A new online class offered by University of Idaho’s Institute for Health in the Human Ecosystem (IHHE) shares knowledge that will help scientists from throughout the world in their efforts to combat vector-borne diseases.
IHHE’s first virtual course, Biology of Vector-borne Diseases, was offered March 30-May 8 and featured video lectures from 24 internationally recognized vector-borne disease experts who highlighted their personal research.
The inaugural course drew 56 participants — including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, early career faculty and advanced professionals — from multiple countries. Participants say they’ll apply what they’ve learned in their own work to improve global health.
“I believe the knowledge gained from this course will help me contribute more effectively to surveillance, research and decision-making in vector-borne disease studies moving forward,” said Yora Permata Dewi, senior research assistant with the Emerging Virus Group in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Victor Dada, a microbial biotechnologist with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Oyo State, Nigeria, is eager to share what he learned with others in his laboratory.
“The course will significantly influence my work by shaping my research approaches in pathogen detection, microbial interactions, plant-microbe interactions, disease control and biotechnology innovation,” Dada said. “It will also strengthen my understanding of how microorganisms interact with biological systems and enhance my ability to contribute to innovation, especially in disease-management solutions.”
I believe the knowledge gained from this course will help me contribute more effectively to surveillance, research and decision-making in vector-borne disease studies moving forward.
Yora Permata Dewi
Senior research assistant with the Emerging Virus Group in Jakarta, Indonesia
Shirley Luckhart and Edwin Lewis, both professors in U of I’s Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology and Nematology, are co-directors of IHHE, which aims to train the next generation of leaders to develop sustainable, holistic solutions to the complex, global challenges posed by emerging and re-emerging diseases affecting plants, animals and humans.
“I think the big draw for people to take this course is the expertise of the instructors,” Luckhart said.
All of the virtual program’s instructors previously helped teach the in-person IHHE vector-borne diseases course offered from 2018 through 2025.
“For the in-person course, we’ve always told the instructors, ‘This isn’t a research talk. This is a course,’” Luckhart said. “We developed the online course as a complement, to allow instructors to talk about their own research that inspired their lectures for the in-person course.”
Lecturers recorded 63 presentations for the virtual course, included in weekly modules, along with related reading assignments. Participants shared their thoughts and questions on the content via a discussion board.
The online course addresses vector-borne diseases at the pathosystem level — a holistic approach encompassing the host, the pathogen, the vector and all facets of the environment. Lewis believes researchers too often work in “siloes” when studying disease transmission, focusing on a single aspect of transmission while overlooking others. IHHE seeks to evaluate these issues from several perspectives simultaneously and identify commonalities.
“Someone who does public health for humans might never talk to a plant pathologist, for example,” Lewis said. “Many of the mechanisms we work with are common to different pathosystems. There are a lot of parallels, and they can use each other’s tools and approaches, but sometimes they are not aware of those tools. We try to make them more commonly known.”
For example, research into arthropods has shed considerable light on human biology.
“Scientists drastically improved their understanding of human immunity by studying fruit flies,” Luckhart said.
The online course is offered via the CANVAS learning management system through the U of I Continuing Adult and Professional Education (CAPE) program, which creates a way for individuals to discover, register for and access the variety of unique learning opportunities for learners in Idaho and beyond.
The new course’s online format enabled participants from throughout the world to join without having to travel. IHHE charged a registration fee, but scholarships were available to those who needed financial assistance.
IHHE program manager Karin Cruzado-Gutierrez, also an instructor in the online course, and IHHE program specialist Akorede (Koko) Seriki contributed to the development and coordination of the online course.