Current research with D.E.E.P

​

How urbanization and anthropogenic land use change impacts environmental and human health

​

Research aims: a) Determine how urbanization impacts the health of humans and the environment, b) elucidate the mechanisms driving human disease in cities, c) translate this knowledge into guidelines for building healthier cities that can mitigate the negative impact of humans on the health of humans and the environment.

​

My research history

​

I have taken a meandering route to my current position of postdoctoral research fellow. My undergraduate (Bachelor of Arts) degree was in anthropology and psychology from the University of Buffalo, USA. I then spent a few years teaching outdoor education to middle-school students from Long Island and New York City and then studying, working and travelling in Central and South America. During these formative years, I became interested in how the environment impacts the way that zoonotic diseases are transmitted between humans and animals. Working as a research assistant in Bolivia also reignited my passion for research and in 2008, I began a research degree in “Disease Ecology and Conservation Medicine” at Michigan State University (USA). My master’s thesis explored whether certain bird species can become infected with and transmit a tick-borne bacteria (similar to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease) and whether infection makes the birds sick. During my research, I became more interested in the connections between human, animal and environmental health (One Health/EcoHealth/Planetary Health).

​

After completing my master’s degree, I moved to Adelaide, AU to conduct my PhD at the University of South Australia, in the Healthy Environments, Healthy People Research Group. My PhD research explored how social and ecological factors impact transmission of mosquito-borne infections in South Australia. As part of that project, I developed a novel mosquito-borne virus detection technique that puts nucleic acid-preserving paper coated in honey into mosquito trap made of pantyhose, paperclip and recycled milk cartons. With those special traps, I sampled over 100 field sites four times throughout the spring/summer and detected three different viruses in the mosquitoes of South Australia. Through innovative spatial analyses, I was able to identify the social and environmental factors associated with higher rates of human infection with Ross River virus, which has the potential to become an emerging infectious disease.

​

While completing my PhD, I worked as a Research Associate at the University of Adelaide as part of the Healthy Urban Microbiomes Initiative. With this research, I investigated the connections between urban green space, human health and human exposure to diverse microbiomes.

​

My current postdoctoral position is at the University of Tasmania in the Dynamics of Eco-Evolutionary Patterns lab directed by Prof. Barry Brook. In this lab, I am applying my spatial and statistical analysis skills to topics of global concern. My main interest is in urban health; what diseases are associated with urban living and why. I am also interested in global food demand (which has a tremendous impact on the environment) and disease ecology.