Medical Geography and Zoonotic Disease; Policy and Practice
Wednesday, April 1, 12pm, SOND 001
UMBC Geography & Environmental Systems
Seminar Series
How a Medical Geography Research Program Informed a Global Policy to Prevent, Detect, and Respond to Novel Zoonotic Disease Outbreaks
Sarah Paige, PhD, MPH
University of Heidelberg
Wednesday, April 1, 2026 | 12:00 PM
Sondheim Hall 001
Kibale National Park in western Uganda hosts one of the highest densities of primate biomass globally. The Kibale EcoHealth Project (KEP), established by the Goldberg Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, supported interdisciplinary research from 2005–2017 on topics ranging from bat behavior to microbiomes.
With over 75% of emerging infectious diseases originating from animal sources, and significant human pressure on park resources, Kibale provided a critical setting to study zoonotic spillover risk. Research revealed high levels of human–animal contact, which helped catalyze local policy action. A pioneering One Health Committee was established in the region, later becoming a model across sub-Saharan Africa and informing global health security frameworks supported by organizations such as WHO and FAO.
This talk traces how a localized research program scaled into a globally influential policy model.
Co-sponsored by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health
Talk will also be available via Webex: