The Impact of Intensive Livestock Production on the Disease Ecology of Antibiotic Resistant Staphylococcus

Dr. Jill Stewart
UNC-CH Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences & Engineering

Professor Jill Stewart is an environmental health microbiologist who studies links between human and ecosystem health. She is developing novel tools to detect and track pathogens in the environment and she is applying these tools to evaluate how human activities affect the distribution of microbial contaminants. Current research projects include (1) epidemiology studies of bathing beaches impacted by non-point source pollution, (2) development of stress-response models for forecasting the impacts of development and climate change within watersheds, and (3) evaluating the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment and in human and animal populations. These activities are leading to a greater understanding of how environmental conditions affect human health, and how humans themselves influence this process. At UNC, Dr. Stewart has a primary appointment in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and is also serves as the Deputy Director of the Center for Galapagos Studies. She also has adjunct appointments in the Department of Marine Sciences and the Curriculum for the Environment & Ecology.