Meghan Davis
Fellowships Awarded: 2011, 2010
During her veterinary training, Meghan became concerned with the widespread use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. She also became interested in food safety and animal welfare, learning techniques for maximizing food safety at the farm level through measures to improve animal health and well-being.
Currently, Meghan's work focuses on the effects of animal agriculture on human health—at the intersection of environmental health and infectious disease. Her dissertation research examines transmission of the drug-resistant "superbug" MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) among people, animals and the environments in which they live.
She says she is most interested in understanding the roles that animals and the environment (especially in agricultural settings) play in the spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms. However, simply publishing her findings in a peer-reviewed journal will not satisfy her. Meghan also stresses the importance of translating science for the public and for policy makers. In her dissertation research, she explores how the scientific evidence on antimicrobial resistance in the U.S. could better inform regulatory strategies.
Meghan, a Baltimore native, holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and a Master of Public Health from Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her advisor is Dr. Ellen Silbergeld, professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences.