ECOHEALTH ALLIANCE - Key Persons
"The way we interact with the environment has profound impacts not only on the health of our planet, but also on human health - put simply, human health cannot exist without environmental health. A One Health approach is critical to better understanding the complex relationship between the environment and people, which will ultimately help us prevent health challenges and disease threats. Let's work together to create a healthier future for everyone and everything - and let's have fun doing it!"
Job Titles:
- Project Manager
- Research Scientist
The ‘alliance' in EcoHealth Alliance refers not only to the connection between human, animal, and environmental health. The ‘alliance' refers also to the global network of experts working across sectors on solutions to health and conservation challenges. Disasters such as pandemics, extinction events, storms, and droughts are complex events which require systems thinking and dynamic problem solving. Using a One Health approach, we are able to tear down silos between disciplines, and begin to ask the right questions regarding how to move forward.
As Project Manager and Research Scientist, Ava Sullivan works on a variety of dynamic One Health projects. In her role, Ava uses her expertise in project management and implementation to facilitate successful global collaborations.
Becca works as a Program Coordinator on the USAID-funded Conservation Works (CW) activity based in Liberia. In this role, she manages Monitoring and Evaluation of programmatic activities, as well as partner logistics. Throughout the life of CW, she will also work with partners to incorporate gender-based programmatic elements.
Becca obtained a Master's degree from New York University in Global Affairs with a Global Gender Studies concentration, and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Iona University. During her Master's degree, she was trained on Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning, created an online toolkit for 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, supported a gender-based violence organization in Botswana through the virtual Peace Corps, and helped organize after-school programs in NYC for high-school-age girls. Before joining EcoHealth Alliance, Becca served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Botswana. While there, she worked with a local non-profit creating a new ME&L system for the organization, assisting with programming for vulnerable populations, and incorporating gender components into the local clinic. Becca approaches international development through a community based approach drawing from an array of international experiences, her educational background, and working alongside her community in Botswana.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
As a Data Librarian, Collin Schwantes uses his experience developing reproducible analytics workflows and curating both physical and digital collections to ensure the research carried out by EcoHealth Alliance produces high quality, discoverable, and reusable data. Collin works across teams to establish process automations, build data models, and provide data curation support. Ultimately, his work will facilitate the creation of generalized one health data, making it easier to compare data across studies and build general predictive models.
An ecologist by training, Collin has more than 10 years of experience working on biological monitoring and modeling projects at multiple institutions. During that time he worked with investigators at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who conducted basic research and later with the National Biosurveillance Integration Center to interpret and apply scientific findings for policy makers in the U.S. Federal government.
Collin was also the Data Science Craft Lead with Accenture Federal Services' Discovery Lab. In that role he led several COVID-19 epidemiological modeling efforts, developed rapid prototypes to solve analytics problems from the U.S. Federal Government, promoted data science best practices, and led communities of interest with hundreds of members for R and graph analytics.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
As a research scientist at EcoHealth Alliance, Dr. Alice Latinne aims at better understanding…
Dr. Alix Armero is a bioinformatician at EcoHealth Alliance. Alix works on zoonotic and emerging diseases in Southeast Asia under the coordination of Dr. Cadhla Firth. In a multidisciplinary context, Alix contributes to characterizing the viral diversity in some of the regions identified as high risk for the emergence of pathogenic viruses. In parallel, Alix seeks to understand the role played by the different genomic mechanisms and the diversity of the virus in creating the necessary conditions for the jump between species. Alix has a commitment to open science, developing analytical pipelines under the criteria of reproducibility, portability, and transparency. Alix participates in bioinformatics training sessions, a collaborative science engagement practiced by the EcoHealth Alliance.
Dr. Alix holds a BS in biology from the National University of Colombia. Alix earned a Master's and PhD in Bioinformatics at the University of Nantes and at Montpellier SupAgro (France), respectively. Alix has a diverse and rich background in bioinformatics. Initially, Alix worked on comparative and evolutionary genomics in both plants and animals. In his postdoctoral experience, Alix focused on the study of intra and inter-host viral diversity using next and third generations sequencing. In these studies, Alix was interested in the relationship between intra- and inter-host viral diversity; the role of intra-host viral diversity in the establishment of viral reservoirs in HIV, and the epidemiological progress of SARS-CoV-2. Alix has also explored viral diversity in metagenomic samples from bats.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator
- Senior Research Scientist
Job Titles:
- Senior Research Scientist
"We live in an increasingly interconnected world where humans and wildlife frequently overlap. Identifying strategies to promote wildlife conservation and reduce disease transmission is critical for safeguarding human and wildlife health."
"Interfaces are often the best places to identify challenges and find solutions. EcoHealth Alliance works at the interface of animal, human, and environmental health, seeking to understand drivers for spillover and ways of counteracting it. I have found in parallel that professional interfaces also represent areas of tremendous opportunity. For me, that means working actively in medicine, science, and policy to understand, treat, and mitigate zoonotic disease events. EcoHealth is the perfect environment for that kind of work."
Dr. Ellen Carlin received a bachelor's of science in biology from the College of Mount Saint Vincent and a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Her work at EcoHealth Alliance is focused on a variety of scientific and policy initiatives that advance the ecological health mission of the organization. Dr.Carlin provides scientific and policy subject matter expertise for a variety of other grants and contracts in EcoHealth Alliance's portfolio. These include health security policy analyses, biosurveillance efforts, and research projects. She is a research associate with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, where she works with the Global Health Program to develop research and capacity building projects in partnership with EcoHealth Alliance.
Prior to joining EcoHealth Alliance, Dr. Carlin consulted in public health and policy for several years. One of the most important and eye-opening projects was One Health capacity building work in Guinea with colleagues from George Washington University. In 2013, she completed a fellowship at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine, where she worked on data analysis and other aspects of antimicrobial resistance. She had previously worked as senior professional staff with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, where for more than five years she handled medical preparedness, biodefense, and science and technology policy.
Dr. Carlin likes to keep her hands dirty in veterinary medicine, and has worked or volunteered as a small animal clinical veterinarian for organizations including the Washington Animal Rescue League, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, PetCo, and private clinics, and continues to do so, serving her interests in animal welfare, public health, and parasitology. She also enjoys the occasional small animal medicine volunteer excursion to developing countries or underserved areas of the U.S.
Her work is published in a variety of journals, including the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Trends in Parasitology, and Veterinary Therapeutics. In this context she has most enjoyed working with Cornell colleagues on prevalence mapping of small animal, vector-borne zoonoses like heartworm and Lyme disease. She has also published on smallpox which, although not a zoonosis, is an interesting pathogen case study in its ability to reveal our baseline preparedness for an ancient and relatively well understood infectious disease.
Dr. Carlin is a courtesy lecturer at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, an adjunct research scientist at the Columbia University National Center for Disaster Preparedness, and serves on the President's Council of Cornell Women.
Job Titles:
- Research Data Scientist for Modelling and Analytics
- Research Data Scientist, Modeling and Analytics
"The sum of my experiences to date has afforded me insights and skills to contribute toward health for all in its truest sense. At EcoHealth Alliance, I work toward this common goal alongside remarkable colleagues with diverse and complementary expertise."
Dr. Ernest Guevarra is Research Data Scientist for Modelling and Analytics at EcoHealth Alliance. In his current role, Dr. Guevarra produces analytics that inform policies related to the COVID-19 response.
A medical doctor and public health specialist, Dr. Guevarra has 20 years of professional experience working across twenty countries in Africa and South and Southeast Asia on community-based programming in maternal and child health and nutrition for UN organizations, international NGOs, and national governments. Dr. Guevarra has expertise in designing and conducting national health and nutrition surveys, spatial epidemiology, and program evaluation.
He is founding member of Katilingban, a collective of public health and nutrition experts and practitioners, where he leads the analytics and software development program. He designs, develops, and maintains open-source software for implementation of health and nutrition spatial sampling surveys (RapidSurveys) and nutrition analytics (Nutriverse).
Dr. Guevarra complements his computational and global health work with teaching. He holds a Teaching Fellowship at Oxford University in the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health. He also teaches a module on community based management of acute malnutrition programs and coverage at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Dr. Guevarra earned his medical degree from the University of the Philippines and a Master's of Public Health from Harvard University with a Certificate in Humanitarian Studies, also from Harvard.
"Because infectious diseases can be transmitted from wildlife to people, human health is intimately linked to environmental health, and many conservation problems double as public health problems. I believe our work at EcoHealth Alliance is valuable because we acknowledge and appreciate these connections. We seek to understand the complex linkages between human and wildlife communities, ultimately contributing to better health outcomes for both."
