.inquirer.com/health/coronavirus/covid-19-survival-hospital-death-rate-merck-change-20210408.html |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=The Philadelphia Inquirer |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2021-04-16 |title=COVID hospital death rates fall, but impact still high {{!}} CIDRAP |url=https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-hospital-death-rates-fall-impact-still-high |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=www.cidrap.umn.edu |language=en}} In late March 2020, Finelli co-authored a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine defining the epidemiology of COVID-19 and calling for further studies.{{Cite journal |last1=Lipsitch |first1=Marc |last2=Swerdlow |first2=David L. |last3=Finelli |first3=Lyn |date=2020-03-26 |title=Defining the Epidemiology of Covid-19 — Studies Needed |journal=New England Journal of Medicine |language=en |volume=382 |issue=13 |pages=1194–1196 |doi=10.1056/NEJMp2002125 |issn=0028-4793|doi-access=free |pmid=32074416 }} Throughout her career, she has written over 300 scientific papers, book chapters, and articles on a variety of public health related topics, including RSV, sexual health, pneumonia, and hepatitis c.{{Cite web |title=Lyn Finelli, Chief of Surveillance and Outbreak Response, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases |url=https://isirv.org/site/index.php/10-board/51-lyn-finelli |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=isirv.org}}