People, Parasites and Plagues

In this episode Dr. Ron Walcott joins us to talk about diseases affecting seeds, and the challenges, and opportunities, in directing graduate education at the University of Georgia. Dr. Walcott is a researcher in the Department of Plant Pathology, the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Georgia. His research interests include seed pathology, plant pathology, and bacteriology.

In this bonus episode Dr. Jessica Kissinger reflects on her unconventional path to a successful and productive career in science. Dr. Jessica Kissinger is an evolutionary geneticist, and Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Genetics and the Institute of Bioinformatics. She is also a faculty member of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. Her research is focused on parasite genomics, the biology of genome evolution, and the development of computational tools for data mining. 

 In this episode Dr. Jessica Kissinger joins us to talk about how insights gained from analyzing parasite genomes can help us more effectively develop interventions against these dangerous pathogens in the future. Dr. Jessica Kissinger is an evolutionary geneticist, and Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Genetics and the Institute of Bioinformatics. She is also a faculty member of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. Her research is focused on parasite genomics, the biology of genome evolution, and the development of computational tools for data mining. 

According to the CDC, Salmonella bacteria cause over a million infections each year, and over 400 deaths in the US alone. While most of outbreaks are caused by contaminated food, some are linked to other sources such as wild or domestic birds, raccoons and even small turtles. But just how is an outbreak of Salmonella traced to its source? Our guest today can help us understand this process of molecular detective work.  Dr. Nikki Shariat is an assistant professor in the Department of Population Health at UGA's College of Veterinary Medicine.   Her areas of research include molecular epidemiology of bacterial foodborne pathogens using metagenomics with a particular focus on  Salmonella population dynamics in food animals and in the environment.  

In this episode Dr. Dennis Kyle joins us to talk about a deadly disease caused by Naegleria fowleri, also known as the brain-eating amoeba. Dr.  Kyle is the Director of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases at the University of Georgia, and a faculty member in the Departments of Infectious Diseases and Cellular Biology. His areas of research include drug discovery for malaria and the brain-eating amoeba, and understanding how parasites become resistant to drugs.

In this episode Dr. Belen Cassera joins us to discuss development of new drugs to treat and prevent malaria, one of the deadliest diseases afflicting humankind.  Dr. Belen Cassera is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology here at UGA, and a member of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. Her research focuses on discovery of new drugs to prevent and treat malaria, as well as understanding how these drugs work, and how parasites can sometimes become resistant to them. 

Today our guest is Dr. Janice Hume, a historical journalist who has studied the print media coverage of the 1918 flu pandemic, and who can offer insights into media coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Dr. Janice Hume is a distinguished professor, researcher, author, and head of the department of Journalism of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication here at UGA.

Today we will talk with Dr. Mark Jackwood, who has spent much of his career studying coronaviruses in poultry, and can offer us some insight into these pathogens, and the vaccines developed to counter them.

Today, Dr. Mark Tompkins joined us to discuss all things flu. We will talk about the 1918 flu pandemic, flu vaccines, and how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect this year's flu season.