Twenty Important Research Questions in Microbial Exposure and Social Equity
Lab Director Araceli Camargo was a recent named author on a published paper titled Twenty Important Research Questions in Microbial Exposure and Social Equity led by long time collaborator Jake Robinson, PhD.
This is an exciting paper to be a part of as it has been a collective effort from a number of leading academics and researchers in this field.
Author Lisrt: Jake M. Robinson, Nicole Redvers, Araceli Camargo, Christina A. Bosch, Martin F. Breed, Lisa A. Brenner, Megan A. Carney, Ashvini Chauhan, Mauna Dasari, Leslie G. Dietz, Michael Friedman, Laura Grieneisen, Andrew J. Hoisington, Patrick F. Horve, Ally Hunter, Sierra Jech, Anna Jorgensen, Christopher A. Lowry, Ioana Man, Gwynne Mhuireach, Edauri Navarro-Pérez, Euan G. Ritchie, Justin D. Stewart, Harry Watkins, Philip Weinstein, Suzanne L. Ishaq
ABSTRACT
Social and political policy, human activities, and environmental change affect the ways in which microbial communities assemble and interact with people. These factors determine how different social groups are exposed to beneficial and/or harmful microorganisms, meaning microbial exposure has an important socioecological justice context. Therefore, greater consideration of microbial exposure and social equity in research, planning, and policy is imperative. Here, we identify 20 research questions considered fundamentally important to promoting equitable exposure to beneficial microorganisms, along with safeguarding resilient societies and ecosystems. The 20 research questions we identified span seven broad themes, including the following: (i) sociocultural interactions; (ii) Indigenous community health and well-being; (iii) humans, urban ecosystems, and environmental processes; (iv) human psychology and mental health; (v) microbiomes and infectious diseases; (vi) human health and food security; and (vii) microbiome-related planning, policy, and outreach. Our goal was to summarize this growing field and to stimulate impactful research avenues while providing focus for funders and policymakers.
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