Dr. Evan Eskew is broadly interested in disease ecology and conservation. He explores these fields through field, lab, and computational work. Trained as an ecologist, Evan is a Research Scientist on the modeling team at EcoHealth Alliance. He uses quantitative analyses to understand patterns of infectious disease emergence, the processes that drive them, and the pathogens that cause them.
Evan earned his BS in Biology from Davidson College and his PhD in Ecology from the University of California, Davis. His dissertation research focused on the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis, which has caused devastating biodiversity loss worldwide. Specifically, Evan investigated the genetic responses of different amphibian hosts following exposure to the pathogen responsible for chytridiomycosis. As part of previous research on reptile and amphibian ecology, Evan has studied organisms ranging from diamondback terrapins in the coastal marshes of South Carolina to poison dart frogs in the tropical forests of Costa Rica.
Job Titles:
- Treasurer of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow
- Science & Policy Advisor
Dr. Hume Field is an international authority on emerging zoonoses associated with bats. His formal qualifications include veterinary science, environmental science and infectious disease epidemiology.
He has played a key role in the identification of various species of bats as the natural reservoir of Hendra virus and Australian bat lyssavirus (Australia), Nipah virus (Malaysia and Indonesia), SARS coronavirus (China), and Reston Ebolavirus (Philippines). His ‘big picture' perspective is very much ecosystem health, highlighting the connection between environmental, livestock, and human health.
Dr. Field was head of the Queensland Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Australia until 2013, and is now working with EcoHealth Alliance as a Science and Policy Advisor for both China and southeast Asia regions. His research focus remains the ecology of emerging diseases associated with bats.
"We need to look at the big picture to understand what is driving disease emergence. Only then can we see cause and effect, and avoid the negative impacts on both human and animal populations. EcoHealth Alliance strives to do this on a global scale."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
"One Health research is critically important because it recognizes the interconnectedness of human health, animal health, and the environment. By studying and understanding these intricate relationships, we can address and mitigate emerging infectious diseases, prevent zoonotic outbreaks, promote sustainable environmental practices, and ultimately improve the overall well-being of both humans and the planet. This approach to research not only enhances our ability to respond to global health threats but also paves the way for a healthier, more resilient, and harmonious relationship between humans, animals, and the environment."
As a senior scientist at EcoHealth Alliance, Dr. Jean DeMarco brings over a decade…
Job Titles:
- Consulting
- Field Veterinarian
"By protecting wildlife and wild places, we not only protect human public health, but also preserve the Earth's natural heritage for future generations."
Dr. Jim Desmond is a consulting veterinarian with EcoHealth Alliance. Dr. Desmond's primary role is to conduct disease surveillance in wildlife populations to better understand the transmission risks associated with different species and interfaces. Through this work, Dr. Desmond has investigated the wildlife trade industry on a local level from central Africa to southern China as it one of the most important interfaces between humans and wildlife.
Dr. Desmond has a strong interest in animal welfare and conservation and when not working for EcoHealth Alliance, he provides consulting services to a number of other organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States, Jane Goodall Institute, Veterinarians without Borders, Pan African Sanctuary Alliance and several individual member sanctuaries, and Smithsonian Institution. He currently lives in East Africa with his wife and dog and they routinely care for a number of wild animals through one of the many wildlife rehabilitation and rescue organizations with which they collaborate.
The intersection between human, animal and environmental health is growing in importance as the general public is beginning to recognize that a disease outbreak in one part of the world may quickly have an impact globally. By trying to understand, and mitigate, the wildlife trade industry, Dr. Desmond hopes to protect human health and keep wildlife where they belong - in the wild.
Job Titles:
- Senior Fellow / Senior Fellow Bio
Dr. Jon Paul Rodríguez Chairs the IUCN Species Survival Commission, is Professor at the Center for Ecology of the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Investigations, and is a founder, past Board Member, and President of Provita.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Science
- Vice President for Science and Outreach
A veterinarian and disease ecologist, Dr. Jonathan Epstein is the Vice President for Science and Outreach at EcoHealth Alliance. His research focuses on the ecology of emerging zoonotic viruses such as Nipah and Ebola virus, along with SARS, Midde East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and others that have emerged within Asia and Africa. The goal of this research is to better understand the factors that cause outbreaks of these lethal viruses and to develop strategies that both prevent spillover and protect biodiversity.
