Center for Transformative Infectious Disease Research Faculty & Staff
Our research team is transdisciplinary, with expertise in behavior, climate, community health, disease surveillance, economics, entomology, epidemiology, genomics, immunology, medicine, mathematics/computational modeling, policy, public health, spatial mapping, vector-borne disease, veterinary medicine, and virology.
Center Leadership
Alexander J. Travis, VMD, PhD
Center Co-PI, Cornell University
About Dr. Travis
Dr. Travis is the Director of the Cornell University Public Health Program, Chair of the Department of Public & Ecosystem Health, and Professor of Reproductive Biology & Wildlife Conservation at Cornell University.
His research explores a diverse set of subjects related to One Health, from animal health and fertility to research and capacity building at the intersection of public health and environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa and New York State.
Dr. Travis is the Cornell University Project Lead for the Administrative Core, responsible for coordinating activities and providing strategic oversight across all components of C-CHANGE.
Marinda C. Oosthuizen, MSc, PhD
Center Co-PI, University of Pretoria
About Dr. Oosthuizen
Dr. Oosthuizen is the Deputy Dean for Research and Postgraduate Studies and a full Professor of Veterinary Molecular Parasitology in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.
Her research focuses on tick-borne pathogen discovery, identification and molecular characterization of novel tick-transmitted pathogens in domestic and wild animals, and molecular diagnostic assay development.
Dr. Oosthuizen is the University of Pretoria project lead for the Administrative Core, responsible for coordinating activities and providing strategic oversight across all components of C-CHANGE. In addition, she is the University of Pretoria lead for the Vector-Borne Disease Project, which aims to build an integrated, community-based early warning system for climate-sensitive vector borne diseases.
Key Faculty
Ana Bento, PhD
Cornell University
About Dr. Bento
Dr. Bento is an Assistant Professor at Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health.
Her research leverages mathematical models, computational simulations, and statistical analysis to explore the dynamics of infectious diseases at different spatial and temporal scales.
Dr. Bento is a Co-Investigator for the Living Evidence, Applied Data & Modeling Core, providing mathematical and computational modeling, machine learning, and data science expertise.
Tiaan de Jager, Msc, MSc, PhD
University of Pretoria
About Dr. de Jager
Dr. de Jager is the Dean of Faculty of Health Sciences, Director of the University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP ISMC), and a professor in Environmental Health at the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria.
His research focus is in malaria, environmental health, and reproductive toxicology.
Dr. de Jager is a Co-Lead for the Vector-Borne Disease Project, guiding project design and implementation for mosquito-borne diseases.
Laura Goodman, PhD
Cornell University
About Dr. Goodman
Dr. Goodman is an Assistant Professor, appointed jointly at Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health and the Baker Institute for Animal Health.
Working at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health, her research in pathogen genomics focuses on antimicrobial resistance, tick-borne disease, and virus discovery. Dr. Goodman is a Co-Lead for the Vector-Borne Disease Project, responsible for overall project management.
Alistair Hayden, PhD
Cornell University
About Dr. Hayden
Dr. Hayden is an Assistant Professor of Practice in Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health.
His research aims to help communities increase their preparedness and resilience, using geospatial and epidemiological methods to understand and link the physical aspects of natural hazards with the social aspects that turn them into disasters.
Dr. Hayden is the project Co-Lead for Cornell University for the Living Evidence, Applied Data & Modeling Core, responsible for overall administration and direction of the project.
Vukosi Marivate, MS, PhD
University of Pretoria
About Dr. Marivate
Dr. Marivate is a Professor of Computer Science and holds the ABSA UP Chair of Data Science at the University of Pretoria.
He specializes in developing Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence methods to extract insights from data, with a particular focus on the intersection of ML/AI and Natural Language Processing.
Dr. Marivate is the Project Lead for the University of Pretoria for the Living Evidence, Applied Data & Modeling Core, responsible for coordinating data core activities.
