Episode 317: Biodiversity Loss, Dr. Debra Miller
On this episode, we chat about biodiversity loss as a key issue in our modern world. We emphasize the impact it has on increasing of disease in our modern environment which isn’t something normally addressed in public discourse. This doesn’t just impact humans, but the majority of wildlife has lost habitat and the space needed to avoid pathogen spread. Additionally, globalization has introduced invasive viruses to novel environments which lack defense to them.
Dr. Debra Miller is Professor and Director of the Center for Wildlife Health in the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. She has a split appointment between the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries
https://vetmed.tennessee.edu/FacultyStaff/SitePages/CVMProfile.aspx?NetID=dmille42
She is also the interim director of the new One Health Initiative which started at UT this year and has over 50 faculty and scientists from numerous departments and colleges in an effort to enhance research collaborations across the state and region to address rapidly emerging health challenges.