Dr. Epstein, along with colleagues at EcoHealth Alliance, is working with a consortia of university and NGO partners under USAID's Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT-2 program, designed to establish an early warning system for zoonotic disease emergence. The program studies the diversity of viruses in key wildlife reservoirs and build capacity to more effectively detect and respond to emerging zoonoses in the most vulnerable countries around the world.
In 2004, Dr. Epstein was part of a team of Chinese, Australian, and American scientists that identified horseshoe bats as the natural wildlife reservoir for SARS coronavirus in China. This discovery further highlighted the significance of live animal markets that contain wild animals species, domestic animals, and people, as a mechanism for zoonotic disease emergence. He also worked on the first team to investigate animal reservoirs of MERS coronavirus in Saudi Arabia, following its discovery in 2012.
Dr. Epstein's work has been published in several leading scientific journals including Science, Nature, Cell, Emerging Infectious Diseases, PLoS Pathogens, Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences, and The Journal of Applied Ecology. He has been an invited speaker for the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the National Academies of Science, and holds advisory positions on two committees in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN): the Wildlife Health Specialist Group and the Bat Specialist Group. He recently served as the Chief Science Advisor for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History exhibit entitled "Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World" which opened in 2018.
Dr. Epstein received a PhD in Disease Ecology from Kingston University, London and his DVM and MPH from Tufts University. In 2006, Dr. Epstein became the first alumnus from Tufts University to be inducted into the Delta Omega Honors Society for excellence in the field of Public Health. In 2007, he received the Outstanding Alumnus award from the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and has since been named one of 10 Distinguished Alumni of the Tufts School of Medicine. His work has been featured on 60 Minutes, in the PBS documentary Spillover, The Discovery Channel, The National Geographic Channel, NBC Nightly News, BBC Newshour, and in several periodicals including the New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Scientific American, The Scientist, Science News, Discover, Newsweek, and National Geographic online.
"By integrating principles of conservation biology with disease ecology, I aim to understand the role of human disturbance in promoting pathogen persistence and transmission between bat hosts to proactively prevent spillover events into other wildlife species, livestock, and humans. A One Health approach is necessary to identify consequences of environmental manipulation on bat health and disease dynamics at the human-wildlife interface to promote bat conservation and protect animal and human health."
Dr. Kendra Phelps applies her keen interest in the ways that humans alter our own environment in her work creating bat surveillance networks in Western Asia. Through establishing a network of bat disease ecologists in the region which has previously been poorly studied, Kendra aims to expand our knowledge of the diseases bats can potentially spread to humans, and the ways in which humans can shift our own behaviors to prevent such disease spillovers.
Dr. Phelps earned a BS from Auburn University and a Ph.D in Zoology from Texas Tech University. She also worked in the Philippines as a Fulbright Fellow, there she studied cave-dwelling bats' responses to cave disturbance and the interactions people living near those caves had with the bat populations. Before joining EcoHealth Alliance, Dr. Phelps worked as a lecturer and research associate at her alma mater, Texas Tech.
Job Titles:
- Vice President for Research
- Ecologist
Dr. Kevin Olival is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist who has been researching emerging infectious diseases for over a decade. He has been at the forefront of recent international investigations to understand the origins and transmission pathways of: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Saudi Arabia; Ebola Reston virus in the Philippines; and Nipah virus in Bangladesh and Malaysia. He has managed wildlife conservation and disease research projects across Southeast Asia for over 10 years, with a strong focus on bat research. Dr. Olival's role as Senior Research Scientist at EcoHealth Alliance involves coordinating the modeling and analytics research; integrating evolutionary and ecological theories to understand the drivers of disease emergence; and managing zoonotic disease surveillance efforts in Thailand and Indonesia under the USAID PREDICT project.
Some highlights from Kevin Olival's research include detecting the first evidence for Ebola virus from bats in mainland Southeast Asia (Bangladesh); detecting MERS-CoV and related viruses in bats and advising the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats on this disease; understanding the circulation of Nipah virus in its natural fruit bat reservoirs; estimating viral diversity in mammals globally; and building models to predict zoonotic disease emergence. Dr. Olival has a unique blend of skills from the field, laboratory, and behind a computer that include ecological techniques to capture and survey bats, satellite telemetry of wildlife, field training courses in safe specimen handling and personal protective equipment (PPE), molecular biology techniques, phylogenetic analyses, and ecological modeling.
