Jonathan Epstein

A veterinarian and disease ecologist, Dr. Jonathan Epstein is the Vice President for Science and Outreach at EcoHealth Alliance. His research focuses on the ecology of emerging zoonotic viruses such as Nipah and Ebola virus, along with SARS, Midde East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and others that have emerged within Asia and Africa. The goal of this research is to better understand the factors that cause outbreaks of these lethal viruses and to develop strategies that both prevent spillover and protect biodiversity.

Dr. Epstein, along with colleagues at EcoHealth Alliance, is working with a consortia of university and NGO partners under USAID’s Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT-2 program, designed to establish an early warning system for zoonotic disease emergence. The program studies the diversity of viruses in key wildlife reservoirs and build capacity to more effectively detect and respond to emerging zoonoses in the most vulnerable countries around the world.