Kristi Miley, MSPH, PhD

Adjunct USF Health, COPH PHIRE

Research Associate, COPH Center for GHIDR

Contact Info

• Academic Email: kmiley@usf.edu
• View My C.V. | View My Lab Site

Education

Biography

Kristi Miley, MSPH, PhD, is a Research Associate, Adjunct Professor, and Interim Director of the BSL3/ABSL3 Facility at the University of South Florida College of Public Health Center for Global Health Infectious Disease Research. Her research spans medical entomology, parasitology, virology, and global communicable diseases, with an emphasis on zoonotic and vector-borne infections. Dr. Miley’s primary work focuses on Onchocerca volvulus, the parasite that causes river blindness, including evaluation of diagnostic tools, development of novel testing methods, and laboratory training to support surveillance programs in Africa and Latin America. Furthermore, her current BSL3/ABSL3 research focuses on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. She contributes to mosquito borne disease research in Florida, particularly Eastern Equine Encephalitis, West Nile, and Dengue viruses in order to support public health surveillance and risk modeling efforts. Dr. Miley earned her PhD and MSPH in Public Health Global Communicable Diseases and her BS in Biomedical Sciences from the University of South Florida. She is committed to education and mentorship through graduate training in parasitology and vector biology. Though she proudly serves as a faculty member and independent researcher, she also manages the GHIDR BSL-3 facility as the Interim Director, mentoring students in laboratory practices and research, providing training for research personnel requiring biosafety level three facilities, and teaching graduate students in the realm of medical entomology and vector borne diseases that are of public health importance. She has been addressing research regarding communicable diseases for the past 8 years at USF. This has given her the opportunity to mentor several undergrads and graduate students in research and Honors College internships. As a member in the USF Center for Onchocerciasis Diagnostics she focuses her knowledge on the elimination efforts of O. volvulus, the vector borne parasitic infection that causes “River Blindness” in Africa and parts of Latin America. During her time at USF she has work as an independent researcher on NIH funded projects through the CDC Southeastern Center of Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases; including project design, collaborations with USF Geosciences to develop a GIS-Based risk analysis of vector/host habitats, field analysis of vector mosquitoes, viral identification, and validation of a novel LAMP virus detection colorimetric assay. This work has contributed to several peer-reviewed publications with regards to research on Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV), climatic factors associated with mosquito-borne illness, vector habitat-host relationships, EEEV risk assessment in Florida, and chapter contributions addressing Global Health Biosecurity in a Global Health Series. Her 18 years of hands-on veterinary experience addressing the symptomology and treatment measures that are required for large and small animal infectious diseases has enabled a better understanding of the complexities of vector-borne illnesses. These experiences in veterinary medicine have been an asset to her research of mosquito-borne illness, primarily studying Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus and West Nile Virus, as well as Avian Influenza animal research. Furthermore, being certified in Infection Prevention and CDC Select Agent Certified for work applied to BSL2 and BSL3 laboratories has given her the breadth of knowledge required to of supervise biosafety level 3 research activities while promoting research safety and compliance. Her previous years of clinical work and client education in the field of veterinary medicine guided her in research of infectious diseases. She enjoys sharing her knowledge of global communicable diseases as a faculty member mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and she shares a continued passion for work surrounding public health education and disease prevention.