Dr. Olival graduated with distinction from Columbia University in 2008 with a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a M.A. in Conservation Biology. His dissertation research focused on the population genetics and geographic distributions of large fruit bats in Southeast Asia, with implications for Nipah virus dynamics and emergence. He has conducted month-long expeditions to Southeast Asia doing fieldwork and managing projects working with local scientists and NGOs.
Dr. Olival completed a prestigious two-year NIH Fogarty U.S. Global Health Postdoctoral fellowship expanding EcoHealth Alliance's work on the ecology of Nipah virus in Bangladesh. Dr. Olival has a passion for turning rigorous science into effective public policy, and aims to keep this as a central goal of his career path.
His research has been highlighted in The New York Times, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, TIME magazine, Toronto Star, Wired, and National Geographic.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Program Coordinator
- Senior Research Scientist
"There remain many unanswered questions about why certain pathogens are virulent in humans but cause little to no damage in their reservoir hosts. I'm interested in the evolutionary history and molecular interactions that influence disease outcomes and represent one piece of the disease emergence puzzle. Altogether, understanding why pathogens emerge and how to prevent outbreaks requires a multidisciplinary approach. EcoHealth Alliance embodies this by investigating all aspects of emergence, from the ecological and behavioral levels to the molecular level. I am both grateful and excited to contribute to this important work."
Dr. Maria "Maryska" Kaczmarek applies her background in evolutionary biology and virology to her role as a research scientist and program coordinator at EcoHealth Alliance. She is currently helping to investigate how human behavior, ecological dynamics, and viral genetics influence Nipah virus outbreaks in Bangladesh. In general, she is interested in how host reservoir immunity and viral strain pathogenicity impact zoonoses, with the ultimate goal of harnessing this knowledge to better mitigate spillover events in human populations.
Dr. Kaczmarek earned a BA in biology and French from Wellesley College and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas, Austin where she studied evolutionary virology. Prior to joining EcoHealth Alliance, Dr. Kaczmarek was a postdoctoral fellow at NYU studying an emerging pathogen transmitted to humans via a mosquito vector. Though her work straddled numerous study systems, they are all focused on the molecular underpinnings that dictate how and why a virus is able to utilize a novel host. A process that is critical to understanding zoonoses. She hopes to contribute her expertise to the One Health approach, and aid in public health measures aimed at preventing and understanding spillover.
Dr. Melinda "Mindy" Rostal is a principal scientist in vector-borne diseases, the Rift Valley…
"Science is a collaborative effort. The best work is done when we come together to share ideas and knowledge."
Dr. Nathan Layman is a Research Scientist at EcoHealth Alliance with extensive experience in evolutionary biology and disease ecology. He earned bachelor's degrees in both environmental studies and biology from the University of Washington where he fell in love with science and was fortunate enough to work on evaluating the use of algae as a source of biofuel and reconstructing the drivers of sympatric speciation in monkeyflowers. After gaining some field experience working for the Forest Service and the USDA, Dr. Layman earned a Ph.D. in biology focusing on Plant Mating System Evolution from Washington State University.
Dr. Layman's interests are centered around the interface of ecology, data science and public health. He has worked on several research projects, ranging from reconstructing post glacial range expansion in flowering plants to forecasting Lassa Fever risk in West Africa.
Most recently, Dr. Layman has been involved with projects evaluating the feasibility and stability of transmissible vaccines in rodent disease vectors, utilizing machine vision algorithms for disease vector surveillance and on increasing the accuracy of early day epidemic forecasting when case reporting is scare. Dr. Layman holds a strong belief in the power of interdisciplinary research and collaboration to tackle complex problems and is passionate about applying a One Health perspective to reduce the burden of emerging zoonotic disease on both human and animal populations.
Dr. Nichar Gregory joined EcoHealth Alliance in 2022 as the Vector Ecologist on DTRA-funded…
Job Titles:
- Principal Scientist for Computational Research
"Theory and data are the two sides of the scientist's coin. Computational tools let us bring them together to understand what causes disease emergence, predict where it may occur, and design the best interventions. At EcoHealth, our work spans from basic research to on-the-ground engagement to bring the best science to protecting the most lives and best conserving wildlife."
Dr. Noam Ross is Principal Scientist for Computational Research at EcoHealth Alliance. He studies how the combined processes of changing wildlife populations, evolution of pathogens, and human activity lead to the emergence of disease. A computational and theoretical ecologist, he uses mathematical models and data to understand where and when interventions can be most effective in preventing and mitigating disease outbreaks. Noam supports projects across EHA in experimental design, biostatistics and machine learning.
