She earned her DVM from the University of the West Indies and later completed a Master’s in Avian Medicine and a PhD in Medical Microbiology at UGA. She provides clinical mycoplasmology services to the poultry industry and has conducted extensive research in disease control and diagnostics. She has authored several scientific publications and frequently leads workshops and continuing education seminars. In 2022, she was named UGA’s Inventor of the Year and elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors recognizing the global impact of her work with poultry vaccines.

Naola Ferguson-Noel, DVM, MAM, PhD
University of Georgia
Professor
Poultry Diagnostic & Research Center
953 College Station Rd.
Athens, GA 30602
p: 706-542-5646
e: naolaf@uga.edu
w: http://vet.uga.edu/pdrc/person/naola_ferguson_noel

After earning her Bachelor’s in Biological Engineering at MIT, she completed her graduate work in the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology program. Throughout her PhD and subsequent post-doc, she developed novel nanotechnologies to breath and urinary readouts of community-acquired pneumonia and lung cancer. This experience with diagnostics and infectious disease brought her to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she has been working to create a novel serological tool for high-throughput surveillance of vector-borne diseases and the vectors that carry them.

Since 2018, at the Institut Pasteur of French Guiana, he has been leading projects targeting the rich Amazonian diversity in the field (transmission factors, trapping), as well as the laboratory (BSL3 insectary) to detail the local and emerging arboviruses. He is also very interested by the behavior of mosquitoes and the viral neurotropism. A strong interest in Public Health and sustainability drove me to address the question of alternatives to chemical vector control.

He is a professional senior scientist recognized both regionally and internationally for impactful scientific research in the fields of virology, zoonoses, biosecurity, climate change, microbiology, and infectious diseases. He has earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Microbiology (2001), a Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degree in Microbiology (2007) and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Medical Microbiology (2020) from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados. In addition, he holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree with Merit Honours (2019) from Warwick Business School (WBS), University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

His scientific research led to several novel findings of zoonotic viruses present in Barbados and the Caribbean including ‘bird flu’, dengue virus, Chikungunya, Zika virus, West Nile Virus, orthohantaviruses, arenaviruses and cowpox viruses. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed scientific papers in the fields of microbiology, virology, biosecurity, climate change, infectious diseases and zoonoses which have received over 100 citations. He has played significant roles in regional (Caribbean) consultations with CIRAD, CIFOR, SWM, CCCCC, Ministry of Health, PAHO, OIE, CITES, GCF, and UNODC. His current research interests include zoonoses, infectious diseases, air pollution, wildfires, climate change, bioeconomy, sustainability, illegal wildlife trade, border security, The Blue Economy, environmental pollution, and ecosystem health.

She grew up in Maine before the expansion of tick populations in the state and has been fascinated by how natural, usually rodent-based, communities can impact the risks of diseases in people and other animals. She has several hundred peer-reviewed publications, many focusing on land use change, fire, and other anthropogenic factors that influence disease. Her most recent studies relate to emerging and invasive ticks and the threat of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. When not working with ticks, she enjoys several different volunteer activities in her community, playing with grandkids, cooking fearlessly (if not always successfully), and gardening. And mostly, her cats- shout out to Piper!

She was the first Caribbean person to Chair the Executive Board of WHO and the first Barbadian Assistant Director General at WHO with responsibility for Climate and Other Determinants of Health.

She has focused on Health Systems Strengthening at each stage of her career, with particular focus on the harmful effects of Climate Change on Health, Non-Communicable Diseases and Health Security.
Dr St John was fortunate to lead the CARICOM regional public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic when she was the Executive Director at CARPHA.
She is currently Vice Chair of the Technical Advisory Panel of the Pandemic Fund Board

Within the ASTRE research unit and the CaribVet network, she studies zoonotic arboviruses affecting animal and human health in the French West Indies and the wider Caribbean. Formerly coordinator of French and EU reference activities on West Nile and equine encephalitis viruses (ANSES, 2007–2020), her work focuses on the eco-epidemiology and emergence of mosquito-, midge-, and tick-borne pathogens. She recently coordinated the TISARU project, bringing together CIRAD, INRAE, ANSES, Ross University, and local services to map tick- and midge-borne diseases such as bluetongue and epizootic hemorrhagic disease. She also investigated the 2024 West Nile virus emergence in Guadeloupe and Martinique and contributes to expert groups assessing the risk of emerging viruses, including Oropouche, in the region, promoting integrated One Health approaches.

She previously spent many years as a government veterinarian in Trinidad and Tobago, gaining essential knowledge and skills in regulatory medicine in particular zoonotic disease surveillance and control, port health and trade in animals and animal products. Her interest in public health led her to research the epidemiology of rabies viruses in Trinidad and later investigate the influence of island to continent bat movement as it pertains to bat viruses and the epidemiology of rabies. This combination of experiences has allowed her to guide policies and protocols on rabies control and prevention in the Caribbean. In her current role Dr. Seetahal promotes the implementation of evidence-based One-Health contextualized programs and policies for rabies prevention and control on the global scale and contributes to the progression of diagnostic and medical advancements in the field of rabies.

Dr. Stoute received her DVM from the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. She completed her avian medicine residency at UC Davis and earned her PhD in molecular virology at The Ohio State University. She is a diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians (ACPV) and is the Service Chief of the UC Davis California Health and Food Safety Lab (CAHFS) Poultry Residency Program. Dr. Stoute is a member of the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP), California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians and is on the Executive Committee for the Western Poultry Disease Conference (WPDC).

He then did a rotating internship with IM focus at Tuskegee University, then a combined internal medicine residency and master’s in veterinary science at Washington State University. He was then a clinical assistant professor at University of Florida, before returning to his alma mater at UWI School of Veterinary Medicine. His clinical interests are endocrinology and haematology but most importantly, clinical education and providing mentorship to students, interns, and residents.

She is currently the assistant curator of the Ceratopogonidae Collection from Fiocruz (Brazil), where she studies the taxonomy and bioecology of Neotropical Ceratopogonidae, with a particular interest in the genus Culicoides. During the recent Oropouche outbreak, she has been training professionals in vector surveillance.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in religion from the George Washington University, his DVM from Cornell University, and completed his rotating internship and residency at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on cardiopulmonary resuscitation, antimicrobial therapy, and education. 

She is a Practice owner and Veterinarian at Pets First Veterinary Clinic (established Sept 2009). She was an Emergency and critical care intern at Washington State University, Pullman, WA (2023-2024) 

She obtained her DVM from Western University of Health Sciences in 2017 and subsequently completed a rotating internship at Angell Animal Medical Centre followed by a surgery residency at the University of Pennsylvania. She furthered her education by completing a Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship in small animal soft tissue surgery. Her clinical interests include improving patient outcomes through innovative solutions to improve access of care, decreasing morbidity via minimally invasive surgery, as well as skin and reconstructive surgery.