Morgan Friedman

My name is Morgan Friedman and I am from the Bay Area in California. I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Since I was young, I have always been interested in questions pertaining to disease and population health, particularly animal health. I initially intended on pursuing a degree of veterinary medicine after graduation however, through my various research and academic experiences, I found that I was more passionate for research than a career in medicine. This revelation came later in my academic career and the change left me with little time to fully develop my skills as a research scientist. However, through PREP, I have been able to build upon my skillset for studying animal health, disease ecology, and parasitology.

Previously, I worked in the Taylor Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder where I studied the Leucocytozoon presence in black flies (Simuliidae) collected in the Colorado Front Range. I was also a member of the field crew which examined the life history and mating of black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and mountain chickadees (Poecile gambeli). My experience in this lab drove me to continue to explore questions in disease ecology and wildlife health. My time in the Taylor Lab was brief due to my graduation, so I joined PREP shortly after graduating to gain further research experience and prepare for my PhD.

I am currently a member of Dr. Christopher Cleveland’s lab within the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) at the University of Georgia. There, I am conducting a multi-seasonal survey of ixodid tick biodiversity in Chad, Africa. I am particularly interested in investigating how vector ranges are impacted by ecological change and anthropogenic influence, like land-use change and disturbance. Additionally, I work on projects examining the prevalence of various tick-borne pathogens (i.e., Rickettsia) in vectors and hosts through molecular techniques, such as PCR. I have also had the opportunity to work on a field study of invasive arthropods, further strengthening my diverse research skillset. Thanks to support from PREP and the Cleveland Lab, I have also given several academic talks on my research in progress. Overall, my time at SCWDS under Dr. Cleveland has been an avenue to explore the many aspects of animal health and parasitology and preparation for my transition into a PhD program.  After completing the PREP program, I will begin my PhD at the University of Georgia with Dr. Cleveland remaining as my PI and mentor.