09h15 - A Journey Full of Amazing Parasites and One Health Lessons Learned (Prof. Patricia Conrad)
10h00 - The dilution effect behind the scenes: testing the underlying assumptions of its mechanisms (Mario Garrido)
10h10 - Diversity and infestation of ectoparasites associated with the Bushveld gerbil (Gerbilliscus leucogaster) across a wildlife-human/domestic animal interface in the South African Savanna (Amber Smith)
10h20 - Diversity and distribution of ectoparasite taxa associated with Micaelamys namaquensis, an opportunistic commensal rodent species (Llyle Stevens)
11h10 - Biomarker responses and parasite infections of Clarias gariepinus from Lake Heritage, Crocodile River
11h45 - Poster Presentations Speed Session 1
12h00 - Lunch
12h30 - Metazoan parasites of anurans from the Vhembe area, Limpopo, South Africa (Teneal Nel)
12h40 - An integrative taxonomy approach to document the rectal endociliates of the globally invasive amphibian Xenopus laevis (Ané Jacobs)
12h50 - The biodiversity of frog blood parasites from the Vhembe Biosphere, Limpopo, South Africa (Joretha du Buisson)
13h00 - Question & Answer session (Ashlee Norfal)
Presenter
Dr Patricia Conrad
Patricia Conrad DVM, PhD is the Associate Dean for Global Programs at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis and Co-Director of the system-wide (10 campus) UC Global Health Institute. Dr. Conrad is a veterinarian and Distinguished Professor of Parasitology whose research is focused on the transmission of protozoal parasites between wildlife, humans and domestic animals. She received her veterinary professional degree from Colorado State University and PhD from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. After doing post-doctoral research on the molecular epidemiology of East Coast fever at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (now ILRI) in Nairobi, Kenya, she joined the faculty of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Conrad has published over 235 scientific papers (61 h-index) and book chapters in the fields of emerging infectious diseases, parasitology, ecology of waterborne pathogens and One Health. Dr. Conrad was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2011, awarded a Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology in 2012 and selected as an American Association of the Advancement of Science Fellow in 2018. In 2017 she received the American Veterinary Medical Association Lifetime Excellence in Research Award for her research and contributions to the veterinary profession; taking a One Health approach that addresses the interconnectedness of animals, plants, people and the environment. In 2018 she was awarded the UC Davis Chancellor’s Award for International Engagement and in 2019 received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Babesiosis Research.