Noam's work has focused on understanding disease in complex, structured populations and developing tools to improve epidemiological forecasts. Some of his current projects include using antibodies to understand how multiple viruses circulate simultaneously in wildlife populations and developing forecasts of veterinary disease outbreaks that spread through travel and trade.
Noam also focuses on building open-source technologies to advance research. As a leader of the rOpenSci organization, he creates scientific software tools and develops standards to assure researchers of the quality of their tools. Noam is a technology instructor for The Carpentries organization that teaches coding and data science skills to researchers worldwide. He has also worked at the intersection of environmental conservation and business. Noam served as a consultant to organizations such as Wal-Mart, General Electric, General Motors, Stonyfield, and DuPont on corporate sustainability strategy, environmental markets and ecosystem services and energy efficiency.
Noam received his B.Sc. in Environmental Science from Brown University and his Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California-Davis. His dissertation work created a mathematical framework to model emerging fungal pathogens such as chytrid fungus in amphibians, white nose syndrome in bats, and sudden oak death. He also designed new computational methods for determining economically optimal treatments of these diseases. He serves as a reviewer for Nature, Theoretical Ecology, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, and the Journal of Open Source Software.
Job Titles:
- President
- President of the Board of Directors
Dr. Peter Daszak is President of EcoHealth Alliance, a US-based organization that conducts research and outreach programs on global health, conservation and international development. Dr. Daszak's research has been instrumental in identifying and predicting the origins and impact of emerging diseases across the globe. This includes identifying the bat origin of SARS, the drivers of Nipah virus emergence, publishing the first global emerging disease ‘hotspots' map, discovering SADS coronavirus, designing a strategy to identify the number of unknown viruses in wildlife, launching the Global Virome Project, identifying the first case of a species extinction due to disease, and discovering the disease chytridiomycosis as the cause global amphibian declines. He is one of the founders of the field of Conservation Medicine and has been instrumental in the growth of EcoHealth, One Health, and now Planetary Health.
A fundamental part of the Dr. Daszak's work on disease ecology is directed by the conviction that disease outbreaks are not just predictable, but preventable. This approach is informed by a perspective on emerging infectious disease research that sees problems of human and animal disease as intimately linked - exacerbated by ecological change. With this in mind, he led the researcher that produced the first ever global emerging disease ‘hotspots' map to determine where in the world viruses with pandemic potential are most likely to emerge, and developed a strategy to identify just how many of those viruses currently exist.
Dr. Daszak is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and Chair of the NASEM's Forum on Microbial Threats. He is a member of the NRC Advisory Committee to the US Global Change
Research Program, the Supervisory Board of the One Health Platform, the One Health Commission Council of Advisors, the CEEZAD External Advisory Board, the Cosmos Club, and the Advisory Council of the Bridge Collaborative. He has served on the IOM Committee on global surveillance for emerging zoonoses, the NRC committee on the future of veterinary research, the International Standing Advisory Board of the Australian Biosecurity CRC; and has advised the Director for Medical Preparedness Policy on the White House National Security Staff on global health issues. Dr. Daszak is a regular advisor to WHO on pathogen prioritization for R&D. Dr. Daszak won the 2000 CSIRO medal for collaborative research on the discovery of amphibian chytridiomycosis, is the EHA institutional lead for USAID-EPT-PREDICT, is on the Editorial Board of Conservation Biology, One Health, GeoHealth, One Health Outlook, Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene, and is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Ecohealth. He has authored over 300 scientific papers and was listed as a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher in 2018. His work has been the focus of extensive media coverage, ranging from press articles in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Washington Post, US News & World Report, and broadcast appearances on 60 Minutes, CNN, ABC, NPR's Talk of the Nation,
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
"Developing our understanding of infectious diseases, particularly those with pandemic potential, plays an important role in ecosystem health. I am highly motivated to helping generate robust data on zoonotic diseases that can be used to inform evidence-based disease prevention and control strategies. I am delighted to be a part of the EcoHealth Alliance team and to have the opportunity to contribute towards implementing scientific research using a One Health approach."
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Economist
- Environmental Economist
"By putting a price on our environment and its related health issues, we are ensuring these things can and will be accounted for in policy-relevant calculations."
