One Health Institute
Awardees of the One Health Institute and USDA-APHIS Veterinary Services Mini-Grant Challenge
Emerging Disease Threats with Implications for African Swine Fever
We are excited to announce the funded student awards for the One Health Institute’s (OHI) Mini-Grant Challenge in collaboration with the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services Department of Veterinary Services. These awarded projects highlight One Health solution-oriented approaches to emerging disease threats that also demonstrate clear potential to inform preparedness and response for African Swine Fever (ASF).
Funded Project Overviews:
Producing the First National Scale African Swine Fever Transmission and Outbreak Predictions for the United States
This project aims to utilize two well-validated models used to predict the spread of transboundary livestock diseases and assess possible control measures to inform preparedness and response for African Swine Fever should it be detected in the United States.
These models will be adjusted with African Swine Fever parameters to characterize expected geographic hotspots to inform surveillance, understand risk factors, and explore possible control measures.
Student Investigator: Christopher Brandon, PhD Student, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Faculty Advisors: Colleen Webb, Biology Dept., College of Natural Sciences; Lindsay Beck-Johnson, Biology Dept., College of Natural Sciences
Economic Consequences of African Swine Fever: Strengthening U.S. Preparedness and Resilience
This project will evaluate the potential economic impacts of an African Swine Fever outbreak in the United States. The main goal is to quantify potential economic losses across various sectors, assess disruptions in global trade flows, and evaluate the broader welfare impacts on the U.S. economy.
Student Investigator: Tais Cristina de Menezes, PhD student, Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agricultural Sciences
Faculty Advisor: Amanda Countryman, Dept. of Agricultural and Resource Economics, College of Agricultural Sciences
Developing a rapid detection system of African Swine Fever Virus with a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for airport security
The goal of this project is to examine the potential of modifying a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for rapid virus detection of African Swine Fever Virus for screening at points of entry.
Student Investigators: Gamze Badakul: PhD student, Dept. of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences; Piyawan Chailapakul, PhD student, Dept. of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences; Junko Maeda, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Faculty Advisor: Takamitsu Kato, Dept. of Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Development of an orally delivered vaccine to immunize against African Swine Fever Virus
This project seeks to develop a novel African Swine Fever Virus vaccine for the prevention of African Swine Fever using the bacterium recombinant Lactobacillus acidophilus system as an orally delivered vaccine for swine.
Student Investigator: Christian Cherry, DVM/PhD student, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Faculty Advisors: Gregg Dean, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology, & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences; Allison Vilander, Dept. of Microbiology, Immunology, & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Developing a Weather Vulnerability Index for Farms in Rural Communities
The goal of this project is to assess statistical methods and machine learning algorithms to best elucidate the relationship between extreme weather events/patterns and African Swine Fever outbreaks to develop a vulnerability index for small-scale swine producers in rural communities in the United States.
Student Investigators: Connor Price, PhD Student, Mathematics Doctorate, College of Natural Sciences; David Kott, Masters student, Mathematics, College of Natural Sciences
Faculty Advisor: Michael Kirby, Dept. of Mathematics, College of Natural Sciences
Running Project Deadlines:
September 30, 2025: Award Completion Date
December 1, 2025: Final Report Due
