Events will be hosted January – December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Microorganisms are critical to many aspects of biological life, including human health. The human body is a veritable universe for microorganisms: some pass through but once, some are frequent tourists, and some spend their entire existence in the confines of our body tissues. The collective microbial community, our microbiome, can be impacted by the details of our lifestyle, including diet, hygiene, health status, and more, but many are driven by social, economic, medical, or political constraints that restrict available choices that may impact our health. Access to resources is the basis for creating and resolving social equity—access to healthcare, healthy foods, a suitable living environment, and to beneficial microorganisms, but also access to personal and occupational protection to avoid exposure to infectious disease. This speaker series explores the way that microbes connect public policy, social disparities, and human health, as well as the ongoing research, education, policy, and innovation in this field.
Dr. Chelsey Spriggs is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute. She earned her PhD in microbiology from Northwestern University in 2017. Chelsey now runs an independent research program at the University of Michigan studying the host-pathogen interactions required for the cellular entry of both oncogenic and oncolytic viruses and is grateful for the opportunity to mentor and train the next generation of young scientists in her lab. The lack of representation in STEM is, at times, discouraging; and she aims to serve as a role-model (and resource) for underrepresented minority students interested in biological research through engaging in various outreach, mentorship, and teaching opportunities. Chelsey is a co-founder of the Black Microbiologists Association where she currently serves as the Treasurer and Director of Membership.
Two weeks ago, I had the honor of attending a three-day workshop on “Conservation in a Microbial World“, which gathered researchers, innovators, and policy makers to discuss the concept, need, logistics, and possibility of formally making microorganisms part of the considerations of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the global organization which coordinates the protection of species and ecosystems. The meeting was to provide guidance to the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) on microbial ecology, ecosystems which are at risk or already losing micobial diversity because of degradation and human activities, as well as strategies to bring attention to the need to consider microbes in the health of organisms and ecosystems. It was wonderful to reconnect with old friends and make new ones!
Attendees of the 2025 Conservation in a Microbial World meeting, Scripps, La Jolla.
Events will be hosted January – December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Microorganisms are critical to many aspects of biological life, including human health. The human body is a veritable universe for microorganisms: some pass through but once, some are frequent tourists, and some spend their entire existence in the confines of our body tissues. The collective microbial community, our microbiome, can be impacted by the details of our lifestyle, including diet, hygiene, health status, and more, but many are driven by social, economic, medical, or political constraints that restrict available choices that may impact our health. Access to resources is the basis for creating and resolving social equity—access to healthcare, healthy foods, a suitable living environment, and to beneficial microorganisms, but also access to personal and occupational protection to avoid exposure to infectious disease. This speaker series explores the way that microbes connect public policy, social disparities, and human health, as well as the ongoing research, education, policy, and innovation in this field.
Dr. Julianne Meisner, BVM&S, MS, PhD is a veterinarian and epidemiologist, and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Global Health and Epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research and teaching focus on pastoralist health, epidemiologic methods for One Health, and suitable theory for more-than-biomedical approaches to One Health. In particular, her work applies causal inference methods, spatial and mechanistic models, and network analyses to characterize the influence of political and social forces on health at the human-animal-environment nexus.
Events will be hosted January – December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Microorganisms are critical to many aspects of biological life, including human health. The human body is a veritable universe for microorganisms: some pass through but once, some are frequent tourists, and some spend their entire existence in the confines of our body tissues. The collective microbial community, our microbiome, can be impacted by the details of our lifestyle, including diet, hygiene, health status, and more, but many are driven by social, economic, medical, or political constraints that restrict available choices that may impact our health. Access to resources is the basis for creating and resolving social equity—access to healthcare, healthy foods, a suitable living environment, and to beneficial microorganisms, but also access to personal and occupational protection to avoid exposure to infectious disease. This speaker series explores the way that microbes connect public policy, social disparities, and human health, as well as the ongoing research, education, policy, and innovation in this field.
Dr. Julianne Meisner, BVM&S, MS, PhD is a veterinarian and epidemiologist, and an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Global Health and Epidemiology at the University of Washington in Seattle. Her research and teaching focus on pastoralist health, epidemiologic methods for One Health, and suitable theory for more-than-biomedical approaches to One Health. In particular, her work applies causal inference methods, spatial and mechanistic models, and network analyses to characterize the influence of political and social forces on health at the human-animal-environment nexus.
