Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease | Interview with Guest Editor—Dr. Jumari Snyman

We are pleased to share the following interview with Dr. Jumari Snyman, the Guest Editor of the Special Issue “Zoonotic Viruses and Global Health Impact” in Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (TropicalMed, ISSN 2414-6366).

Could you please briefly introduce yourself, your research field, and your main research interests?
My name is Dr. Jumari Snyman, and I am a Research Associate in the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Alberta, Canada. With a background in veterinary science and medical virology, my research focuses on emerging and re-emerging viral diseases, zoonotic viruses, arbovirus surveillance, host–pathogen interactions, and antiviral drug discovery.
My work spans molecular virology, diagnostic assay development, viral surveillance, and the investigation of host responses to viral infections. I am particularly interested in improving the detection and characterization of zoonotic viruses, understanding viral pathogenesis, and developing novel antiviral strategies to combat emerging infectious diseases.
A central theme of my work is connecting fundamental virological research with practical applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and infectious disease preparedness. I am passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and translating scientific discoveries into effective tools and strategies that strengthen our ability to detect, prevent, and respond to viral threats and their global health impacts.
Could you briefly reflect on the key opportunities that led you to pursue an academic career? Which experience has had the most profound impact on you?
My academic career has been shaped by a curiosity about viruses, their interactions with hosts, and the ways scientific research can translate into meaningful improvements in public health. My training in veterinary science and medical virology at the University of Pretoria provided a strong foundation for understanding infectious diseases across different host species. Opportunities to work on emerging and zoonotic viruses, develop diagnostic approaches, investigate antiviral strategies, and collaborate across disciplines strengthened my interest in academic research.
One of the most influential aspects of my career has been the opportunity to work at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. Research on zoonotic arboviruses has highlighted how much remains unknown about the distribution, transmission, and public health significance of pathogens circulating in wildlife and mosquito populations. Building surveillance collaborations across diverse Canadian regions has reinforced the importance of research that extends beyond individual laboratories and disciplines to address broader global health impacts.
Additionally, seeing how collaborative research can turn an important scientific question into a broader surveillance effort has strengthened my commitment to research that combines scientific discovery with practical preparedness for emerging infectious disease threats.
Combining your research focus on zoonotic virus surveillance, antiviral development, saRNA vaccines, antibody engineering, and biosecurity, what cutting-edge experimental bioscience technologies do you believe will most revolutionize early detection, viral variant identification, and outbreak preparedness for high-risk zoonotic pathogens over the next decade?
I believe the greatest advances will come from integrating technologies rather than relying on a single breakthrough. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing and long-read sequencing will increasingly enable rapid, broad-spectrum pathogen detection and characterization, including the identification of unexpected or emerging viral variants. When combined with targeted molecular assays, these approaches can provide both the speed needed for early detection and the genomic resolution required to understand viral evolution.
I am particularly interested in how artificial intelligence and bioinformatics can integrate genomic, epidemiological, ecological, and climate data to identify emerging risks before they develop into significant outbreaks. Advances in multiplex diagnostics, portable sequencing, and automated sample processing could also make surveillance more accessible in remote regions, where conventional laboratory infrastructure is limited.
For me, the most transformative development will be an integrated surveillance-to-response system that connects early warning, genomic characterization, risk assessment, and countermeasure development, allowing researchers and public health authorities to respond more rapidly and effectively to emerging zoonotic threats.
What was the primary goal or inspiration for establishing this Special Issue theme? And what specific types of research are you most eager to feature?
The primary inspiration for this Special Issue was the recognition that emerging infectious diseases rarely fit neatly within traditional disciplinary boundaries. Zoonotic viruses circulate through complex ecological systems involving wildlife, vectors, livestock, humans, and changing environments, with far-reaching global health impacts. Yet surveillance, diagnostics, and intervention strategies are often developed in relative isolation. We wanted this Special Issue to provide a platform for research that connects these areas and advances our understanding of emerging viral threats and their impact on global health.
We are eager to feature studies that improve the detection and characterization of zoonotic pathogens, including novel diagnostic methods, molecular epidemiology, genomic surveillance, and investigations into viral diversity and evolution. Research on arboviruses, avian influenza, and other emerging or re-emerging viruses is especially valuable, as is work examining pathogen circulation at wildlife–livestock–human interfaces.
We also welcome studies evaluating practical countermeasures, including antiviral therapeutics, vaccine platforms, and improved serological tools. Research integrating field surveillance with laboratory investigations, ecological data, or predictive modelling would be particularly compelling.
We hope this Special Issue will showcase rigorous, interdisciplinary science that demonstrates the global health impact of zoonotic viruses and translates scientific discoveries into more effective surveillance, prevention, and preparedness strategies.
Your research spans zoonotic viruses, avian influenza, arboviruses, and pathogen surveillance across human–animal interfaces. In your view, how can our journal/Section better bridge the gap between human medicine, veterinary science, and environmental ecology to anticipate and mitigate future zoonotic pandemic threats?
I believe journals can play a more active role in bringing disciplines together by encouraging research that addresses shared questions rather than treating human, animal, and environmental health as separate fields. This begins with editorial priorities that welcome interdisciplinary studies and collaborations among virologists, veterinarians, clinicians, ecologists, epidemiologists, and public health professionals.
For example, mosquito surveillance becomes more informative when molecular detection is combined with vector identification, ecological data, animal serology, and human disease surveillance. Similarly, avian influenza research benefits from connecting wildlife and livestock monitoring with genomic characterization and assessments of human health implications. These integrated approaches establish not only whether a pathogen is present, but also where it circulates, which hosts may be involved, and what detection means for public health.
The journal could support integration through cross-disciplinary Special Issues, collaborative reviews, shared methodological frameworks, and studies connecting findings across host species and environments. Encouraging transparent data sharing and reporting negative findings would strengthen collective understanding.
Most importantly, we should prioritize research with clear pathways to application. By connecting fundamental discoveries with surveillance practice, diagnostic development, and policy-relevant evidence, journals can help transform interdisciplinary research into effective early-warning systems and coordinated responses to zoonotic threats.
The One Health Joint Plan of Action (2022–2026) advocates cross-sectoral, integrated responses to mitigate zoonotic spillover risks. Drawing on your research in zoonotic virus surveillance, antiviral countermeasures and biosecurity, what are the major academic and practical barriers to implementing such cross-disciplinary frameworks? How can our Special Issue journal content act as a catalyst to advance these global One Health-oriented goals?
One of the greatest barriers to integrated approaches is that scientific disciplines and public health sectors often operate within different institutional structures, funding mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, and priorities. Human medicine, veterinary science, and environmental research may use different surveillance systems, sampling strategies, terminology, and data standards, making it difficult to combine findings into a coherent picture of emerging zoonotic risks and their global health impact.
Practical challenges are equally important. Remote sampling, limited laboratory capacity, unequal access to sequencing and diagnostic technologies, and restrictions on sharing biological materials or genomic data can delay detection and coordinated responses.
A Special Issue can help address these barriers by publishing research demonstrating how integrated approaches work in practice, including successful surveillance partnerships, harmonized diagnostic methods, data-sharing frameworks, and evaluations of preparedness strategies. Studies identifying implementation failures and resource gaps also offer valuable lessons.
Our goal should ultimately be to make interdisciplinary research actionable. By connecting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers through accessible, rigorous evidence, the Special Issue can help translate One Health ambitions into sustainable surveillance systems and better-prepared responses to emerging zoonotic threats with global health impact.