Wildlife Trust Engages Top-notch Scientific Experts
Global Conservation Organization Plans Expanded Growth
NEW YORK – November 23, 2009 – Wildlife Trust announces the addition of two scientists to its Conservation Medicine program. Drs. Kevin J. Olival and Kurt J. Vandegrift recently joined Wildlife Trust to lead core zoonotic disease research globally. Wildlife Trust works to empower local conservation scientists both on the local and global level. The organization’s mission is to protect nature while examining the interlaced connections between humans, animals and shared ecosystems.
Kevin J. Olival, Ph.D., joined Wildlife Trust’s team as a Senior Research Fellow with a background in ecology and evolutionary biology. Dr. Olival’s work will focus on understanding the emergence and spread of Nipah virus – a highly pathogenic disease that originally erupted in Malaysia and has surfaced in Bangladesh over the past few years. His research will also focus on better characterizing the diversity of zoonotic pathogens, particularly bat-borne, which will help scientists worldwide to predict and develop appropriate policy interventions to prevent the outbreak of wildlife-borne diseases.
While a graduate student at Columbia University, Dr. Olival was introduced to Wildlife Trust through an internship designed to teach advanced techniques in wildlife veterinary medicine at field sites in Malaysia. A recent recipient of a prestigious NIH Fogarty U.S. Global Health Postdoctoral fellowship award, Dr. Olival will expand Wildlife Trust’s work in Bangladesh and collaborate on research with local conservation leaders. As a Fogarty fellow, he will continue to build on his international career in infectious disease epidemiology in developing countries in South and Southeast Asia. Dr. Olival earned his B.S. in Biology from Colorado State University, M.A. in Conservation Biology and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology both at Columbia University.
A biologist, disease ecologist, and epidemiologist, Kurt J. Vandegrift, Ph.D. specializes in population biology and in analyzing the spread of wildlife and agricultural pathogens. As a Senior Postdoctoral Research Fellow with Wildlife Trust, Dr. Vandegrift is involved in a collaborative NIH Fogarty project focused on collecting critical data related to highly pathogenic avian influenza. As part of the global scientific team, Dr. Vandegrift will examine the risk of viral persistence and spill over into human populations. Dr. Vandegrift will lead field teams in both China and Bangladesh, where avian influenza is suspected to have become endemic. Currently, Dr. Vandegrift’s field research involves surveying wild waterfowl for avian influenza and will include examining live poultry markets in assessing the spread and severity of this disease. The goal is to create a global model that identifies risk factors for zoonotic transmission into human populations.
Prior to joining Wildlife Trust, Dr. Vandegrift received a B.S. in Biology and Psychology from Juniata College and worked as a senior research scientist in the college’s primate research facility. Dr. Vandegrift obtained his masters in Poultry Science and Ph.D. in Wildlife Disease Ecology at Pennsylvania State University. His research has been published in prestigious journals such as Ecology, The Journal of Animal Ecology, International Journal for Parasitology, and Poultry Science.
“Turning hard science into policy to protect human and animal welfare is at the core of our projects, we are thrilled to have both scientists on our team. Wildlife Trust continues to attract some of the best and brightest minds in disease ecology only strengthening our ability to expand programs and funding,” said Dr. Peter Daszak, president of Wildlife Trust.
About Wildlife Trust
Wildlife Trust empowers local conservation scientists worldwide to protect nature and safeguard ecosystem and human health. Wildlife Trust is a conservation science innovator and leverages research expertise through strategic global alliances. Wildlife Trust pioneered the field of Conservation Medicine, a new discipline that addresses the link between ecological disruption of habitats and the effects on wildlife, livestock and human health.
Founded in 1971 by British naturalist and author Gerald Durrell, Wildlife Trust has built its reputation on 35 years of global research, education, training and experience. Research and conservation work in the United States include programs in Florida and along the coast of the Southeastern U.S.
Internationally, Wildlife Trust trains and supports a network of scientists around the world to save endangered species and their habitats and to protect the health of vital ecosystems. Wildlife Trust created the first egalitarian international network of science-based conservation organizations called the Wildlife Trust Alliance and is a founding partner organization of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, a unique think-tank of prestigious academic institutions.
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Anthony Ramos, Wildlife Trust
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