Events will be hosted January – December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Microorganisms are critical to many aspects of biological life, including human health. The human body is a veritable universe for microorganisms: some pass through but once, some are frequent tourists, and some spend their entire existence in the confines of our body tissues. The collective microbial community, our microbiome, can be impacted by the details of our lifestyle, including diet, hygiene, health status, and more, but many are driven by social, economic, medical, or political constraints that restrict available choices that may impact our health. Access to resources is the basis for creating and resolving social equity—access to healthcare, healthy foods, a suitable living environment, and to beneficial microorganisms, but also access to personal and occupational protection to avoid exposure to infectious disease. This speaker series explores the way that microbes connect public policy, social disparities, and human health, as well as the ongoing research, education, policy, and innovation in this field.
Geo is an Assistant Professor for Microbiology at The University of Connecticut (UConn), specializing in the physiology of methane-producing microbes of the Domain Archaea (methanogens) and the biochemistry of biomolecules involved in their metabolism. Using comparative omics data, his team first identifies possible molecular mechanisms and then experimentally tests functions and phenotypes. The goal of this research program is to understand the role of methanogens in nutrient cycling and the health of host-associated ecosystems and microbiomes. Projects at the UConn Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory focus on evaluating the molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular processes in methanogens and how energy status influences their ability to withstand environmental stress conditions, using protocols on anaerobic microbial physiology, classical biochemical approaches, transcriptomic analysis, ultrastructure, metabolic modeling, and genetic manipulation.
The Ishaq Lab is saying goodbye to a large group of students this May! They are off to start the next phase of their career, but they’ll be staying in touch as we continue to analyze data and write up our research results into articles for publication in scientific journals, which can be a lengthy process.
About half the lab and one of our collaborators was able to join us for an end-of year lunch.Lola and Tolu at the hooding ceremony.
Lola Holcomb, B.S., PhD.
Doctorate of Philosophy, Biomedical Science
Lola Holcomb just defended her PhD dissertation, and is searching for postdoctoral positions which combine her love of data exploration with her passion for teaching. Lola will continue to collaborate with us to transition her dissertation into publications.
Dr. Tolu Esther Alaba, PhD
PostDoctoral Researcher, Cedars Sinai
Tolu Alaba defended her PhD dissertation last summer, but traveled back to Maine from California to join us for graduation! She’s been working as a postdoctoral researcher at Cedars Sinai on immunological pathways in inflation. Tolu continues to collaborate with us on numerous writing projects.
Marissa Kinney, M.S.
Master of Science, Microbiology, 2024
Marissa completed her Masters in December, but is returning for the May graduation, and has been seeking microbiology technician jobs in Maine. She continues to collaborate with us on several writing projects.
Benjamin Hunt
Undergraduate researcher, Pre-Med Biology, 2025
Timothy Hunt
Undergraduate researcher, Pre-Med Biology, 2025
Timothy and Benjamin Hunt are graduating with their B.S. in Biology with a premedical concentration, and have been with the lab for the longest duration of any undergraduates in the lab. They contributed data to two publications in 2023, completed their own data analysis project which they are preparing as a manuscript, and they have led a literature review and meta-analysis, which is also being developed into a manuscript. They will continue to collaborate with the lab to finish writing up these projects for a few months, as they are taking a gap year to gain hands-on experience before heading to medical school!
Isaac Mains
Undergraduate Researcher, Microbiology, 2025
Isaac Mains is graduating with his B.S. in Microbiology. He’s been with the lab for the 24/25 academic year, most of which was spent assisting graduate student Alexis Kirkendall complete Western Blots and ELISAs to study the effect of bioactive from broccoli or bacteria on colon cells in culture.
Emelia Tremblay
Undergraduate Researcher, Microbiology, University of Maine, 2025
Emelia Trembley is graduating with a B.S. in Microbiology, and has been with the lab for a year. Emelia has been performing lab work on a variety of bacterial culturing projects, as well as graciously contributing to much of the administration and organization needed to keep the lab running smoothly.
