Caylee Falvo, PhD Student

“What role does the reservoir host immune system play in spillover from wildlife to humans?"

I am trying to understand the impact that environmental and ecological changes have on host immunology, and how this relates to viral spillover. Environmental change can lead to stressors such as food shortages that may interact with other stressors such as reproduction, which is thought to increase viral shedding and the chance of spillovers in flying foxes. I hope to develop and test assays to help us understand the changes in the immune system that may mediate the observed relationship between environmental and ecological stressors with spillover. 

Master of Science, 2018
Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology; Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Colorado State University

Bachelor of Science, 2013
Molecular Toxicology & Molecular Environmental Biology
University of California, Berkeley