Each year, the Global One Health Academy funds an exceptional group of graduate students with One Health related research interests. During their one-year appointment, the Global One Health Fellows are offered many opportunities, such as professional development workshops, networking with One Health professionals and more! Learn more about Andrea Landaverde and how the Global One Health Fellowship helped advance her professional career and support her important research studying environmental impacts on marine organism immune responses.
What do you research?
I study how environmental factors, such as temperature or salinity, and contaminants affect immune responses in marine organisms. My research focuses on reef-building corals and oysters. Marine invertebrates defend themselves from pathogens in different ways, which directly affects their survival. In one of my current projects, I am studying how corals across reefs in the Florida Keys modulate their defenses against disease depending on the specific reef environmental conditions. In another project I am evaluating how PFAS – a man-made contaminant – combined with environmental factors affect the ability of oysters to defend against disease in oyster sanctuaries and natural reefs in North Carolina. For this, I combine fieldwork – collecting samples from organisms, water, sediments, and environmental data – and molecular biology techniques to study their immune responses.
What are the implications of your research, and how does it fit into the One Health framework?
Marine organisms are constantly exposed to a variety of diseases, and their ability to defend against viruses, bacteria, and fungi is essential to maintain their health, populations, and overall ecosystem health. Ocean health is closely linked to human health, as it provides food resources, medicinal products, sustains biodiversity, and supports coastal communities through income and tourism. At the same time, human activities can contribute to ocean health challenges by introducing waste and contaminants that can impair the immune systems of marine species, further threatening ecosystem stability. Similarly, when seafood from contaminated waters or diseased marine organisms enters the human food chain, it can pose serious health risks, including diseases and exposure to harmful toxins, highlighting the connection between marine ecosystem health and human health.
By studying how environmental factors and contaminants impact the immune responses of marine organisms, my research advances our understanding of innate immunity in these foundational species. This knowledge is critical for informing coastal management strategies, such as identifying resilient reefs and oyster populations, improving conservation efforts, and mitigating the effects of pollution to manage risks of threats to human health through seafood consumption. This work fits into the One Health framework by understanding the relationship between the health of oceans, animals, and humans, aiming to integrate solutions to conserve all three.
What/who inspired you to pursue this field of study?
Growing up near the ocean, I developed a deep appreciation for coastal and marine ecosystems – from coral reefs to estuaries – and witnessed the dependence that coastal communities have on them as well. Experiencing this inspired me to pursue a career dedicated to conserving and protecting these vital ecosystems and ensuring their sustainability for future generations.
What do you view as a critical global challenge in One Health, and how could your discipline contribute to addressing it?
Pollution is a critical One Health challenge because it connects terrestrial, freshwater, and coastal ecosystems, affecting both animal and human health. Environmental toxicology can help assess contaminant distribution and measure concentrations in water, sediments, and marine organisms, to understand how anthropogenic and industrial waste spreads through these environments. This helps identify risks to humans and wildlife and informs strategies to reduce exposure, mitigate ecological impacts, and protect both ecosystem and human health.
How has the Global One Health Fellowship helped shape your career trajectory?
The Global One Health Fellowship has helped me explore and expand my perspective on career opportunities by connecting me with professionals from diverse disciplines working together to address One Health problems. It showed me how my background in marine sciences and environmental toxicology can be applied collaboratively to address issues like pollution, disease, and ecosystem health – in research, policy, and management. This fellowship has been an enriching experience, inspiring me to shape my career around the integration of human, animal, and environmental health. I am very grateful for the opportunity and for the support and insight from the faculty and mentors.
What was your favorite part of the Global One Health Fellowship?
My favorite part of the Global One Health Fellowship was interacting with the fellows and learning about their research, how it is connected to One Health, and how we can collaborate across our different disciplines. I also really enjoyed the tours to different facilities learning about various integrations of One Health in state programs. It was really enriching to see how the One Health framework is applied in professional settings.
What are your next steps?
I will continue my Ph.D. research on coral and oyster immunity, and lead a controlled study on the impact of increased temperatures on oyster immune responses. I am also eager to present my research at different conferences, share my findings with the public through outreach activities such as educational programs, and expand my professional network. After graduation, I look forward to working in the management of coastal and marine ecosystems at an NGO, including environmental monitoring of contaminants and implementing coastal restoration techniques to improve ecosystem health. While I am committed to making a positive impact locally in the U.S. and in my home country, El Salvador, I am also passionate about contributing to other countries and communities that face similar challenges.