Cintia Bukaka is graduating with her B.S. in Microbiology this summer, and has been with the lab for the last few months to complete her Capstone research experience. She has been learning a variety of lab techniques while assisting grad students in the lab.
Events will be hosted January – December, 2025, on the last Wednesday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.
After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.
Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.
Microorganisms are critical to many aspects of biological life, including human health. The human body is a veritable universe for microorganisms: some pass through but once, some are frequent tourists, and some spend their entire existence in the confines of our body tissues. The collective microbial community, our microbiome, can be impacted by the details of our lifestyle, including diet, hygiene, health status, and more, but many are driven by social, economic, medical, or political constraints that restrict available choices that may impact our health. Access to resources is the basis for creating and resolving social equity—access to healthcare, healthy foods, a suitable living environment, and to beneficial microorganisms, but also access to personal and occupational protection to avoid exposure to infectious disease. This speaker series explores the way that microbes connect public policy, social disparities, and human health, as well as the ongoing research, education, policy, and innovation in this field.
Geo is an Assistant Professor for Microbiology at The University of Connecticut (UConn), specializing in the physiology of methane-producing microbes of the Domain Archaea (methanogens) and the biochemistry of biomolecules involved in their metabolism. Using comparative omics data, his team first identifies possible molecular mechanisms and then experimentally tests functions and phenotypes. The goal of this research program is to understand the role of methanogens in nutrient cycling and the health of host-associated ecosystems and microbiomes. Projects at the UConn Microbial Ecophysiology Laboratory focus on evaluating the molecular mechanisms that regulate cellular processes in methanogens and how energy status influences their ability to withstand environmental stress conditions, using protocols on anaerobic microbial physiology, classical biochemical approaches, transcriptomic analysis, ultrastructure, metabolic modeling, and genetic manipulation.
Bioinformatics rockstar, Lola Holcomb, successfully defended her PhD dissertation today on “Anti-Inflammatory Interactions between Gut Microbiota and Broccoli Sprouts”!!!!
Holcomb, Lola. “Anti-Inflammatory Interactions between Gut Microbiota and Broccoli Sprouts”. (2025). University of Maine. Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation (forthcoming). Presentation.
Lola’s contributions to and leadership in the Ishaq Lab Team have led to numerous publications, presentations, and immeasurable professional growth and camaraderie within the group. Her contributions to our research helped us open a new avenue of focus, sparked the imagination of several undergraduates who are now involved in research, and improved the mood and collegiality of the research group with her humor, insightfulness, and poignant questions. Lola has been more of a colleague than a trainee, and the lab is delighted to see how much she’s grown as a researcher. Lola is currently searching for positions as a postdoctoral researcher, bioinformatician, or Assistant Professor at an undergraduate-focused university or college. She’ll continue to collaborate with the Ishaq Lab, as we have multiple manuscripts in review or in preparation for peer review on which she is an author.
Lola entered as a rotating first-year student in March 2022 in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and Engineering program, and declared the Ishaq Lab her dissertation lab soon after, and starting in fall of 2022 was accepted into the NRT funded for One Health in the Environment program. Troubled with indecisiveness and the desire to research, well, everything, she quickly found that using bioinformatics and big data as a lens to study microbial ecology (and in time, its relation to social equity) allowed her to do the kind of meaningful interdisciplinary research she’s always wanted to do. Lola performed 16S data analysis for multiple lab projects and developed a metagenomic analysis workflow to compare gut microbiomes of mouse models of Inflammatory Bowel Disease with broccoli as a dietary treatment. In addition to research, she instructed a graduate-level Genetics course, assisted in Dr. Ishaq’s 16S DNA Sequence Data Analysis course, tutored several Biology undergraduate students, and served as a GSBSE senator in the Graduate Student Government here at UMaine.
Our collaborative team of researchers (bioethicists (Kieran and Diego), bioinformaticians (Rob), host microbial ecologists (Sue and Emma), and soil microbial ecologists (Mallory), had our first co-authored paper published in mSystems! Our paper is a commentary on the concept and need for microbiome stewardship, and outlines the research and policy priorities that are the focus of our ongoing research.