Dr. Victoria Bugni is an environmental economist with research focusing on international economics, infectious diseases, and bioeconomics. She has served as a contributing author to IUFRO's Global Forest Expert Panel on Forests and Human Health. She has previously worked for the US Geological Survey in Fort Collins, CO on research involving natural hazards and oil and gas development. During her doctoral program, she completed an internship with Environment for Development-Tanzania in Dar es Salaam and helped generate and implement a survey in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. She has been working with Ecohealth Alliance since 2019, when she interned under Dr. Yasha Feferholtz through the EcoHealth Net program. During this time, she worked on the Economic-Ecological Modeling of Land Use Change in Liberia project and examined palm oil development's effects on the spread of Lassa fever in Liberia. Dr. Bugni also served as a sustainable agriculture volunteer with Peace Corps Senegal in the Kedougou region.
Dr. Bugni received Bachelors degrees in Biology and Economics from the University of Central Florida in addition to a Bachelors in Business Administration from ICN Business School in France. She also received Masters in Economics degrees from both the Barcelona School of Economics and the University of Wyoming. Her PhD in Economics was also completed with the University of Wyoming in 2021. Her dissertation focused on how ecological factors shape global trade through an empirical investigation of sustainable palm oil production on trade and a comparison of trade effects of two pandemics.
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President for Health and Policy
- Expert
Dr. William (Billy) Karesh is an internationally recognized expert on infectious diseases, wildlife conservation,…
As EcoHealth Alliance's senior economist, Dr. Yasha Feferholtz's job is not only the study…
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Behavioral Risk Program Manager & Research Scientist
"Unprecedented global environmental change presents unique challenges in the protection of human and ecological health. At EcoHealth Alliance, I am thrilled to be part of a multidisciplinary team working to develop cutting-edge tools to inform effective, science-based decision making at the local to global scale."
Emma Mendelsohn is a Senior Data Scientist specializing in applied statistical modeling to characterize emerging infectious disease dynamics. Her work focuses on the complex and ever-evolving interplay between humans, agriculture, and the environment to understand disease spillover and spread, and to optimize risk reduction interventions. During her tenure at EcoHealth Alliance, Emma has been the data lead on projects related to human and veterinary disease forecasting, human behavioral survey design and analysis, antimicrobial resistance emergence, and non-communicable disease risk. Emma's project work is grounded in reproducible design and management principles to yield data tools that advance open science and collaboration.
Before joining EcoHealth Alliance, Emma was an environmental health science and risk assessment consultant, providing data engineering and statistical modeling support to industry and government clients. She holds a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and a Bachelor's in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Senior Program Manager
- Senior Research Scientist
- Senior Program Coordinator and Senior Research Scientist
"Anthropogenic activities altering our natural environment also play a pivotal role in driving the emergence of diseases. Therefore, behavioral changes among us stand as the primary solution to preventing diseases and safeguarding our planet. I'm glad to be part of the team at EcoHealth Alliance, dedicated to fulfilling this mission."
Hongying Li is a senior program manager and senior research scientist at EcoHealth Alliance. She has an interdisciplinary background in conservation, public health, and social science, with experience working with communities, academic, and governmental partners in Southeast Asia and China for emerging zoonotic disease research and zoonotic risk mitigation. In her current position, Hongying manages emerging zoonotic disease research projects to identify zoonotic risks for early warning strategies, and develops programs with human behavioral and policy approaches to mitigate zoonotic spillover risks at human-wildlife interfaces. Her work aims to help foster collaborations and establish networks for emerging infectious disease research, preparedness, and response across multiple sectors and disciplines. Hongying obtained a bachelor's degree in Biosciences, a master's degree in Public Health, and a Ph.D. in Science, Social Care, and Education.
Job Titles:
- Research Project Assistant
"There are multiple factors that can contribute to the decline of species, such as environmental, human behavior, invasive species and/or zoonotic diseases. "One Health" is an understanding that we are all affected by one another: the environment affects animals, animals affect people, and people affect the environment. In order to solve the issues threatening humans and animals, a collaboration of global knowledge from multiple scientific disciplines are needed to contribute to the solution. I am very excited to be working at EcoHealth Alliance and contribute my knowledge and skills for impactful scientific research using a "One Health" approach."
Jamie Cooksey has joined EcoHealth Alliance as a Research Project Assistant on the "Reducing Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Avian Influenza (AI)" project. She is enthusiastic to work on projects that focus on a One Health approach to understand modifiable risk factors that can prevent the transmission of zoonoses in the Middle East.
