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Researcher Receives Award to Study Tuberculosis in Wild Boar

February 1, 2024

Researcher Receives Award to Study Tuberculosis in Wild Boar

Recipients of the Collaborative Innovation Award
Recipients of the Collaborative Innovation Award

Anni Yang, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, is part of a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team of early career scientists that have received a Collaborative Innovation Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Scialog: Mitigating Zoonotic Threats initiative.

Their research project, “Development of an Integrative Approach to Enhance Surveillance Sensitivity Systems for Wildlife Spillover of Bovine Tuberculosis: Wild Pig Case Study,” is one of six investigating the detection and mitigation of emerging animal-borne infectious diseases.

“I'm honored and excited to receive this award, as it underscores our commitment to safeguarding public health and preventing the spread of infectious diseases from a One Health perspective,” Yang said. “This recognition motivates me as an early career researcher to continue my efforts in researching, implementing, and advocating for One Health against zoonotic threats.”

The One Health perspective aims to sustainably balance the health of people, animals, and ecosystems. It involves a wide range of experts, including epidemiologists, veterinarians, environmental scientists, public health professionals, and others, working together to monitor, control and prevent health issues and to promote a healthy and sustainable environment.

Yang’s project will integrate multiple data streams and Bovine Tuberculosis occurrences with spatial analytical tools to identify high-risk areas for disease spillover and guide targeted surveillance among wild pigs.

Learn more about the Scialog: Mitigating Zoonotic Threats initiative and Yang’s work with the Spatial Disease Ecology and Health Lab.