Microbiome scientists are increasingly demonstrating the importance of microbial ecologies for human and environmental health. In spite of this, no protections are in place to ensure the health of microbiomes. In other words, there are no policies protecting microbiomes, which in turn are foundational to the health of all environmental and host ecosystems. We built our research team to develop a framework and definition for microbiome stewardship, guiding principles for its implementation, and tools for assessment. Last year, we were awarded funding from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) for a four-year project investigating how our collective microbiomes (the diverse microbes we share between humans and our environments) impact health! The publication of this commentary also sets the stage for a Summit on Pathways to Microbiome Stewardship which the research team is organizing for July 7-10, 2025.
Abstract: Microbiomes are essential for human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health. Despite widespread recognition of the importance of microbiomes, there is little attention paid to monitoring and safeguarding microbial ecologies on policy levels. We observe that microbiomes are deteriorating owing to practices at societal levels such as pesticide use in agriculture, air and water pollution, and overuse of antibiotics. Potential policy on these issues would cross multiple domains such as public health, environmental protection, and agriculture. We propose microbiome stewardship as a foundational concept that can act across policy domains to facilitate healthy microbiomes for human and ecosystem health. We examine challenges to be addressed and steps to take toward developing meaningful microbiome stewardship.
Figure 1. Microbiome stewardship as a concept and framework for ensuring human and planetary health supported by microbial functions. Human microbiomes are constituted from our environment, which has determinants based largely on societal systems (e.g., agriculture and food systems, built environment, health care accessibility) that operate beyond individual choice and behavioral interventions. Figure created with BioRender.com.
Acknowledgments: We thank Lola Holcomb for their helpful feedback and organizational contributions to this manuscript.
Funding: United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hatch Project Accession 7004439 (MJC) United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Maine Agricultural & Forest Experiment Station: Hatch Project ME022329 (SLI) National Institute of Health (NIH/NIDDK 1R15DK133826-01) (SLI) Canadian Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (RGB) Canada Research Chairs program (EA-V) Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Funding Reference Number: 191753) (KCO) University of Guelph Institute for Environmental Research (KCO)
Meet the Team
Dr. Kieran C. O’Doherty, PhD.,is professor in the department of psychology at the University of Guelph, where he directs the Discourse, Science, Publics research Group. His research focuses on the social and ethical implications of science and technology and public engagement on science and technology. He has published on such topics as data governance, vaccines, human tissue biobanks, the human microbiome, salmon genomics, and genetic testing. A particular emphasis of his research is on theory and methods of public deliberation, in which members of the public are involved in collectively developing recommendations for the governance of science & technology. Recent edited volumes include Psychological Studies of Science and Technology (2019) and The Sage Handbook of Applied Social Psychology (2019). He is editor of Theory & Psychology.
Dr. Rob Beiko, PhD., is a Professor and Head of the Algorithms and Bioinformatics research cluster in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University. His research aims to understand microbial diversity and evolution using machine learning, phylogenetics, time-series algorithms, and visualization techniques. His group is developing software tools and pipelines to comprehensively survey genes and mobile genetic elements in bacterial genomes, and understand how these genomes have been shaped by vertical inheritance, recombination, and lateral gene transfer. He is also a co-founder of Dartmouth Ocean Technologies, Inc., a developer of environmental DNA sampling devices.
Dr. Sue Ishaq, PhD., is an Associate Professor of Microbiomes, University of Maine; and founded MSE in 2020. Over the years, her research has gone from wild animal gut microbiomes, to soils, to buildings, and back to the gut. Since 2019, her lab in Maine focuses on host-associated microbial communities in animals and humans, and in particular, how host and microbes interact in the gut and can be harnessed to reduce inflammation. She is also the early-career At Large member of the Board of Directors for the American Society for Microbiology, 2024- 2027.
Dr. Emma AllenVercoe, PhD, is a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Guelph, and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Gut Microbiome Function and Host Interactions. Her research portfolio is broad, encompassing host-pathogen interplay, live microbial products as therapeutic agents, gut microbiome and anaerobic culture (humans and animals), and the study of ‘missing gut microbes’ i.e. those that are present in hunter-gatherer societies but missing in the industrialized world. She has developed the Robogut – a culture system that allows for the growth of gut microbial communities in vitro, and is currently busy a centre for microbiome culture and preservation at the University of Guelph.
