Global Disease Biology

This post spotlights two influential people in animal health: Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, who works right here at UC Davis directing the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center, and Dr. Emmanuelle Soubeyran, the Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health. Both work closely with One Health issues, such as zoonotic diseases, antibiotic resistance, and climate change to ensure a healthier future for animals, people, and the environment. 

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If you’re graduating this quarter, you likely already have an idea of what you’ll be doing with your degree or what you’ll be doing to further your education. However, if you’re still a year or so away from graduating, you might be starting to think about your post-grad goals. This post is designed to help connect you with both on and off campus resources to help you figure out your post-grad endeavors!

Whether you’re planning on continuing your education, taking time off to travel, getting involved in research, or starting your career, there are resources for you!

This month’s episode features GDB student, Chiroshree Das (she/her). Chiroshree’s practicum project is titled “Spore Dissemination of Bartlett Pear Branch Canker and Dieback Pathogens.” She completed her practicum project with grad student Celeste Gonzalez Chavez under the guidance of her PI, Dr. Akif Eskalen, in the Eskalen Lab (Department of Plant Pathology).

Links & Information

One Health recognizes human health is closely related to the health of our animals and environment. One Health involves cooperation between experts in human, animal, and environmental health to combat health threats [2]. Pertaining to animal health, the One Health approach is essential to coordinate multi-sectoral prevention, preparedness, and response efforts of zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases include those that can transfer from animals to humans (called spillover) or humans to animals (called spillback).

Hey Aggies! For this week, I wanted to spotlight some of the amazing talent that we have on campus. Here is a guide to just some of the incredible student run groups on campus that are worth going to watch (or even perform in)!

UC Davis isn’t just about labs, lectures, and late-night study sessions—it’s also home to some seriously talented student performers. Whether you're into jazz, K-pop, improv comedy, or orchestral video game soundtracks, there’s a group here doing it live—and often for free or student-discounted prices.

Hello! I’m Avalon, and I graduated from UC Davis in Spring 2020 with a B.S. in Global Disease Biology. My academic journey began at Sacramento City College, where I majored in Chemistry with plans to pursue a pre-dental track. However, a summer research internship at the USDA Agricultural Research Service researching Shiga-toxin producing E. coli opened my eyes to the exciting field of agricultural research and how much I loved being in a lab. At UC Davis, I further solidified my interest in research as an undergraduate in Dr. Nitzan Shabek’s lab in Plant Biology.

Hi all! I’m Mavis, a 4th-year GDB + public health sciences minor. Back in high school, GDB caught my eye due to its unique nature and structure, which was only exclusively offered at UC Davis. I’ve always known from a young age that life sciences was my niche, and GDB’s curriculum nurtured my curiosity in health. With its extensive connection with so many departments through its One Health lens, I was able to curate the major into anything and everything I was interested in.

This month’s episode features GDB student, Nana Yansane. Nana’s practicum project is titled “SQR Expression Maintains Intestinal Hypoxia Which Prevents Facultative Anaerobe Growth in the Murine Gut.” She completed her practicum project with post-doc Dr. Anaïs Larabi under the guidance of her PI, Dr. Andreas Baumler, in the Baulmer Lab (Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology).

Links & Information

Sometimes Spring Quarter can feel like running a marathon! Staying locked in on studying can feel impossible especially when the gorgeous weather is calling your name through the window. I’m here to hopefully offer some helpful tips to our GDB community on how to stay energized and motivated throughout this final stretch of the academic year. Let’s break free from the slump and finish strong—here’s how!