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Tara Smith
Alma materUniversity of Toledo
Yale University
Scientific career
InstitutionsUniversity of Iowa
Kent State University

Tara C. Smith is an American Epidemiologist and Science Communicator. She is a Professor at the Kent State University College of Public Health who studies Zoonotic Infections. Smith was the first to identify strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus associated with livestock.

Early life and education

Smith has a Bachelors in Microbiology from Yale University.[1] She earned her PhD at the University of Toledo, where she investigated Streptococcus pyogenes.[1][2]

Career

In 2004 Smith joined the University of Iowa College of Public Health.[3] She has received over $ 3 million in research funding, primarily from Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, United States Department of Agriculture and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.[3][4]

Smith identified that 45 % of pig farmers and 49 % of hogs farmers carried Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).[5][6][7] She went on to identify that almost 40 % of people with MRSA contain the strain associated with livestock.[8][9] The work was described as one of the most comprehensive investigations into the spread of MRSA by the journal Nature.[10] She is distinguishing the Staphylococcus aureus strains around Iowa City, by characterising the DNA around several places in the genome.[10] She compared strains related to ST398, a sequence type that is associated with livestock but not expected to cause infection, from around the world.[11] She found that meat that is sold with the claim it contains no antibiotics contains the highest levels of the garden-type of Staphylococcus aureus- indicating animals needed treatment.[12] Her research has been covered by The New York Times.[13]

She joined the Kent State University College of Public Health in 2013.[3] In 2015 Smith was appointed an American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer.[14] Her light-hearted Christmas contribution on the likelihood of a Zombie apocalypse was covered extensively in the mainstream media.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] Following the Zika virus outbreak, Smith wrote several articles to provide advice for members of the public.[25][26] She went on to use zombies to demonstrate how diseases were spread.[27][28][29] Smith has written books on Ebola virus, Streptococcus pyogenes and Streptococcus agalactiae.[30][31][32]

Public engagement

Smith takes part in several initiatives to improve the public understanding of science.[33] Her research has appeared in the popular science books Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat and Superbug: the Fatal Menace of MRSA.[34][35] She has featured on podcasts, including Science for the People, Talk Nerdy and the Meet the Microbiologist podcast of the American Society for Microbiology.[36][37][38][39] She has been interviewed by Gizmodo, New Statesman and the Los Angeles Times.[40][41][42]