Dr. Mallory Choudoir, PhD, is an Assistant Professor & Soil Microbiome Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University. The goal of her applied research and extension program is to translate microbiome science to sustainable agriculture. She aims to develop microbial-centered solutions for optimizing crop productivity, reducing agronomic inputs, and enhancing agroecosystem resilience to climate change.
Diego Silva, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at Sydney Health Ethics and the University of Sydney School of Public Health. His research centers on public health ethics, particularly the application of political theory in the context of infectious diseases and health security, e.g., tuberculosis, COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, etc. He is currently the outgoing Chair and a member of the Public Health Ethics Consultative Group at the Public Health Agency of Canada and works with the World Health Organization on various public health ethics topics on an ad hoc basis.
2025 MSE Summit: Pathways to Microbiome Stewardship
Summary of the event: Microbiome stewardship is the broad idea that we need to consider ecosystem-level factors when we think about public health, as our environment, behaviors, and public policy affects interactions between microbes and human health. Our ability to develop practices and advocate for policy reform that address societal inequities is limited without a strong microbiome stewardship framework. Led by MSE and the Microbiome Stewardship working group, attendees of the webinars will learn how other researchers engage with microbiome or health stewardship. Participants of the workshops will plan a pathway to bring their own work in line with principles of conservation and stewardship, or design future research to provide tangible and meaningful stewardship endpoints relevant to their area of focus.
Format: Webinar presentations of research. Online only — the removal of US federal funding leaves us unable to host this in person.
Cost: Free
Date: Monday July 7, 2025; 12:00 ~ 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Time
Agenda
12:00 ~ 12:15 PM
Welcome and Intro to the Summit Sue Ishaq, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maine; Founder and Lead, MSE
12:15 ~ 1:00 PM
The Concept of Microbiome Stewardship Kieran O’Doherty, PhD, Professor, University of Guelph; MSE
1:00 ~ 1:45 PM
Indigenous perspectives on microbiome stewardship and public health. Nicole Redvers, DPhil, ND, MPH, Associate Professor, Western Research Chair & Director, Indigenous Planetary Health; Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Schulich Interfaculty Program in Public Health, University of Western Ontario
Dr. Nicole Redvers, DPhil, ND, MPH, is a member of the Deninu K’ue First Nation (Canada) and has worked with Indigenous patients, scholars, and communities around the globe her entire career. She is an Associate Professor, Western Research Chair, and Director of Indigenous Planetary Health at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University. Dr. Redvers also currently serves as the Vice President Research at the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC). She has been actively involved at regional, national, and international levels promoting the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in both human and planetary health research and practice. Dr. Redvers is the author of the trade paperback book titled, ‘The Science of the Sacred: Bridging Global Indigenous Medicine Systems and Modern Scientific Principles’.
1:45 ~ 2:30 PM
Case study in racism in vaginal microbiome work as studies use small group sizes and incomparable comparisons. Ari Kozik, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Michigan State University
2:30 – 2:45 PM
break
2:45 – 3:30 PM
“Microbiome-based therapeutics in clinical practice: how can we be better stewards?” Susy Hota, MD, MSc, FRCPC. Division Head, Infectious Diseases, University Health Network and Sinai Health Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Control, University Health Network Co-Lead of the Microbiota Therapeutics Outcomes Program Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Toronto
Dr. Hota is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Toronto, Division Head for Infectious Diseases at University Health Network and Sinai Health and Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Control at University Health Network in Toronto, Canada. Her academic interests include management of Clostridioides difficile infection, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), and emergency preparedness for infectious diseases. She co-leads the Microbiota Therapeutics Outcomes Program, which supports the use of microbiome-based therapeutics for clinical care and research applications in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
3:30 – 4:15 PM
The political economy of emerging digital data collection platforms and applications with microbial stewardship. Victor Secco, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca Foscari University of Venice
4:15 – 5:00 PM
TBD
Webinar Session 2: Focus on Environmental Microbiomes
Format: Webinar presentations of research. Online only — the removal of US federal funding leaves us unable to host this in person.
