Department of Population Health, Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study
Associate Professor
Expertise
Wildlife Diseases | Vector-Borne Diseases
Biography
Education
- Ph.D., University of Georgia, 2018
- M.S., University of Georgia, 2014
- B.S., University of North Carolina at Asheville, 2010
Teaching Experience
College of Veterinary Medicine
- POPH 4125/6125 Infectious and Vector-Borne Diseases Associated with Wildlife in a Changing World (Fall semesters)
- POPH 4000L/6000L Comparative Parasitology and the Changing Global Climate (Spring semesters)
- POPH 8580 Current Topics in Wildlife Health Seminar
- POPH 8900 SCWDS Research In Progress Seminar
Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources
- WILD(POPH) 5100/7100 Principles of Wildlife Disease
University of Georgia
- First Year Odyssey seminar: Bloodsuckers in a changing world
Research Interests
Dr. Cleveland’s research focuses on wildlife diseases and molecular parasitology with particular foci on parasite life-cycles, transmission dynamics, and disease management and surveillance. This work also entails understanding the effects of anthropogenically driven climate and landscape change has on the epidemiology of wildlife diseases and associated vectors. Through collaborations, his research has involved Guinea worm eradication efforts among wildlife and domestic animals in Chad and Ethiopia, Africa, as well as numerous research projects throughout North America involving zoonotic helminths. This work involves field collections and laboratory methods, including classical parasitological techniques (host trapping, necropsy, proper fixation, slide making, standard microscopy), modern molecular techniques (DNA extraction, PCR, real-time PCR, and Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification), and wildlife population techniques (spatial ecology and GPS collars, occupancy modeling and game camera data collection).
Specific areas of study include:
- Parasitic and infectious diseases of wildlife
- Vector-borne pathogens and zoonoses
- Surveillance, management and control strategies for Neglected Tropical Diseases
- Climate and landscape effects on wildlife diseases
Publications
Publications by Dr. Cleveland may be found on PubMed.
