ANNOUNCING
2006-07 CLF Predoctoral Fellows
Five predoctoral fellowships to begin in July 2006 have been awarded by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF). The recipients are: Dr. Carmen Arriola, a second year student in International Health; Kristen Gibson, a first year student in Environment Health Science; Autumn Girouard, a fourth year student in Microbiology and Immunology; Jay Graham, a fourth year student in Environmental Health Sciences; and Sharon Nappier, a third year student, also in Environmental Health Sciences. The awards in amounts up to $50,000 are given to Johns Hopkins University predoctoral students who are committed to the discovery and application of knowledge about the environmental, economic, social, and health impacts of industrial animal production and practices in the United States or abroad. The grants may be used for tuition, stipend, and research expenses. The CLF Predoctoral Fellowship Program, now in its fourth year, is made possible by a generous donor.
 Dr. Arriola is a veterinarian with a DVM degree from San Marcos Major National University in Lima, Peru. She is concerned about the vulnerability of human populations to the health and economic impacts of zoonotic (animal to human) diseases. Dr. Arriola’s proposed research is the first systematic study of the environmental and public health impact of the porcine industry in Peru. In addition, she will assess the stress level of hogs raised in facilities of different sizes in that country. She hopes to apply her research findings to practical uses, especially for underserved populations around the world. Her doctoral advisor is Lawrence Moulton, PhD, Professor, International Health.
Ms. Gibson has worked for the past three years as a senior laboratory technician with Dr. Kellogg Schwab. Their research projects on the environmental impacts of industrial animal production confirmed for Ms. Gibson the value of research in environmental health to protect the public’s health. In addition, it has motivated her to pursue her own research on the environmental consequences of industrial animal production. She plans to develop new methods to investigate emerging human and animal pathogens and their persistence and transport through surface and groundwater. Ms. Gibson earned her BS degree in microbiology and molecular biology from the University of Central Florida. Her doctoral advisor is Kellogg Schwab, PhD, Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences.
 Ms. Girouard is interested in preventing human infectious diseases that are often facilitated by industrial agricultural practices, global warming and other impacts on the environment. Her research involves using Cryptosporidium parvum, a water-borne intestinal parasite, to investigate how industrial animal production contributes to contamination of surface water and shellfish, especially oysters, in the Chesapeake Bay. Her research includes a combination of direct sampling and remote sensing satellite imagery to study the spatial and temporal variations of contaminants in a portion of the Bay and in addition, genetic fingerprinting to determine the source of the contamination. She earned her BS degree in biology and biotechnology from George Mason University. Her doctoral advisor is Thaddeus Graczyk, PhD, Associate Professor, Environmental Health Sciences.
Mr. Graham is conducting research about how different handling methods for poultry waste disposal affect the potential for human exposure to drug resistant bacteria and resistance genes. From an initial interest in management of human biosolids waste, Mr. Graham switched to animal waste because of the volume of waste generated by industrial animal production facilities, the lack of public policies to address health concerns, and the spread of this system to developing countries. Mr. Graham hopes to combine research with work for policy change. He earned his BS degree in biology from the University of Arkansas, and MBA and MPH degrees from the University of Texas. This will be Mr. Graham’s second year as a CLF Fellow. His doctoral advisor is Ellen K. Silbergeld, PhD, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences.
 Ms. Nappier is interested in the microbial assessment of untreated waste from animal and human sources now being deposited in surface waters. The environmental and public health impacts of pathogens include contamination of shellfish in the Chesapeake Bay. Ms. Nappier is currently comparing clearance of pathogens by native (Chesapeake Bay) and non-native oyster species to assess the risks of non-native oysters as a vehicle for human and zoonotic pathogens. This will help inform the State of Maryland and the commercial oyster industry about potential human health impacts of the introduction of non-native oysters species currently being proposed. This will be Ms. Nappier’s second year as a CLF Fellow. She earned her BS in Biology and Environmental Studies from The George Washington University and an MSPH from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her doctoral advisors are Kellogg Schwab, PhD and Thaddeus Graczyk, PhD, both associate professors in the Environmental Health Sciences Department.
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