Young, Gifted & Wild About Birds: Johanna A. Harvey, Ph.D.

Johanna Harvey is an assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Ecology at the University of Rhode Island, specializing in evolutionary ecology and conservation science.  Her research focuses on emergent threats to wildlife, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, avian malaria, and vampire flies.

During Thursday's presentation, Dr. Harvey will explore the critical and often overlooked role that diseases play in the decline of bird populations. She and her lab at URI use genetics and immunology to understand how birds adapt to modern threats, from emerging viruses to climate change and urbanization. Her research specifically investigates how high-risk species, like raptors and colonial nesters, respond to the current avian influenza outbreak.

With the avian flu season likely to rev up with warm weather, this presentation could not be more timely.