Kaitlyn Mitchell

Graduate Student Research Funding | 2023 - 2024 Academic Year

Plastic Pollution and Human Health in the lower Senegal River Basin

Schistosomiasis is a debilitating disease of poverty that requires a human host and freshwater snail. Successful management requires accurate identification of environmental hotspots that support snail populations. Discarded plastic has similar characteristics to typical snail habitat: a surface to feed, reproduce, and escape predation and competition. In the lower Senegal River Basin, plastic is abundant where schistosomiasis is transmitted. This study will be the first to quantify plastic debris, test associations between snails and plastic, and document local perceptions on plastic. Results will explore a novel link between pollution and human health and document possible solutions for a healthy planet.

Kaitlyn Mitchell, Department of Biology 

Kaitlyn Mitchell is a PhD candidate in the Department of Biology studying the impact of anthropogenic induced environmental change and infectious disease. She uses statistical models to assess whether ecological alterations caused by human activities impact environmentally transmitted diseases to reveal novel links between human and environmental health. She works closely with local partners in Senegal and Madagascar to monitor recent species introductions, better understand the future of disease transmission under climate change scenarios, and identify novel sustainable solutions for both people and the environment. Kaitlyn also collaborates with several local organizations to introduce K-12 students to ecological research, including serving on the board of The Civilian which hosts an open-access journal with articles written for various levels of reading comprehension.

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