Melinda Rostal DVM, MPH, PhD

Dr. Rostal is a veterinary epidemiologist who has worked in the One Health field for over 15 years. She has helped countries establish wildlife surveillance systems in Asia and Latin America. Her primary research focus is understanding vector-borne diseases using a One Health approach to better inform vector and disease ecology, epidemiology and support evidence-based policies. She has been studying Rift Valley fever virus for over 20 years, including co-leading a 10-year One Health collaborative study in South Africa. She continues to work with partners from across Africa to explore new avenues of research into previously unknown attributes that contribute to the total human and animal burden of disease of Rift Valley fever. She also led a 4-year, One Health project on Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever based in Tanzania. Currently she owns her own consulting firm, One Health Research Consulting, developing One Health research studies, policy and strategies for endemic and emerging zoonoses and vector-borne diseases. She brings this experience to teach GCH 305: Introduction to One Health, where students learn the One Health connections throughout global and community health so that they can bring this approach to their future careers.

Research Interests

• Emerging zoonotic diseases
• Vector-borne diseases
• One Health approaches
• Zoonotic pathogen epidemiology
• Rift Valley fever virus
• Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus

Select Publications

• Rostal MK, Thompson PN, Anyamba A, Bett B, Cêtre-Sossah C, Chevalier V, Guarido M, Karesh WB, Kemp A, LaBeaud AD, Lubisi A, Matthews L, Msimang V, Njenga KM, Ross N, Tumusiime D, Wilson W, Weyer J, Paweska JT, Swanepoel R. (2025) Rift Valley fever epidemiology: Shifting the paradigm and rethinking research priorities. Lancet Planetary Health. 9(9): 101299. DOI: 10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101299.
• Rostal MK, Prentice J, Ross N, Kemp A, Thompson PN, Anyamba A, Cleaveland S, Cordel C, Msimang V, van Vuren, JP, Haydon D, Karesh WB, Paweska JP, Matthews L. (2025) Localized Rift Valley fever virus persistence explains epidemic and interepidemic dynamics and guides control strategies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 292(2051):20250453. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2025.0453.
• Mamabolo M, Machalaba C, Zantsi S, Rostal MK, Karesh WB, Thompson PN, Weyer J, Chaminuka P. (2025) One health Economics approach to prevention and control of zoonotic diseases - considerations for South Africa. One Health Outlook. 7:30. DOI: 10.1186/s42522-025-00142-y.
• Makhanthisa TI, Guarido MM, Kemp A, Weyer J, Rostal MK, Karesh WB, Thompson PN. (2024) Characterization of mosquito host-biting networks of potential Rift Valley fever virus vectors in north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Parasites & Vectors. 17:341. DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06416-0.
• Hughes EC, de Glanville W, Kibona T, Mmbaga BT, Rostal MK, Swai E, Cleaveland S, Lankester F, Willett BJ, Allan KJ. (2024) Patterns of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus seroprevalence in human and livestock populations in northern Tanzania. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 30(4):836-838. DOI: 10.3201/eid3004.231204.

Professional Affiliations

• Member, Defend Public Health
• Member, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians

Degrees

• PhD, Epidemiology, University of Glasgow
• DVM, Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
• MPH, Veterinary Public Health, University of Minnesota