LSU Vet Med grad’s research exemplifies One Health philosophy for animal, human, and environmental health

From studying moose in the snowy woods of Minnesota to tracking down the causes of emerging diseases in the Amazon, Dr. Tiffany Wolf embodies the philosophy of One Health, the idea that animal, human, and environmental health are all connected.

A 2002 graduate of LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Wolf first joined the effort to study Minnesota’s then-declining moose population as the project veterinarian, responsible for ensuring the welfare and safety of both the animals and the people involved. When she started to take interest in attempting to better understand the health of the entire population, she dove head-first into research.  

Her partnership with an Ojibwe tribe in northern Minnesota during their research on moose led to more questions about the health of different wildlife populations.  The research has since expanded and so has the relationship between Dr. Wolf and other Minnesota Tribal Nations.   

“In Minnesota we have 11 federally recognized tribes, and the university is committed to working with them on research in a trusting and respectful manner,” Dr. Wolf said. “In my experience, that kind of approach not only benefits the working relationship, but it enhances the quality of the science, ensuring the outputs are directly beneficial to our tribal partners.”  Her research is often shaped around the needs of those tribes. Tribal member’s questions often demonstrate their perspectives on healthy ecosystems and the interconnectedness of humans, frequently sparking Dr. Wolf’s next vein of research. 

 “The concept of One Health is not new to the tribal members I’ve worked with; they’ve always lived it,” Dr. Wolf said.  

She continues this fruitful collaboration with her current research on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a neurological disease affecting deer and a huge cause of concern for the tribes in Minnesota. Many in those communities are subsistence hunters, meaning they hunt primarily for food and other culturally important benefits. The deer are not strictly used for food. Their leather and hides are used to make many traditional cultural products as well.

Dr. Wolf’s research aims to solve the question: How is this disease going to affect tribes’ traditional cultures as they know it? And what are the ways in which tribes can maintain the benefits they derive from deer harvest while successfully managing the disease?

“Everything that we are doing in regard to research on CWD with our tribal partners is based on their priorities and their questions,” she said.  

Dr. Wolf helps tribal nations in conducting surveillance for CWD, thinking through management plans, and understanding how the decisions they make as managers impact ongoing transmission of CWD in their deer populations.

The collaboration between the partners is not one-sided, instead its complementary. “When we talk about CWD, tribal members might ask about the eagles and how it is going to affect the eagle populations that also consume deer carcasses,” said Dr. Wolf. “They are thinking broadly which I really appreciate because that’s the context in which I like to work—thinking about the system as a whole.”  

The most satisfying aspect of this collaboration with the tribes in her research, she says, is that they have direct access to all of her findings, which can directly inform their decisions and choices related to wildlife health.  

“Our research isn’t just sitting in a scientific publication to be read by a very small number of scientists, but it's also getting back to the community that inspired that question to begin with,” she said.  

For Dr. Wolf, research involves “playing the long game,” while other veterinary ventures may offer more immediate gratification.

“We are never going to run out of questions. If my research can have positive impacts, then I will keep working and playing the long game,” said Dr. Wolf.

Dr. Mark Mitchell, professor of zoological medicine, acted as Dr. Wolf’s mentor during her time as a student at LSU Vet Med. “Dr. Wolf’s research has broad impacts, and what she is learning about CWD in the northern part of the country can help provide further insight into our own challenges with the disease in her home state of Louisiana,” he said.

Besides continuing her research on CWD, Dr. Wolf is involved in several other research ventures. She is part of a couple research teams studying emerging diseases in South America, including a team working with an Indigenous group in Guyana. That team is also trying to understand emerging disease risks within their subsistence practices.

 In May, Dr. Wolf joined a One Health research team in Brazil to conduct a preliminary study of pathogen transmission between wildlife and domestic animals, such as cattle and dogs, in the Pantanal, the largest tropical wetland area in the world.

When Dr. Wolf is not out in the field collecting data on wildlife health, she’s in the classroom, teaching about ecosystem health to veterinary students at the University of Minnesota School of Veterinary Medicine, as an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine.“

Whether they are going to be food production or small animal veterinarians, I have the opportunity to teach them about One Health, encouraging them to think about how what they observe and how they respond as clinical practitioners are connected to what’s happening in our larger ecosystem,” she said.

While at LSU Vet Med, Dr. Wolf participated in the Summer Scholars program, which was her introduction to One Health. Her project explored the potential for wild Louisiana reptiles to play a role in the transmission of an equine virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. She chose Dr. Mitchell as her mentor, which she said was not a difficult decision due to his inspiring and engaging nature as an educator. Since Dr. Wolf’s graduation from LSU Vet Med, they occasionally meet up for “Zoom coffee chats” in which they share perspectives as professionals in zoo med and professors at veterinary schools.

“I first met Tiffany as a first-year veterinary student, and I could tell right away she was destined to be an advocate for One Health,” Dr. Mitchell said. “I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to observe her develop from student to recognized expert, using her skills to help those whose voices might not be heard. She is an excellent example of what an LSU Tiger has to offer this world.”