References

  1. ^ a b "186: Dr. Tara Smith: Resistance on the Rise: Researcing the Arms Race of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Potential Transfers from Livestock to Humans - People Behind the Science Podcast". www.peoplebehindthescience.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  2. ^ "Speakers | The Eagleson Institute". www.eagleson.org. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  3. ^ a b c "Tara C. Smith, Ph.D. | Kent State University". www.kent.edu. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  4. ^ "Grants and Projects". Tara C. Smith, PhD. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  5. ^ Kristof, Nicholas. "Opinion | Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health". Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  6. ^ Mole, Beth (2015-05-08). "Pig farm workers at greater risk for drug-resistant staph". Science News. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  7. ^ "Hog farmers more likely to carry drug-resistant bacteria, study says". Fox News. 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  8. ^ Bittman, Mark. "Breeding Bacteria on Factory Farms". Opinionator. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  9. ^ Smith, Tara C.; Gebreyes, Wondwossen A.; Abley, Melanie J.; Harper, Abby L.; Forshey, Brett M.; Male, Michael J.; Martin, H. Wayne; Molla, Bayleyegn Z.; Sreevatsan, Srinand (2013). "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in pigs and farm workers on conventional and antibiotic-free swine farms in the USA". PloS One. 8 (5): e63704. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0063704. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3646818. PMID 23667659.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link) CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  10. ^ a b Mole, Beth (2013-07-24). "MRSA: Farming up trouble". Nature. 499 (7459): 398–400. doi:10.1038/499398a. ISSN 0028-0836.
  11. ^ Price, Lance B.; Stegger, Marc; Hasman, Henrik; Aziz, Maliha; Larsen, Jesper; Andersen, Paal Skytt; Pearson, Talima; Waters, Andrew E.; Foster, Jeffrey T. (2012-03-01). "Staphylococcus aureus CC398: Host Adaptation and Emergence of Methicillin Resistance in Livestock". mBio. 3 (1): e00305–11. doi:10.1128/mBio.00305-11. ISSN 2150-7511. PMC 3280451. PMID 22354957.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: PMC format (link)
  12. ^ "Concerns growing over superbugs in our food". msnbc.com. 2009-07-15. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  13. ^ Kristof, Nicholas. "Opinion | Our Pigs, Our Food, Our Health". Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  14. ^ "American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturers: 1992 - Present" (PDF). American Society for Microbiology. Retrieved 2018-07-26. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  15. ^ "Zombie epidemics are a 'looming threat', science journal warns". Metro. 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  16. ^ "Zombie epidemics are a 'looming threat', science journal warns". Metro. 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  17. ^ "British Medical Journal Releases Study Revealing How To Stop A Zombie Virus Outbreak". IFLScience. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  18. ^ "PODCAST: Dr. Tara Smith Joins Houston's Morning News | KTRH". KTRH. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  19. ^ "More Research Needed to Prevent 'Zombie Apocalypse'". Newsweek. 2015-12-17. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  20. ^ Liotta, Paul. "The British Medical Journal publishes report on the risk of a zombie outbreak  - NY Daily News". nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 78 (help)
  21. ^ "Zombie apocalypse study makes top scientific journal". Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  22. ^ "Suis-je en train de me transformer en zombie? Le British Medical Journal répond". RTBF Info (in French). 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  23. ^ Martin, Sean (2015-12-14). "Are we prepared for the Zombie apocalypse? Experts call for more preventative action". International Business Times UK. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  24. ^ "Apocalypse now: Zombies as teachers". ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact. 2016-04-21. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  25. ^ "UPDATE: Zika and Pregnancy - What You Need To Know | The Scientific Parent". The Scientific Parent. 2016-03-21. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  26. ^ "Scientists Get Closer to a Zika Vaccine". 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  27. ^ "Zombies go academic as Kent State University prof explains how infectious diseases spread". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  28. ^ "Why are scientists so obsessed with studying zombies?". Popular Science. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  29. ^ Winternitz, Abigail. "Zombie outbreak infiltrates health professor's lesson plan". KentWired.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  30. ^ Smith, Associate Professor Tara C.; Heymann, David (2007-08-01). Ph.D, Edward I. Alcamo (ed.). Streptococcus. New York: Chelsea House Publications. ISBN 9780791092439.
  31. ^ results, search; Heymann, David (2010-06-01). Streptococcus: (2 edition ed.). New York, NY: Chelsea House Pub. ISBN 9781604132519. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  32. ^ results, search; Heymann, David L. (2010-11-01). Hilary, M. D. Babcock (ed.). Ebola and Marburg Virus (2 edition ed.). New York: Chelsea House Pub. ISBN 9781604132526. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  33. ^ "Michigan Tech hosts zombies symposium - ABC 10/CW 5". ABC 10/CW 5. 2014-10-31. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  34. ^ results, search (2015-05-04). Pig Tales: An Omnivore's Quest for Sustainable Meat (1 edition ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393240245. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  35. ^ "SuperBug - Maryn McKenna". Maryn McKenna. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  36. ^ Wolf, Julie. "MRSA in agriculture and zombie epidemiology with Tara C. Smith - MTM 67". Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  37. ^ "Episode 181 - Tara Smith". Talk Nerdy. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  38. ^ "What Can I Do? - Voices For Vaccines". Voices For Vaccines. 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  39. ^ "#438 - Big Chicken: Science for the People". www.scienceforthepeople.ca. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  40. ^ "Zombie studies: The scientists taking the living dead seriously". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  41. ^ Greene, Sean. "What zombies can teach us about infectious diseases". latimes.com. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  42. ^ Paoletta, Rae. "Reminder: Wave Pools Are Filthy Pits of Despair". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
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