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! Bradley Scholten was a 2024-25 Global One Health Fellow, recently defended his Ph.D. in Biology, and now is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Michigan State University. Learn more about Bradley below!
What do you research?
My research focuses on how songbirds may spread antimicrobial resistant (AMR) bacteria, with an emphasis on Salmonella and E. coli, two pathogens that can cause disease in both humans and birds. I investigate potential sources of these bacteria, such as livestock farms, and examine transmission sites like bird feeders where pathogens can be shared among birds and potentially reach humans. My work involves swabbing bird feeders, capturing songbirds to collect fecal samples, isolating bacteria from those samples, and then testing them for antimicrobial resistance.
What are the implications of your research, and how does it fit into the One Health framework?
My work sits at the intersection of two major One Health challenges: antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases make up 75% of all new or emerging infectious diseases, meaning most epidemics around the world are zoonotic in origin. Antimicrobial resistance plays a role in more than 2.8 million infections in the US each year and contributes to over 5 million deaths worldwide annually. These infections are significantly more difficult and expensive to treat, and they are only becoming more common.
My research addresses these critical One Health challenges through an interdisciplinary lens, integrating ecology, ornithology and wildlife biology, microbiology, genetics, and even computer science and artificial intelligence. By understanding how birds spread AMR bacteria, we can better reduce pathogen transmission between wildlife, livestock, and humans, and ultimately help prevent infections and potentially epidemics in both people and animals.
What/who inspired you to pursue this field of study?
I have always loved wildlife and wanted to do ecological research that helps humans and animals live more in balance with each other. As an undergraduate at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I majored in biology and had two formative research experiences that sparked my interest in this field.
My first project, with Dr. Randy DeJong, focused on avian schistosome parasites in Michigan lakes. These parasites have a life cycle that includes ducks, and also cause a rash called swimmer’s itch in humans who swim in these lakes. By applying ecological principles, we worked toward reducing parasite levels in these lakes, addressing a public health problem. My second project, with Dr. Darren Proppe and Dr. Margaret Caulfield, investigated how human disturbances affect tree swallow behavior and stress levels. These two projects sparked my interest in research at the human-wildlife interface and working with birds and wildlife to solve public health problems. I hope that with my research, I can ultimately both help people and wildlife.
What do you view as a critical global challenge in One Health, and how could your discipline contribute to addressing it?
One of the most critical global challenges in One Health is the spread of antimicrobial resistance. AMR bacteria are rapidly spreading into new and diverse environments and in different species. My research highlights overlooked pathways of AMR transmission, such as through wild birds and their interactions with people and domestic animals. By understanding these connections, we can develop more effective strategies to limit the spread of resistance and protect both human and animal health.
How has the Global One Health Fellowship helped shape your career trajectory?
The Global One Health Fellowship reinforced for me that science is a collaborative endeavor. It gave me the chance to learn from and work alongside scholars from many different disciplines and backgrounds, which broadened how I think about research. It also strengthened my commitment to interdisciplinary biological research with a One Health framework and to educating others about One Health and antimicrobial resistance.
What was your favorite part of the Global One Health Fellowship?
I loved connecting with other Global One Health fellows and scientists. Hearing about the creative and interdisciplinary ways they approached big problems, and seeing real-life examples of One Health in action in our classes and discussions was inspiring and encouraged me to think more broadly and deeply in my own work.
The fellowship also helped me step outside my own research bubble and learn about the wide range of challenges others are tackling around the world. It gave me a stronger sense of the bigger picture and reminded me that I am part of a global effort. Since my work is so interdisciplinary, it sometimes felt like I didn’t have a “home” discipline, so meeting others with similar experiences was especially valuable.
What are your next steps?
I successfully defended my dissertation this past August and am now starting a postdoctoral research position at Michigan State University. There, I’ll continue studying how songbirds spread diseases and antimicrobial resistance across landscapes. I’m really excited to build on my doctoral work and keep contributing to our understanding of how wildlife influences both human and animal health.
