Brian H Bird

Brian H Bird

Professor and Professor in Residence

Medicine & Epidemiology
One Health Institute


Education
2009, DVM, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
2008, PhD, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA
2000, MS, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD
1998, BA, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
Active Research Grants
Principal Investigator, Clinical Development of DDVax a human vaccine candidate for Rift Valley fever, (Principal Investigator), Coalition For Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
Principal Investigator, Ecological Investigations of Emerging High-Consequence Zoonotic Viruses at High-priority Livestock, Wildlife, and Human Interfaces, (Principal Investigator), United States Department of Agriculture – ARS
Co-Principal Investigator, Improving virus risk-ranking to better anticipate Disease X emergence in humans and target mitigation measures, Brian Bird (Principal Investigator), Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
Co-Principal Investigator, California Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) Project, Munk (Principal Investigator), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Zoonotic Disease Initiative
Honors and Awards
2004-2009 Floyd and Mary Schwall Medical Research Fellow Award, University of California, Davis
2006, 2008 American Society of Virology Student Travel Award
2012 Charles C. Shepard Award in Laboratory Science – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Highest CDC award for original research published in a peer-reviewed journal
2015 Ebola West Africa Response Award – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for significant contributions towards the control of the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak
2016 Distinguished Alumni Award – UC Davis Veterinary Scientist Training Program
2016 Meritorious Service Award United States of America Department of State – For exceptional support in leading the CDC Ebola laboratories in Sierra Leone
2020 2020 UCD SVM Rising Star Alumni Award, Given to recent (within 15 years) DVM graduate for meritorious service and achievement.
Most Recent Five Book Chapters
2021 Bird BH: Rift Valley fever - Epidemiology, Genomics, Diagnostics, and Control, Coetzer JAW, Penrith ML, Maclachlan NJ, Thomson GR, (ed), Infectious Diseases of Livestock, . .
2019 Bird BH: The Scope of Global Infectious Disease Research: Field Capture, Quarantine, and Sample Transfer to Detect Emerging Pathogen Threats, Halabi SF, Katz R, (ed), Viral Sovereignty, Technology Transfer, and the Global System for Sharing Human Pathogens for Public, . .
2019 Bird BH: Rift Valley fever, Ryan ET, Hill DR, Solomon T, Endy TP, Aronson N, (ed), Hunter’s Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Disease (10th Edition), . 36.7.
2015 Bird BH: Arenaviridae, Maclachlan NJ, Dubovi EJ, (ed), Fenner’s Veterinary Virology (Fifth Edition) , . .
2013 Bird BH, Reynes J-M, Nichol ST: Rift Valley Fever, Magill AJ, (ed), Hunter’s Tropical Medicine and Emerging Infectious Disease (9th Edition), . 33.7.
Research Focus
High-Consequence Zoonotic Viruses - My research passions lie in the areas of zoonotic virus epidemiology, detection, prevention, and control. I am keenly proud of my track record building and leading teams of collaborators to make fundamental discoveries of novel viruses in wildlife, gain insights into the molecular mechanisms of virus pathogenesis, develop state-of-the-art diagnostics and novel vaccines, and establish of cutting-edge animal models for a variety of high consequence viral hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Rift Valley fever, and paramyxoviruses.
Specialty Focus
Zoonotic virus spillover and countermeasures - My projects span the globe and are primarily focused on the detection of zoonotic viral hemorrhagic fevers through comprehensive One Health approaches to disease surveillance, and the development of innovative and transformative vaccine countermeasures ranging from the world's first recombinant rationally designed vaccine for humans for Rift Valley fever, to ground-breaking advances in transmissible vaccines to eliminate the threat of Lassa fever and ebolaviruses from their natural evolutionary reservoir hosts.
Ten Recent Publications