Cost: Free
Date: Tuesday July 8, 2025; 12:00 ~ 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Time
Agenda
12:00 ~ 12:15 PM
Welcome and Intro to the Summit. Sue Ishaq, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Maine; Founder and Lead, MSE
12:15 ~ 1:00 PM
“Microbiome stewardship curricular design using MSE themes“ Carla Bonilla, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology, University of San Diego; MSE
Dr. Bonilla uses critical pedagogy in STEM curriculum to promote student success. In Microbiology and Genetics, she uses an interdisciplinary approach to help students see the connections between science and society, and the role of scientiests as social agents of change.
1:00 ~ 1:45 PM
The Concept of Microbiome Stewardship Mallory Choudoir, PhD, Assistant Professor and Soil Microbiome Extension Specialist, North Carolina State University; MSE
1:45 ~ 2:30 PM
“Microbes, microbiomes and biodiversity conservation“ Kent Redford, PhD, Principal, Archipelago Consulting
2:30 – 2:45 PM
Break
2:45 – 3:30 PM
Built environment and microbial exposures. Jennifer Kuzma, PhD, Professor, School of Public and International Affairs; Co-Director, Genetic Engineering & Society Center; Associate Director, Precision Microbiome Engineering Center (PreMiEr, NSF-ERC); North Carolina State University Kristen Landreville, PhD, Senior Research Scholar, Societal and Ethical Implications (SEI) Core in the PreMiEr Engineering Research Center, North Carolina State University
3:30 – 4:15 PM
Antimicrobial resistance, wastewater, and redlining urban centers. Maya Nadipalli, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory University
4:15 – 5:00 PM
TBD
Workshop Sessions 1 and 2: Stewardship Planning Activities
Format: Zoom, Breakout rooms for Discussions and Collaborative Activities
Cost: Apply to attend, and if your application is accepted, the cost is $15 USD for students/postdocs, $50 USD for professionals, and there is a no-cost option for anyone who needs it.
Session 1: Focus on Host Microbiomes, Wednesday July 9, 2025, 1:00 ~ 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Session 2: Focus on Environmental Microbiomes, Thursday July 10; 1:00 ~ 4:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time
Time
Activity
1:00 ~ 1:45 PM
(~ 15 min to get started and ~30 min activity)
Group activity 1: Create your discussion group We will use Zoom Breakout Rooms to form groups of 5 -10 people based on several topic themes. Each group will be led by an invited speaker and an MSE group member, and group notetaking will be facilitated using shared online documents.
Discussion 1 (Foundations) What is your name and what kind of research do you do? How does the connection between microbiomes and health (human and non-human) relate with your work? What needs to be stewarded/protected in your area of expertise?To achieve goals of microbiome stewardship in your area, what interdisciplinary partnerships, or research or education programs need to be developed? What problems exist in your field that prevent implementing research or policy solutions?
1:45 ~ 2:00 PM (15 min)
Break
2:00 – 3:00 PM (1 hour)
Group activity: Create your path to microbiome stewardship In Zoom Breakout Rooms organized by broad topics, we will generate case studies related to our own work which would include microbiome stewardship.First, use the template provided to draw your pathway. Then, design a project or research that would advance you along that path. Finally, identify a task list, time table, list of needs, and list of goals/outputs for the project.
During your activity, consider the two discussion prompts:
Discussion 2 (Policy Connections) What are the policy domains we need to target for protection of microbial ecosystems to ensure positive health outcomes? What kind of policies could be effective in helping to maintain microbiome health? What agencies or organizations might oversee regulations for the protection of microbial ecosystems? How could one begin to advocate for microbiome health in various policy domains?
Discussion 3 (Getting Microbiome Stewardship onto the Agenda) How can we raise awareness about the importance of microbial ecologies in human and planetary health? How can we get the protection of microbial ecosystems onto policy maker agendas? What initiatives currently exist with whom we can seek partnerships?
3:30 -3:30 PM (~30 min)
Share with the full group Each group will share a summary of their discussions to the full group in the main Zoom room.
What is “microbiome stewardship”?
