Fidisoa Rasambainarivo

Fidisoa Rasambainarivo strives to understand the ecological drivers of infectious diseases within populations and ecosystems. He focuses on how habitat degradation, as well as human and animal interactions, are changing the patterns of pathogen transmission across geographical and ecological boundaries in Madagascar. Research in his lab at East Carolina University examines interactions between human, animal and environmental health — a concept known as One Health — to inform policies and promote both public health and biodiversity conservation. 

Rasambainarivo’s combined expertise in veterinary science and biology is shedding light on the impact of introduced infectious diseases on Madagascar’s endemic mammals, including endangered lemurs and carnivores. His research has revealed that diseases carried by domestic animals are spilling over into native species. Through fieldwork that integrates camera trapping in remote forests with capture-and-release sampling for biomedical analysis, Rasambainarivo is uncovering the dynamics of disease transmission in these fragile ecosystems. His findings are advancing our understanding of pathogen spread and help guide effective conservation strategies. 

Rasambainarivo is also the founder of Mahaliana, a molecular lab in Madagascar’s capital city of Antananarivo. There, he and his colleagues are building local scientific capacity and generating insights to improve our understanding of ecology, biology and conservation challenges of Madagascar’s native animals.

Learn more about Rasambainarivo’s work here.