J. GLENN MORRIS JR.
PROFESSOR & DIRECTOR, EMERGING PATHOGENS INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, GAINESVILLE
The Emerging Pathogens Institute was established to provide a scientific base for research on the emergence, evolution and transmission of new pathogenic microorganisms. Studies at EPI have a global emphasis, and EPI’s investigators are currently studying a wide range of pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses; Zika, dengue, malaria and other mosquito-borne pathogens; and “older” epidemic diseases such as cholera. The institute has more than 200 affiliated faculty, with some 300 people working in the institute building on the UF campus. Morris came to UF as the founding director for the institute in 2007.
| EDUCATION | Rice University (BA), Tulane University (MD, MPH) |
| PROFESSIONAL EVOLUTION | In college, I was a double major in history and biology — and that interest in history has become interwoven into what I do, in looking back at past epidemics as a guide to what may happen in the future. |
| CIVIC CONTRIBUTION | EPI, in collaboration with UFHealth, had screening tests for SARS-CoV-2 up and running before they were readily available elsewhere and was involved in screening projects in multiple locations and with a variety of populations, including first responders, homeless shelters, minority communities, retirement communities, schools and agricultural workers. |
| WORRIES ABOUT | The awareness that the world is full of new, potential pathogens that are constantly evolving and developing mechanisms to rapidly spread through human populations. |