Wanda Markotter, MSc, PhD
University of Pretoria
About Dr. Markotter
Dr. Markotter is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Viral Zoonoses in the Department of Medical Virology at Pretoria University and Interim Director of Future Africa.
Her research includes biosurveillance of African bats and collection of ecological and environmental data to understand infection dynamics, risk factors for viral spillover into human or other animal populations, and mitigation strategies.
Dr. Markotter is the University of Pretoria Project Lead for the Viral Spillover From Bats Project, overseeing data collection and analysis.
Gen Meredith, DrPH, OTR
Cornell University
About Dr. Meredith
Dr. Meredith is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Cornell Public Health Program within Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health.
Her work focuses on public health systems strengthening, supported by applied and community engaged research and public health workforce development.
Dr. Meredith is the Cornell lead for the Community Engagement Core, supporting the integration of community engagement and community-based participatory research into all C-CHANGE projects.
Raina Plowright, PhD, MS, BVSc
Cornell University
About Dr. Plowright
Dr. Plowright is a Professor at Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health.
Her research is focused on understanding and preventing the spillover of zoonotic viruses to prevent outbreaks and pandemics.
Dr. Plowright is the Cornell Project Lead for the Viral Spillover From Bats Project, responsible for the overall scientific agenda, administration, and direction of the project.
Megan Amy Riddin, MSc, PhD
University of Pretoria
About Dr. Riddin
Dr. Riddin is a Lecturer in the Zoology and Entomology Department at Rhodes University and an extraordinary lecturer at the University of Pretoria Institute for Sustainable Malaria Control, School of Health Systems and Public Health.
Her research focuses on vector ecology, phylogeny and disease detection in high burden regions, aiming to assist in malaria and vector-borne disease control.
Dr. Riddin is a Co-Lead for the Vector-Borne Disease Project, overseeing work on mosquito-borne diseases.
Laura Smith, PhD
Cornell University
About Dr. Smith
Dr. Smith is an Assistant Professor in Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health.
Her research focuses on improving nutrition and health in rural communities through basic and applied research on the linkages between agriculture, nutrition, and health.
Dr. Smith is the Project Co-Lead for Cornell University for the Living Evidence, Applied Data & Modeling Core and a Co-Investigator for the Community Engagement Core, responsible for overall administration and direction of the project.
Veronica Ueckermann, MBChB, MMed, FCP, PhD
University of Pretoria
About Dr. Ueckermann
Dr. Ueckermann is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Pretoria.
Her research is in infectious diseases, with a particular focus on HIV, TB, and antimicrobial stewardship through a One Health lens.
Dr. Ueckermann is a Co-Lead for the Vector-Borne Disease Project, guiding project design and implementation for tick-borne diseases.
Illana van Wyk, BVsc MPhil, MSc, PhD
University of Pretoria
About Dr. van Wyk
Dr. van Wyk holds an extraordinary appointment in the Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases at the University of Pretoria.
Her main research interests are infectious disease and disease ecology in wildlife and domestic animals, particularly at the interface of human, domestic animals, and wildlife.
Dr. van Wyk is the University of Pretoria Lead for the Community Engagement Core, supporting the integration of community engagement and community-based participatory research into all C-CHANGE projects.
Administrative Staff
Angela Downing
Lead Administrative & Grant Manager, Cornell University
About Ms. Downing
Ms. Downing is the Department Manager for Cornell’s Department of Public & Ecosystem Health. She has chief budgetary oversight, ensures pre- and post-award support, and facilitates compliance with reporting efforts and all federal and institutional policies.
Ninette Kotzee
Lead Administrative & Grant Manager, University of Pretoria
About Ms. Kotzee
Ms. Kotzee is the Research Grants Manager at Pretoria’s Department of Research and Innovation. She has chief budgetary oversight for the University of Pretoria sub-awards, ensures pre- and post-award support, and facilitates compliance with reporting efforts and all federal and institutional policies.