Center for a Livable Future Announces Predoctoral
Fellows for 2006-2007
By Tim Parsons Bloomberg School of Public
Health
The Bloomberg School
of Public Health's
Center for a Livable
Future has awarded predoctoral fellowships to five
students. The awards, in amounts up to $50,000, are given
to Johns Hopkins predoctoral students committed to the
discovery and the application of knowledge related to the
environmental, economic, social and health impacts of
industrial animal production and practices in the United
States and abroad. Students may use the grants for tuition
and living and research expenses. The CLF Predoctoral
Fellowship Program is now in its fourth year. The yearlong
fellowships will begin in July.
Carmen Arriola, a veterinarian with a degree from San
Marcos Major National University in Lima, Peru, is
concerned about the vulnerability of human populations to
the health and economic impacts of zoonotic (animal to
human) diseases. Arriola plans to conduct the first
systematic study of the environmental and public health
impact of the porcine industry in Peru. In addition, she
will assess the stress level of hogs raised in facilities
of different sizes in Peru. She says she hopes her findings
will have practical uses, especially for underserved
populations around the world. Her doctoral adviser is
Lawrence Moulton, a professor in the Department of
International Health.
Kristen Gibson has worked for three years as a senior
laboratory technician with Kellogg Schwab, an associate
professor in Environmental Health Sciences and her doctoral
adviser. Gibson says that studying the environmental
impacts of industrial animal production has affirmed for
her the value research can play in protecting the public's
health. She plans to develop new methods to investigate
emerging human and animal pathogens and their persistence
in and transport through both surface water and
groundwater. Gibson earned her bachelor's degree in
microbiology and molecular biology from the University of
Central Florida.
Autumn Girouard is interested in preventing human
infectious diseases that are facilitated by industrial
agricultural practices, global warming and other
environmental factors. Her research involves using
Cryptosporidium parvum, a water-borne intestinal parasite,
to investigate how industrial animal production contributes
to contamination of surface water and shellfish, especially
oysters, in the Chesapeake Bay. Her research relies on a
combination of direct sampling and remote sensing satellite
imagery to study the spatial and temporal variations of
contaminants in a portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Genetic
fingerprinting is also used to determine the source of the
contamination. Girouard earned her bachelor's degree in
biology and biotechnology from George Mason University. Her
doctoral adviser is Thaddeus Graczyk, an associate
professor in Environmental Health Sciences.
Jay Graham, a returning CLF Fellow, is studying
different methods for handling poultry waste disposal and
the potential for human exposure to drug-resistant bacteria
and resistance genes. Graham began studying animal waste
management because of the volume of waste generated by
industrial animal production facilities and the lack of
public policies to address health concerns. He says he
hopes his research will have an impact on public policy
both here and in developing nations, where these production
systems are increasingly being adopted. Graham earned his
bachelor's degree in biology from the University of
Arkansas and his MBA and MPH degrees from the University of
Texas. His doctoral adviser is Ellen K. Silbergeld, a
professor in Environmental Health Sciences.
Sharon Nappier, also a second-year CLF Fellow, is
interested in assessing the microbes that thrive in
untreated waste that winds up in surface water. Some of
these pathogens can contaminate shellfish in the Chesapeake
Bay. Nappier is studying how these pathogens accumulate and
are cleared by both native and nonnative oyster species.
The research will help inform Maryland officials and the
commercial oyster industry of the potential impact to human
health from the introduction of nonnative oysters to the
Chesapeake. Nappier earned her bachelor's degree in biology
and environmental studies from George Washington University
and her MSPH from the University of North Carolina, Chapel
Hill. Her doctoral advisers are Schwab and Graczyk.
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