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John Aggrey

John Aggrey, Postdoctoral Associate

Name, Title
John Aggrey, Postdoctoral Associate
Curriculum Vitae

Department of Science, Technology, and Society
280 Alumni Mall, 124 Lane Hall
Blacksburg, VA 24061
 johnka@vt.edu

John K. Aggrey is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Science, Technology, and Society. He studies risk and infectious diseases, focusing on rural and urban populations in Africa. He has studied Ebola and COVID-19, most recently focusing on how communities construct a sense of risk and how social and political contexts shape emerging infectious diseases. John also investigates the vital role of human relationships in epidemic preparedness, challenging conventional models that overly rely on technological and logistical solutions. His current project treats human relationships as a fundamental infrastructure for epidemic preparedness and response. This innovative perspective reimagines preventive measures by incorporating the complexities of human interaction and social hierarchies.

  • Global Health
  • Risk and Epidemics
  • Epidemics and Society
  • Emerging Infectious Diseases
  • PhD, Louisiana State University.
  • MA, Louisiana State University.
  • MPhil, University of Ghana.
  • BA, University of Ghana.
  • Member, Society for Social Studies of Science
  • Member, American Sociological Association
  • Member, African Studies Association

Aggrey, John K. and Wesley Shrum. 2020. “Politics and Trust in Ebola Vaccine Trials: The Case of Ghana.” Politics and the Life Sciences, 39(1), 38-55.

 

Shrum, Wesley, John Aggrey, Andre Campos, Janaina Pamplona da Costa, Jan

Joseph, Pablo Kreimer, … Abou Traore. 2020. “Who’s afraid of Ebola? Epidemic fires and locative fears in the Information Age.” Social Studies of Science, 50(5), 707-727.

 

Meyer, Michelle A., J. Carlee Purdum, Kyle Breen, John K. Aggrey, Danequa

Forrest, Cristian Nunez, and Walter Gillis Peacock. 2019. “Perspectives from Nongovernmental Organizations on Education and Training Needs for Community Disaster Recovery.”  Journal of Emergency Management.17(3): 225-238.

Dzokoto, Vivian A., John K. Aggrey, Hortance Houngbeke, and Edwin C. Mensah. 2018. “Exploring Knowledge Gaps and Financial Exclusion in Ghanaian Monetary Transitions.” Journal of Information and Knowledge Management, 17(3): 1-25.

Dzokoto, Vivian Afi, Rebecca Asante and John K. Aggrey. 2016. “Money that isn’t: A Qualitative examination of 1 pesewa coin and biometric card adoption in Ghana.” Ghana Studies Journal. 19(1), 3-34.

  • 2023 CeZAP Mini-Grant: Human Relationships as Infrastructure for Epidemic Preparedness. PI
  • 2022 Pathways Grant: Development of Medical Dilemmas and Human Experience II. Collaborator.
  • 2022 Virginia Tech University Libraries Collaborative Research Grant for Humanities and Social Science. “A Scoping Review Protocol on the Influence of Contextual Factors on Risk Perception and Health Behaviors During Epidemics.”
  • 2014 Ghana Studies Association Research Grant. “Commercialization of Land and the Peasant Economy of Ewusiejo, Ghana.”

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