Meet the Team
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Lead
Efstathios (Stathis) Giotis
As a veterinarian and virologist specialising in bat-borne viruses and their potential to infect humans, his research focuses on how these viruses cross species barriers, identifying key receptors and host factors involved in spillover events.
He has contributed to the study of bat influenza viruses and coronaviruses, and their adaptation to new hosts. His work combines virology, genomics, and field studies to track emerging viruses in wildlife and assess their public health risk.
As lead of the Safe Humans, Safe Bats initiative, Stathis promotes a balanced approach to disease prevention and conservation. His research helps inform strategies to reduce spillover risks while protecting bat populations and enhancing public awareness of zoonotic diseases.
Team Member
Dr Allyson Walsh
With a wealth of experience that includes leading teams dedicated to helping provide advice about UK bats and co-leading work on bats and health; Allyson holds a doctorate in the landscape ecology of bats from the University of Bristol and has published numerous scientific papers.
During her career she has directed citizen science projects to monitor bat populations in the UK, contributed to scientific studies on wildlife disease and reintroduction ecology in the USA, and coordinated an Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Infectious Diseases at the University of Cambridge.
Allyson is an active member of the IUCN SSC’s Bat Specialist Group, and is interested in providing conservation managers and public health practitioners with relevant information to mitigate human-wildlife conflict
Team Member
Dr Grace Kia
Dr. Grace Sabo Nok Kia is a Public Health and Preventive Medicine Veterinarian with over 19 years of experience in zoonotic disease surveillance, prevention, and control. She has trained disease detectives through Nigeria's FETP and ISAVET programs to strengthen public health responses.
Her extensive research on rabies led her to establish the War Against Rabies Foundation (WARF) in 2017. Dr. Kia is committed to bat conservation and scientific rigor, partnering with the West African Mammal Fellowship and serving on the advisory board of Small Mammal Conservation Network (SMACON) to mentor future conservationists.
Dr. Kia has made significant contributions through her research on various RNA viruses in bats, such as lyssaviruses, coronaviruses, paramyxoviruses, reoviruses, and rotaviruses, as well as human exposure to novel Bartonella species from fruit bats, enhancing the understanding of zoonotic disease transmission.
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Team Member
Benneth Obitte
He is a Conservation Ecologist. His work cuts across disciplinary lines; combining ecology, psychology, socio-economic, and public health approaches to answer important research questions in African socio-ecological systems. His research interest lies at the intersection of ecology, human dimensions of conservation, and disease ecology. Specifically, he focus on two interconnected broad questions: (1) How do anthropogenic disturbances and changing landscapes impact small mammals, especially bats? and (2) What are the human dimensions underlying these disturbances? He is the co-executive director of Small Mammal Conservation Organization (SMACON), and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Texas Tech University.
Team Member
Theophilus Sani
A dedicated Veterinarian with a strong passion for One Health, zoonotic disease surveillance, and public health interventions. As a core team member of the War Against Rabies Foundation, he actively contributes to rabies awareness, vaccination campaigns, and community engagement to mitigate the disease burden in Nigeria.
His expertise spans emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases, with a upcoming interest in the role of bats as reservoirs of infectious pathogens. He is keen on exploring the epidemiology of bat-borne viruses and their implications for global health security. He remains committed to advancing research and collaborative efforts at the human-animal-environment interface to prevent future outbreaks.
Team Member
Oluchi Agodi
A bat ecologist and conservationist passionate about understanding bat roost ecology and making conservation issues more relatable to the public in West Africa. She is the Science and Engagement Coordinator at SMACON, where she leads the Eidolon Monitoring Program, a citizen science project tracking Straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) across three major roosts in Nigeria. Beyond monitoring, she supports the planning and execution of SMACON’s projects and aids communication / partner engagements.
As part of SMACON’s collaboration with the Safe Human, Safe Bat initiative, she conducted sociological surveys in Makurdi schools to understand bat hunting among children. Findings from this survey will refine outreach materials, ensuring they are efficient and address the root causes of bat hunting.
Dr. Veronica Odinya Ameh
Veronica is a Veterinary Public Health professional, a trained Veterinarian, with a Masters degree in Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and a PhD in Veterinary Tropical Diseases. With over 14 years of research experience, her research focuses on canine rabies, bat lyssaviruses, other bat borne zoonoses.
Veronica through her research has demonstrated serological evidence of 4 lineages of Lagos Bat Lyssavirus, coronaviruses and paramyxoviruses circulating in bats hunted for human consumption in Makurdi, Nigeria.
She is a public health enthusiast and continues to carry out research on emerging and re-emerging diseases in bats, enlightenment campaigns on bat conservation and zoonoses prevention.
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Team Member
Dr. Philomena Mde Ikye-Tor
A veterinarian and zoonotic disease researcher with a strong passion for public health and disease ecology. Her academic and professional journey has been driven by a commitment to understanding and controlling rabies and related lyssaviruses in domestic dogs and wildlife focusing on bats.
Over the past several years, her research has focused on the epidemiology of lyssaviruses in dog and bat populations, contributing to the growing body of knowledge on the zoonotic potential of these viruses in Benue state. Her work has involved field surveillance, sample collection, and laboratory diagnostics aimed at identifying silent reservoirs and assessing the risk of spillover to humans and domestic animals.
She is actively engaged in studies on rabies transmission dynamics in domestic dogs. She is currently working on community-based rabies control strategies, including mass dog vaccination campaigns and public education initiatives, to reduce the burden of this preventable yet deadly disease.
Her ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between veterinary medicine, public health, and wildlife conservation through multidisciplinary approaches. She is particularly committed to advancing One Health initiatives that address zoonotic diseases at the human-animal-environment interface.
Team Member
Team Member
Dr. Idoko Sunday Idoko
A Veterinarian with PhD in Veterinary Clinical Pathology from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He is the Head, Department of Veterinary Pathology and the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Abuja, Nigeria. Dr. Idoko has keen interest in understanding the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases, haematopathology and immunopathology. His hobbies are travelling, soccer, reading and listening to music.
Team Member
Dr. Terungwa Ikye-Tor
He is a field veterinarian with over two decades of experience in zoo and wildlife medicine, specializing in epidemiology and public health. His work spans outbreak investigations, surveillance, and data analysis, contributing to a deeper understanding of disease dynamics at the human–animal–environment interface.
His research has explored the prevalence of coliforms in bat populations, investigating their potential as indicators of environmental health and zoonotic risk. This scientific inquiry reflects his broader commitment to One Health—a multidisciplinary approach that links human, animal, and environmental health.
Beyond research, he is deeply engaged in wildlife conservation, advocating for sustainable management practices and raising awareness about the critical role of wildlife in maintaining ecosystem balance. He collaborates across sectors to bridge science and conservation, aiming to create practical, lasting solutions that protect biodiversity and public health.
His ultimate goal is to integrate veterinary science with conservation strategies, ensuring that both wildlife and human communities can thrive together in a healthier, more sustainable world.