People, Parasites and Plagues Podcast – test page
People, Parasites, and Plagues
- Toxoplasma’s Stealth Mode: Hiding in the Brain May 29, 2026In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Robyn Kent, Assistant Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, to explore how Toxoplasma gondii persists in the body long after infection.Dr. Kent breaks down the parasite’s chronic stage, where Toxoplasma forms cysts in tissues like the brain and muscle. But rather than simply “going […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Paleopathology: A Window Into Ancient Diseases May 8, 2026In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Uhl, a veterinary pathologist at the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine, to explore how disease leaves its mark across time.Dr. Uhl introduces us to paleopathology, the study of disease in ancient remains, and explains how animal bones, historical records, archaeology, and modern pathology can […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- The World’s Most Successful Parasite: Inside Toxoplasma’s Weird Biology April 13, 2026In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Diego Huet, an associate professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Georgia, to explore Toxoplasma gondii. It's often called the world’s most successful parasite.Infecting up to a third of the global population, Toxoplasma is both incredibly common and largely invisible. Dr. Huet breaks down […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Rebuilding Immunity: The Thymus, Your Immune System’s Hidden Architect March 23, 2026In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Nancy Manley, Director of the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. Before ASU, she spent over 20 years at the University of Georgia, where she served as Head of the Department of Genetics and a Distinguished Research Professor studying the thymus.We explore one of the […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- An Open-Source Pandemic: Genomes, Metadata, and Real-Time Outbreak Science March 6, 2026In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Justin Bahl, a UGA Professor of Epidemology and Biostatistics. David and Kim explore how modern epidemiology uses genomic data and statistics to track the spread of infectious diseases.From studying fungi on palm leaves across Asia and Australia to analyzing viral genomes during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, Dr. […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- When Neutralizing Isn’t Enough: The Immunology of Alphavirus Defense February 20, 2026The hosts sit down with Dr. Julie Fox, Chief of the Emerging Virus Immunity Unit at NIAID, National Institutes of Health, to explore the science of alphavirus immunity and what antibodies really do in the context of alphavirus infection.From chikungunya virus and its debilitating joint disease to broader mosquito-borne alphaviruses, Dr. Fox explains why these […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- The Hidden Empire of Parasitoid Wasps February 4, 2026Parasitoid wasps are some of the most successful organisms on Earth, even if most of us never notice them.In this episode, Dr. Michael Strand from the UGA Department of Entomology takes us inside the hidden world of parasitoid wasps. These insects lay their eggs in other insects and rely on domesticated viruses to suppress host immune […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- From Pathogen to Prescription: Reimagining E. coli January 9, 2026What if your gut bacteria could become medicine?In this episode, a UGA microbiologist, Greg Phillips, reveals how engineered probiotic E. coli can produce L-dopa, the frontline treatment for Parkinson’s, directly inside the gut. We explore the gut–brain connection, the power of the microbiome, and how living microbes could become the next generation of drug delivery […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- The Silent Architect: Chromatin’s Role in Fungal Outbreaks December 5, 2025Dive into the world of chromatin and epigenetics with Dr. Zachary Lewis, an associate professor at the UGA Department of Microbiology. His research explores how chromatin structure and other epigenetic mechanisms shape genome organization, function, and long-term stability in eukaryotic cells. He particularly studies chromatin within fungal pathogens. In this episode, Dr. Lewis breaks down […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Endocytosis: T. cruzi's Cool Parasite Trick November 14, 2025This episode takes us inside the lab of Dr. Drew Etheridge, an associate professor in the UGA Department of Cellular Biology. He walks us through his scientific path and his current work on endocytosis in Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite is often overlooked, yet it is becoming increasingly prevalent in the United States as it moves […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Parasites & Passports: Graduate Students on Science & Self-Discovery October 31, 2025Two UGA graduate students take us inside their world of science! Kaelynn Parker (Cellular Biology) and Grace Woods Vick (Infectious Diseases) share what it’s really like working in the lab, traveling abroad, and chasing their passion for research.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- The Science of Public Policy October 15, 2025This episode leans into the “people” side of People, Parasites & Plagues.Our guest is Dr. Erik C. Ness, Professor and Director of the Louise McBee Institute of Higher Education at UGA. While his past work explored how education policy is implemented across states, his latest research takes on a timely challenge: how misinformation and “alternative […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Lock and Key: The Devious Mechanisms of Viral Entry September 26, 2025Today we’re joined by Dr. Melinda Brindley, a molecular virologist at the UGA Department of Infectious Diseases. Her research explores how enveloped viruses enter host cells and replicate. Understanding this process could lead to new ways of developing treatments for viral infections.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Observable Variations: Using Genetic Marker Systems for Infectious Diseases September 13, 2025This week, we’re joined by Dr. Travis Glenn, Director of the UGA Institute of Bioinformatics, to discuss his work with genetic marker systems and how he's using these systems to group infectious diseases.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- PPP Book Club: Infectious Reads 2 May 30, 2025We're ending this season with another Book Club! Our hosts are joined today by Production Assistant Syd Weigand to discuss the novels they've read about malaria, tuberculosis, and new guinea tapeworms.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Treating Mosquitoes: Innovative Ways To Combat Malaria May 16, 2025This week we're joined by Dr. Douglas Paton, Assistant Professor of the UGA Department of Infectious Diseases. We've covered malaria before- but not like this! Tune in to hear about his groundbreaking work on an incredible new way to treat the disease.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Harnessing the Hulk: Insights on T Cell Function April 25, 2025Today's guest is a special one; he's travelled all the way from Australia to chat with us! Dr. Stephen Turner, Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology at the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, joins us in the studio to discuss his research on T cells, his journey into science, and some great immune system […]David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- SCWDS: Monitoring Wildlife Health for 50 Years April 11, 2025Today we're talking to Dr. Mark Ruder, the Director of SCWDS and Professor of Wildlife Heath here at UGA. Tune in to hear about the origins of the Southern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study and Dr. Ruder's fascinating work with diseases in whitetail deer!David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Wolbachia: Unwelcome Guest or Essential Partner? March 28, 2025You'll have to tune in to find out! Today we're chatting with Dr. Vincent Starai, an associate professor of the UGA Department of Microbiology about his research with the obligate intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and his passion for teaching.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski
- Hypnozoites: World's Best Nappers March 14, 2025This week we're joined by Dr. Chester Joyner of the UGA Department of Infectious Diseases to discuss his research with Plasmodium vivax and the curious nature of its dormant liver stage.David Peterson and Kim Klonowski