One Health Perspectives on the Eco-Epidemiology of Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and the Looming Threat of Climate Change
Abstract: The staggering impact of human activity on our planet’s ecosystems is undeniable. Over the past 50 years, Earth has witnessed a dramatic decline in biodiversity, losing approximately 60% of wildlife and over 100 million hectares of tropical forest – the equivalent of the land masses of Madagascar and Sweden, combined. Human activity is at the forefront of this environmental destruction, fueling the looming threat of climate change and driving the planet towards its sixth mass extinction event, where current rates of biodiversity loss are estimated to be 1,000-10,000 times higher than baseline.
As an epidemiologist and entomologist, I am particularly intrigued by the fact that not all life is negatively affected by declining biodiversity, but rather, many invasive species thrive in altered environments. Among these invaders are ticks and mosquitoes, notorious arthropod vectors of debilitating and deadly diseases like Lyme, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya, Malaria, and Yellow Fever. Climate change has caused arthropod ranges to expand, increasing contact with animals and humans, exacerbating the burden of vector-borne diseases. Additionally, diseases that spillover from animals to humans, or zoonoses, account for nearly 70% of all infectious diseases and are responsible for approximately 2 million human deaths each year.
These staggering realities are what motivated me to focus my research on the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases in a changing world. My dissertation evaluated how changes in climate, land use and land cover, and human behavior affected the ecology of West Nile virus (WNV) and associated mosquitoes. To identify the mosquito species of interest, I used a method called the Human Landing Catch (HLC), to attract and collect vector species in previously reported, high-risk locations. These “ground-truth” data were critical in refining highly robust public health forecast models. Additionally, as a post-doctoral research associate, I analyzed data collected from a large prospective case-ascertained household study that greatly improved our understanding of secondary household contact risk to SARS-CoV-2 exposure. I also led the epidemiologic analyses of the Illinois COVID Shield Study, a highly ambitious, yet successful program adopted by numerous college campuses across the country, including the University of Wisconsin. This project led to another study that evaluated the risks of college students and community COVID-19 transmission. Most recently, I implemented techniques in artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop a near real-time flow of multi-organizational API data to form the global mosquito observation dashboard (GMOD, mosquitodashboard.org). Leveraging the massive amounts of information from citizen scientists, GMOD is an open-sourced platform that provides supplemental mosquito surveillance data to anyone in the world, empowering individuals to aid in the global fight against mosquito-borne diseases.
In summary, my research focuses on evaluating and forecasting zoonotic disease risk in humans and animals, particularly at the nexus of changing climates and environments. Under a One Health lens, I leverage a multidisciplinary approach to identify disease hotspots, forecast risk, and devise targeted interventions to break disease transmission cycles. I use a myriad of statistical methods and advanced tools, such as spatiotemporal modeling, GIS, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, to identify key pieces in a complex, ecological puzzle. Ultimately, my research aims to improve our understanding of the complexities of disease ecology to increase preparedness and mitigate the global health burden on humans, animals, and ecosystems, while also promoting long-term and sustainable conservation efforts. Through innovative research and collaborative efforts, I am committed to advancing our understanding of disease dynamics and developing pragmatic solutions to safeguard the health of our planet and its inhabitants.
Bio: As an eco-epidemiologist, I am passionate about conservation and ecosystem health. During my Master’s in Entomology, I studied simulated effects of climate change on the phenology of the insect folivore, the forest tent caterpillar. My interests later expanded to zoonotic diseases, and I devoted a Master’s and PhD towards studying West Nile virus in the midwestern U.S. At the culmination of my studies, I knew I wanted to devote my career to a challenging, but rewarding field that helps to understand the negative effects of climate change on One Health and find realistic solutions to mitigate them.
I thrive working in collaborative, interdisciplinary research groups, and employ several unique techniques and methods to find innovative solutions to global issues. I believe in the power of creative and appealing data visualizations as an efficient and effective method to teach and communicate findings. I work with colleagues from various fields, spanning from Public Health, Epidemiology, and Entomology, to Geography, Statistics, Veterinary and Human medicine.
Above all, one of the most rewarding experiences in my career has been the teaching and mentoring of students of all levels and backgrounds. I am a proud Mercile Lee Scholar and mentor of the PEOPLE and POSSE Program Scholars and Madison Memorial High School students. Please connect with me in person or by email (johnnyuelmen@gmail.com) to talk more!
