Emerging Pathogens Institute

New and re-emerging diseases threaten tourism, health, and agriculture in the state of Florida.

Florida is particularly vulnerable due to its mild climate and diverse agriculture. Weather patterns as well as commercial plant imports and visitors from around the world each year have the potential to unsuspectingly carry pathogens into Florida from other countries.

By fusing key disciplines, the Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) will develop outreach, education, and research capabilities to prevent or contain these diseases and to preserve the health and economy of the State.

Friday, April 11, 2008
View the Clinical Epidemiology and Outcomes Research Retreat flyer (PDF)
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
UF researchers on the watch for nice weather - and the diseases it could bring
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
EPI and ICBR Announce Seed Funding Initiative (PDF)

Outreach and Education

community awareness, prevention, & control
protects consumers & prevents economic loss
prepares the next generation of scientists

Novel research

predict & understand emerging diseases
devices & tests for rapid detection & diagnosis
vaccines for prevention & new therapies for treatment

All seminars to be held from 4:00-5:00 PM in room G-112, HPNP Building*, with PolyCom transmission to Vero Beach (and other sites, on request). Contact Lisa M. Lindsey at (352) 273-7526 for more information regarding the Institute.

Dr. Jorge Giron - "Bacterial Bioassembly Machineries for Adherence and Secretion" - February 6 [watch the video] (Flash required)
Dr. Tony Goldberg - "Fish n' Chimps: Model Systems for Emerging Pathogens in a Changing Global Environment" [flyer] - February 13 [watch the video] (Flash required)
Dr. Peng Wu - "Chemical Tools for Glycobiology" - February 19 [watch the video] (Flash required)
Dr. Malcolm Fraser - "Mosquitoes and Malaria" [flyer] - February 20 [watch the video] (Flash required)
Dr. Andrew Schuerger - "Hubbert's Peak and Emerging Pathogens: How will Agriculture Change After Reaching the Peak of World Oil Production" - March 5
Dr. Heather Conley - "1993: Hantavirus and the Year of the Deermouse" - March 17
Dr. Stephan Becker - "Statistical Models of Climate Change" - March 20
Dr. Sara Poynton - "Emerging pathogens: the case of the piscine protozoan parasites Spironucleus" [flyer] - March 26
Dr. Christian Steinberg - "Mild stress by dissolved humic substances is essential for freshwater life" - March 26
Dr. David Wheeler - "Bayesian Wombling of Raccoon Rabies Transmission" [flyer] - March 28
Dr. Uli Munderloh - "Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, Including Questions of Vector Competence for Disease Transmission and Host/Pathogen Interactions" [flyer] - April 2 [watch the video] (Flash required)
Dr. Mya Breitbart - "Viruses in Reclaimed Water and in Marine Turtles" [flyer] - April 9
Robert Edelman, MD, FACP - "Dengue and Dengue Vaccines [flyer] - April 15 (HPNP, room G-210 at 1:00pm)
Dr. Kirk Deitsch - "Genetic Mechanisms Behind Antigenic Variation and Infection Persistence in Microbes - with a Focus on Malaria" [flyer] - April 16 [watch the video] (Flash required)
Dr. William R. Harvey - "Ion Transporters in Anopheles gambiae - Targets for Environmental Safe Mosquito Sites" [flyer] - April 23
Dr. Andy Morse - "Epidemic malaria prediction for Africa with integrated ensemble prediction systems - What challenges remain?" - April 30
Dr. Andy Tatem - "The Malaria Atlas Project (MAP): mapping endemicity, burden and movement" [flyer] - May 1

Dr. Bruce A. Mungall - "Bats, Cats, and Ferrets: What can they teach us about taming Nipah Virus?" - May 14
Dr. Jeff Shields - "Impact of Diseases on Crab and Lobster Fisheries" - May 28
Gregory C. Gray, MD, MPH - "Zoonotic Diseases: Their Importance and Neglect" [flyer] - June 11
Dr. Scott Weaver - TBA - October 8

*unless otherwise noted.