Prior to joining EcoHealth Alliance, Jamie earned a Master's of Research degree in Animal Health and Welfare from Nottingham Trent University and a Bachelor's of Science in Animal Science from Iowa State University. She has over three years of experience working in multiple zoological facilities learning about animal health and nutrition, and educating the public on the importance of conservation for threatened and endangered species. The knowledge that she has gained from her previous experiences has concreted her passion for epidemiology and her desire to understand how the implementation of preventative measures can prevent the transmission of zoonoses and aid in the reintroduction of species.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Development and Communications Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Directors
Job Titles:
- Manager of Budget and Finance
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Science and Outreach Administrative Assistant
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Human Resources and Office Manager
"Disease spillover is a multifaceted process that requires an interdisciplinary research strategy. EcoHealth Alliance is uniquely poised to carry out this research given the breadth of expertise at the organization, from computational workflow to disease modeling to on-the-ground surveillance of human and animal health. I am excited to bring my background at the intersection of disease and statistical ecology to further our understanding of disease spillover to improve the well-being of humans and wildlife."
Morgan joined EcoHealth Alliance in 2022 to work on understanding the circulation, shedding, and spillover of bat-borne viruses in South Africa. This work combines viral surveillance, seasonal disease dynamics, bat ecology, and human behavior. Morgan brings a background in disease and statistical ecology to the interdisciplinary project team and the broader group at EHA. Beyond this work, Morgan in broadly interested in uncovering how pathogens spread through heterogeneous host communities and understanding how changes in host communities due to anthropogenetic change can alter these pathways.
In his previous work as a PhD student and postdoctoral scholar, Morgan worked on a variety of problems in disease ecology across systems using a range of methodological and statistical tools. During his PhD Morgan studied how bird community composition impacted West Nile virus transmission and how rabbits coinfected with intestinal macroparasites impacted the evolution of virulence in the myxoma virus. During his postdoctoral work at Stanford University, he worked with Peruvian community members to understand the impact of land-use change on Dengue transmission and Australian scientists to understand the role humans play in the transmission of Ross River virus in heterogeneous host communities. When SARS-CoV-2 emerged, he worked on some of the early forecasting models and estimated how alternative non-pharmaceutical interventions would impact disease spread. In his most recent post-doctoral work with Pennsylvania State University and USGS, Morgan studied the impact of chytrid infection on individual survival across amphibian species in the US.
Beyond his research in disease ecology, Morgan's work seeks to improve the communication of statistical results, help researchers power their studies, and provide strong examples of transparency and accessibility in statistical and mathematical modeling.
He earned a BS in Ecology and Evolution from the University of Pittsburgh, MS in Biology (statistical ecology) from East Carolina University, and a PhD in Biology (disease ecology) from McMaster University.
Mr. Urias Goll is a legal, environmental, and natural resources practitioner. He holds a…
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- Vice Chair of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Federal Grants and Contracts Coordinator
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Senior Research Software Engineer
Being a software engineer at EcoHealth Alliance gives me the opportunity to work on many projects that each have different requirements and technology stacks. I really enjoy this range of work, but the technology is only part of what I like about working at EcoHealth Alliance. More important is the mission and the people. We have a great team and It feels wonderful to know that the work I do helps them to improve our global environment and to protect us from pandemic threats.
Robert Young is infrastructure lead on the REPEL project and develops software and infrastructure for the WAB-NET project at EcoHealth Alliance.
Prior to joining EcoHealth Alliance, Young has worked in a wide range of research domains. From developing neural networks for projects funded by the Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs and by the CTI-II telescope project, to software and infrastructure development for two different Howard Hughes Medical Institute Neuroscience labs. He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of New Mexico and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science with a second major in Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
"I am driven by need and impact - what issue is in most need of attention and where can I have the greatest impact. These concepts perfectly align around zoonotic disease research. The COVID-19 pandemic underscores our collective need to better understand the driving factors behind disease emergence and the substantial impact that implementing prevention measures can have. Through my work at EcoHealth Alliance I hope to further enhance disease preparedness strategies to better fight the next epidemic."
Samantha Maher brings her experience working everywhere from Latin America to Africa to EcoHealth…
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- Development and Communications Assistant
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- Member of the Board of Directors
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- Secretary of the Board of Directors
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- Senior Program Manager for EcoHealth Alliance 's Conservation
Tara Hoda is the senior program manager for EcoHealth Alliance's Conservation Works (CW) activity….