Speaker Background & Career Transition

• Medical doctor specializing in saving forests, unusual career journey
• Completed internal medicine training, joined CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service
• 9 years as disease detective chasing outbreaks globally
  • Researched bat hunting festivals in jungles
  • Vaccinated raccoons from airplanes
  • Deployed to West/Central Africa for two biggest Ebola epidemics

Public Health Approach Critique

• Current reactive approach to public health fundamentally flawed
• Focus on preparation/response insufficient alone
• Challenges with outbreak control:
  • Viruses spread before symptoms appear (like COVID)
  • Vaccine hesitancy
  • Outbreaks escalate to epidemics/pandemics
• Calls current approach "medical negligence"

Ebola Case Study & Animal Origins

• West African Ebola epidemic origins:
  • Began in rural Guinea communities clearing forest for farms
  • 2013: 18-month-old boy (Patient Zero) died of Ebola
  • Caught virus from bats in hollow tree where he played
  • Spread killed 11,000+ people in West Africa
• All five viral pandemics (1918-2009) traced to animals
• COVID likely animal origin
• 600,000+ undiscovered viruses in animals potentially spillover-capable

Deforestation as Disease Driver

• Land use changes, particularly deforestation = single biggest driver of new animal-borne diseases
• Three key mechanisms:
  1. Surviving animals (bats) carry germs infecting humans
  2. Human-wildlife contact increases in deforested areas
  3. Stressed animals more likely to spread disease
• Climate change aggravates 50%+ of known infectious diseases
• WHO considers climate change greatest threat to human health

Forest Protection Solutions

• Brazilian Amazon success story (early 2000s):
  • Government satellite monitoring, illegal deforestation crackdowns
  • Returned territory to indigenous peoples
  • Business pressure stopped beef/soy sales from deforested lands
  • 2004-2012: Amazon deforestation dropped 80%+
  • Agricultural output increased (dispelling forest vs food myth)

Community-Based Approach: Indonesian Borneo

• Health and Harmony nonprofit used "radical listening"
• Community-identified solutions:
  • Quality healthcare access
  • Better job opportunities
• Interventions implemented:
  • Built clinic
  • Trained organic farming
  • Invested in youth education
• Results over next decade:
  • Deforestation dropped
  • Health improved
  • Infant mortality decreased by 2/3

Climate & Health Sector Integration

• Need bridges between health, climate, conservation sectors
• Nature-focused projects can achieve 30%+ emissions reductions needed for climate goals
• Currently receive only 5% of climate funding
• Personal reflection: overcame conditioning to overlook nature, embraces caring about polar bears, bats, forests, people

One Health Philosophy

• No separation between human/animal/environmental health - all interconnected
• West Africa: one infected animal sparked epidemic killing 11,000+
• Requires everyone to sustain ecological balance