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As a wildlife veterinarian in Florida in the 1990s, Christine Kreuder Johnson could think of only one place to turn for help when she faced mysterious die-offs of birds and sea turtles: �ٺ���Ƶ.

Johnson had previously worked as a veterinarian to horses competing at the racetrack, but found herself increasingly drawn to puzzles at the population level, like the one she now faced at a national wildlife refuge. But she needed help.

“I had all the puzzle pieces, but I couldn’t put it together,” she said.

So she returned to graduate school, this time for a master’s degree in preventive veterinary medicine, and then a doctorate, at �ٺ���Ƶ.  She has worked at the School of Veterinary Medicine as a faculty member in epidemiology ever since, earning accolades like a spot in the National Academy of Medicine in 2021 and the American Association for Advancement of Science the following year.

When Johnson first arrived on campus, she said she was able to solve her Florida die-off mystery quickly thanks to collaboration with experts in different research areas. The culprit was exposure to harmful algal blooms — a subject on which she published a research paper shortly after enrolling at �ٺ���Ƶ.

“I didn’t imagine I would be working with such a breadth of collaborators and expertise,” Johnson said, adding that she took all the courses she could in epidemiology and ecology during her Ph.D. studies.

“They had their really cool, unique ways that added to my understanding and ability to work across different disciplines,” she said, adding that �ٺ���Ƶ researchers have always prioritized collaborative success over individual glory.

In the time since, she has continued to broaden her focus, looking to identify emerging diseases and outbreaks that could one day make the jump from animals to humans. Her work now studies how environmental change influences disease outbreaks; she also collaborates with researchers around the world to keep a watchful eye on potential future outbreaks. 

She currently directs the One Health Institute’s EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics. She also leads the U.S. National Science Foundation Center for Pandemic Insights, which is funded with $18 million over seven years through NSF’s Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention program and is made up of 10 partnering institutions from across the United States.

Johnson’s international work includes leading the EpiCenter for Emerging Infectious Disease Intelligence, one of 10 Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Disease funded by the National Institutes of Health. This research center collaborates with teams of international scientists to investigate infectious disease threats at high-risk animal-human interfaces and works with host country governments to meet global health priorities. She also served as a U.S. Department of State Science Envoy from 2023-24, traveling to four continents, including meeting with indigenous Arctic communities that were elevating One Health approaches to balance the needs of humans, animals and the environment.

Looking back on her career, Johnson recalled the field of emerging diseases being “a niche space” two decades ago. Now, five years on from the COVID-19 pandemic and amid a major avian flu outbreak, she said the field is “much more populated,” which she said is likely to lead to major innovations as researchers work together across areas like engineering, computer science and artificial intelligence.

Johnson said she hopes to still “be on speed dial” for government agencies facing a problem like the one she first puzzled through decades ago.

“The reward for me is being able to solve the mystery in some way.”