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Global Health Program News

Francesca Vitali takes a knee in a sandy area of Kenya. She's wearing a navy Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute shirt and is pointing to wildlife footprints in the sand.
Apr. 30, 2021
Crash into May with black rhinos! Dr. Francesca Vitali is a wildlife veterinarian and Morris Animal Foundation postdoctoral fellow with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health...
Scientists from Smithsonian's Global Health Program taking samples from a bumble bee bat in Myanmar.
Apr. 09, 2020
Researchers with the Smithsonian’s Global Health Program have discovered six new coronaviruses in bats in Myanmar — the first time these viruses have been detected anywhere in the world. Future...
Suzan Murray sits at a table with a piece of paper in her hand
Mar. 05, 2020
Dr. Suzan Murray, head of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Global Health Program testifies on zoonotic disease transmission.
Three plains zebras stand in tall grasses in Laikipia Kenya. The zebras stand in a line, and rolling hills with trees and buildings can be seen in the background.
Feb. 12, 2020
Across Laikipia County in central Kenya, endangered species like the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and African wild dog, coexist alongside rapidly growing numbers of people and livestock. A...
A dog with a chain collar and leash stands beside a person's legs. The person is petting the dog's head.
Dec. 26, 2019
In October, Global Health Program veterinary fellows participated in the annual Laikipia Rabies Vaccination Campaign in Laikipia County, Kenya, which aims to eradicate (or completely eliminate) the...
A group of camels stands together on soft dirt under a blue, cloudy sky in Kenya
Sep. 24, 2019
Global Health Program researchers co-hosted a camel medicine course for Kenyan livestock veterinarians in March to help improve camel veterinary knowledge, promote wildlife health and lower the risk...
scimitar-horned oryx laying in grass
Sep. 06, 2019
For wildlife veterinarians, patients can span hundreds of different species. Find out how zoo veterinarians manage to treat so many different kinds of animals, including those that are endangered and...
Community members in Laikipia, Kenya, examine exhibit panels from the mobile Outbreak DIY exhibit
Jun. 04, 2019
Education is often touted as the answer to large-scale issues like health security. But what does this actually look like on the ground? In late March, Global Health Program staff traveled to...
Global Health Program wildlife veterinarian Maureen Wanjiku Kamau with a young rhinocerous
Jun. 03, 2019
Smithsonian veterinary research fellow Dr. Maureen Wanjiku Kamau is leading a study on wild eastern black rhinos in Kenya. Find out how her team is using poop to learn more about rhino reproduction.
Global Health Program veterinarian Dr. Maureen Kamau and cheetah cub Pink.
Apr. 19, 2019
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's dedicated staff are at the forefront of shaping the world’s understanding of animals and their habitats. Wildlife conservation is...
A group of baboons seated on a cluster of rocks in Ethiopia at sunset
Oct. 18, 2018
For the past two years, Global Health Program veterinarian Dawn Zimmerman traveled to Awash National Park in Ethiopia to collar hamadryas baboons, helping researchers track the primates and study...
A group of George Mason University students pose in front of a Mount Kenya National Park World Heritage Area building
Oct. 05, 2018
George Mason University students recently traveled to the Mpala Research Centre in Kenya to work with Smithsonian scientists as part of a course on emerging infectious disease.
Marc Valitutto tests a pangolin for diseases at the Saving Vietnam's Wildlife center.
Aug. 30, 2018
Global Health Program veterinarian Dr. Marc Valitutto traveled to the Save Vietnam’s Wildlife center in Cuc Phuong National Park, where hundreds of confiscated pangolins are received each year for...
A group of George Mason University undergrad students pose for a photo in the field in Kenya
Aug. 20, 2018
Twenty undergraduate students from George Mason University joined the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Global Health Program in the field from July 31 to Aug. 13, 2018.
Flying Fox
Jul. 06, 2018
SCBI scientists are using innovative GPS tracking collars to better understand the flight patterns of Myanmar's flying foxes.
The head and neck of a giraffe wearing a GPS tracker
May. 04, 2018
What is causing the disappearance of reticulated giraffes across the plains where they were once plentiful? Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute scientists and partners are on the case.
Takin at the Motithang Takin Preserve in Thimpu, Bhutan.
Apr. 20, 2018
As a wildlife veterinarian for the SCBI’s Global Health Program, Dr. Marc Valitutto was asked to visit and evaluate the Royal Takin Preserve in Thimpu, Bhutan, to help build their veterinary capacity...
A Rwandan mountain gorilla holding a stick and eating
Apr. 06, 2018
In December 2017, Global Health Program wildlife veterinarian Dawn Zimmerman traveled to Rwanda and worked with the Gorilla Doctors for three weeks.
Giraffe with satelite tracking device. Photo courtesy of Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Global.
Jul. 13, 2017
In June, SCBI scientists and partners fitted the ossicones of 11 reticulated giraffes with GPS collars that send hourly data to researchers via satellite.
Bat with Smithsonian Global Health Researcher
Jun. 30, 2017
How does a conservation organization stop a threat to wildlife that cannot be seen by the naked eye? They examine it under a microscope.
Testing Rodents
Mar. 31, 2017
The Smithsonian’s Global Health Program is conducting viral surveillance in Myanmar for the USAID|PREDICT program, a worldwide effort to detect viruses that may pose a danger to public health. The...
four researchers wearing coveralls and masks standing in a forest
Oct. 14, 2016
Smithsonian's Global Health Program (SGHP), through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) PREDICT program, aims to strengthen developing countries’ ability to detect, control and...