2025
Sumaye RD, Brandão APD, Chilanga F, Paul G, Mwangoka GW, Smith WA, Ekiri AB, Kilonzo C, Mwakasungula S, Makingi G, Kinyogori AA, Magesa WS, Samson AJ, Mkindi C, Pazia P, Hassan F, Mbaga TA, Mdegela RH, Masanja H, Bird BH^
Rift Valley Fever Virus Transmission During an Unreported Outbreak Among People and Livestock in South-Central Tanzania

2025
Genovese BN, Randhawa N, Grigorean G, Drazenovich T, Phinney BS, Van Rompay KKA, Yee J, Mazet JAK, Bird BH^
Specimen Inactivation Methods for Proteomics-Comparisons of Irradiation, Chemical, and Heat Treatments on Downstream Serum Analyses

2025
Mueller Brown K, Barbeau DJ, Xu L, Bird BH, McElroy AK
Humoral immunity is sufficient to protect mice against Rift Valley fever encephalitis following percutaneous exposure

2025
Fieldhouse JK, Nakiire L, Kayiwa J, Mirzazadeh A, Brindis CD, Mitchell A, Sepulveda J, Makumbi I, Ario AR, Fair E, Gallalee S, Isabirye H, Sekamatte M, Bird BH, Smith W, Desai A, Mazet JAK, Lamorde M
An analysis of One Health timeliness metrics across multisectoral public health emergencies in Uganda

2025
Loredo AI, Packham A, Graham N, Johnson S, Elliott S, Bird BH, Monohan C, Yarnell S, Smith WA
Effect of beaver dam analogs (BDAs) on waterborne protozoal pathogens Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum

2025
Gharpure R, Vegvari C, Abdissa A, Alimi Y, Anyamba A, Auerbach J, Bett B, Bird BH, Bob NS, Breugelmans JG, Clark J, Cleaveland S, Cramer J, Dawa J, Fay PC, Formenty P, Gerdts V, Gerken KN, Gitonga J, Groschup M, Heighway J, Johnson SAM, Juma J, Kading RC, Kamau M, Kerama S, Lubisi BA, Lutwama J, Luyimbazi D, Marami D, Moore SM, Muturi M, Mwangoka G, Ndiu A, Njenga MK, Njouom R, Nyakarahuka L, Nzietchueng S, Oloo P, Otiende M, Oyola S, Paganini LS, Pandit PS, Punt C, Samy AM, Situma S, Sneddon H, Ten Bosch QA, Tezcan-Ulger S, Thompson PN, Tildesley M, Tinto B, Vesga JF, Wichgers Schreur PP, Hart P
Meeting report: CEPI workshop on Rift Valley fever epidemiology and modeling to inform human vaccine development, Nairobi, 4-5 June 2024

2025
Lane JK, Kelly T, Bird B, Chenais E, Roug A, Vidal G, Gallardo R, Zhou H, VanHoy G, Smith W
A One Health Approach to Reducing Livestock Disease Prevalence in Developing Countries: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects

2024
McMillen CM, Megli C, Radisic R, Skvarca LB, Hoehl RM, Boyles DA, McGaughey JJ, Bird BH, McElroy AK, Hartman AL
Vaccine strains of Rift Valley fever virus exhibit attenuation at the maternal-fetal placental interface.

2024
Bangura U, Davis C, Lamin J, Bangura J, Soropogui B, Davison AJ, Nichols J, Vucak M, Dawson M, Ansumana R, Sondufu D, Cadar D, Rieger T, Thomson E, Sahr F, Magassouba N, Ghersi B, Bird BH, Fichet-Calvet E
Spatio-temporal spread of Lassa virus and a new rodent host in the Mano River Union area, West Africa.

2024
Eskew EA, Bird BH, Ghersi BM, Bangura J, Basinski AJ, Amara E, Bah MA, Kanu MC, Kanu OT, Lavalie EG, Lungay V, Robert W, Vandi MA, Fichet-Calvet E, Nuismer SL
Reservoir displacement by an invasive rodent reduces Lassa virus zoonotic spillover risk.