Microbiomes are essential to human and environmental health; all organisms on our planet rely on the microbial ecologies that inhabit and surround us. There is increasing evidence that modern societal practices are harming essential microbiomes, and thereby threatening the health of the larger organisms and ecosystems that exist in symbiotic relationship with them. In spite of scientific recognition of the importance of microbiomes and of the threats they face, there is very little collective societal action to protect and conserve essential microbiomes. Pesticide use, pollution, industrialized food production, and many other societal practices that are damaging our collective microbiomes can only be addressed at the level of policy. Microbiome stewardship is the broad idea that we need to consider ecosystem-level factors when we think about public health, as our environment, behaviors, and public policy affects interactions between microbes and human health. Microbiomes are highly dynamic systems, featuring bacteria, archaea, protozoa, fungi, and viruses; and our personal microbiomes are derived from a larger shared, collective microbial resource.
Figure 1. Microbiome stewardship as a concept and framework for ensuring human and planetary health supported by microbial functions. Human microbiomes are constituted from our environment, which has determinants based largely on societal systems (e.g., agriculture and food systems, built environment, health care accessibility) that operate beyond individual choice and behavioral interventions. Figure created with BioRender.com.
Meet the Summit-Organizing Team
Dr. Sue Ishaq, PhD., is an Associate Professor of Microbiomes, University of Maine; and founded MSE in 2020. Over the years, her research has gone from wild animal gut microbiomes, to soils, to buildings, and back to the gut. Since 2019, her lab in Maine focuses on host-associated microbial communities in animals and humans, and in particular, how host and microbes interact in the gut and can be harnessed to reduce inflammation. She is also the early-career At Large member of the Board of Directors for the American Society for Microbiology, 2024- 2027.
Dr. Kieran C. O’Doherty, PhD.,is professor in the department of psychology at the University of Guelph, where he directs the Discourse, Science, Publics research Group. His research focuses on the social and ethical implications of science and technology and public engagement on science and technology. He has published on such topics as data governance, vaccines, human tissue biobanks, the human microbiome, salmon genomics, and genetic testing. A particular emphasis of his research is on theory and methods of public deliberation, in which members of the public are involved in collectively developing recommendations for the governance of science & technology. Recent edited volumes include Psychological Studies of Science and Technology (2019) and The Sage Handbook of Applied Social Psychology (2019). He is editor of Theory & Psychology.
Dr. Rob Beiko, PhD., is a Professor and Head of the Algorithms and Bioinformatics research cluster in the Faculty of Computer Science at Dalhousie University. His research aims to understand microbial diversity and evolution using machine learning, phylogenetics, time-series algorithms, and visualization techniques. His group is developing software tools and pipelines to comprehensively survey genes and mobile genetic elements in bacterial genomes, and understand how these genomes have been shaped by vertical inheritance, recombination, and lateral gene transfer. He is also a co-founder of Dartmouth Ocean Technologies, Inc., a developer of environmental DNA sampling devices.
Dr. Emma AllenVercoe, PhD, is a Professor of Microbiology at the University of Guelph, and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Gut Microbiome Function and Host Interactions. Her research portfolio is broad, encompassing host-pathogen interplay, live microbial products as therapeutic agents, gut microbiome and anaerobic culture (humans and animals), and the study of ‘missing gut microbes’ i.e. those that are present in hunter-gatherer societies but missing in the industrialized world. She has developed the Robogut – a culture system that allows for the growth of gut microbial communities in vitro, and is currently busy a centre for microbiome culture and preservation at the University of Guelph.
Dr. Mallory Choudoir, PhD, is an Assistant Professor & Soil Microbiome Extension Specialist in the Department of Plant & Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University. The goal of her applied research and extension program is to translate microbiome science to sustainable agriculture. She aims to develop microbial-centered solutions for optimizing crop productivity, reducing agronomic inputs, and enhancing agroecosystem resilience to climate change.
Diego Silva, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Bioethics at Sydney Health Ethics and the University of Sydney School of Public Health. His research centers on public health ethics, particularly the application of political theory in the context of infectious diseases and health security, e.g., tuberculosis, COVID-19, antimicrobial resistance, etc. He is currently the outgoing Chair and a member of the Public Health Ethics Consultative Group at the Public Health Agency of Canada and works with the World Health Organization on various public health ethics topics on an ad hoc basis.
The Ishaq Lab 