mSystems (Aug 2021)
Introducing the Microbes and Social Equity Working Group: Considering the Microbial Components of Social, Environmental, and Health Justice
- Suzanne L. Ishaq,
- Francisco J. Parada,
- Patricia G. Wolf,
- Carla Y. Bonilla,
- Megan A. Carney,
- Amber Benezra,
- Emily Wissel,
- Michael Friedman,
- Kristen M. DeAngelis,
- Jake M. Robinson,
- Ashkaan K. Fahimipour,
- Melissa B. Manus,
- Laura Grieneisen,
- Leslie G. Dietz,
- Ashish Pathak,
- Ashvini Chauhan,
- Sahana Kuthyar,
- Justin D. Stewart,
- Mauna R. Dasari,
- Emily Nonnamaker,
- Mallory Choudoir,
- Patrick F. Horve,
- Naupaka B. Zimmerman,
- Ariangela J. Kozik,
- Katherine Weatherford Darling,
- Adriana L. Romero-Olivares,
- Janani Hariharan,
- Nicole Farmer,
- Katherine A. Maki,
- Jackie L. Collier,
- Kieran C. O’Doherty,
- Jeffrey Letourneau,
- Jeff Kline,
- Peter L. Moses,
- Nicolae Morar
Affiliations
- Suzanne L. Ishaq
- University of Maine, School of Food and Agriculture, Orono, Maine, USA
- Francisco J. Parada
- Centro de Estudios en Neurociencia Humana y Neuropsicología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago, Chile
- Patricia G. Wolf
- Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Carla Y. Bonilla
- Gonzaga University, Department of Biology, Spokane, Washington, USA
- Megan A. Carney
- University of Arizona, School of Anthropology, Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Amber Benezra
- Stevens Institute of Technology, Science and Technology Studies, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA
- Emily Wissel
- Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Michael Friedman
- American International College of Arts and Sciences of Antigua, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda, West Indies
- Kristen M. DeAngelis
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Jake M. Robinson
- University of Sheffield, Department of Landscape Architecture, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Ashkaan K. Fahimipour
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Melissa B. Manus
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Laura Grieneisen
- Department of Genetics, Cell, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Leslie G. Dietz
- University of Oregon, Biology and the Built Environment Center, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Ashish Pathak
- School of the Environment, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
- Ashvini Chauhan
- School of the Environment, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
- Sahana Kuthyar
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
- Justin D. Stewart
- Department of Ecological Science, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Mauna R. Dasari
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
- Emily Nonnamaker
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
- Mallory Choudoir
- Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
- Patrick F. Horve
- University of Oregon, Biology and the Built Environment Center, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Naupaka B. Zimmerman
- University of San Francisco, Department of Biology, San Francisco, California, USA
- Ariangela J. Kozik
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Katherine Weatherford Darling
- Social Science Program, University of Maine at Augusta, Augusta, Maine, USA
- Adriana L. Romero-Olivares
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA
- Janani Hariharan
- Field of Soil and Crop Sciences, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- Nicole Farmer
- National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Katherine A. Maki
- National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Jackie L. Collier
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- Kieran C. O’Doherty
- Department of Psychology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada
- Jeffrey Letourneau
- Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Jeff Kline
- Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Peter L. Moses
- Robert Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA
- Nicolae Morar
- Environmental Studies Program, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00471-21
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 6,
no. 4
Abstract
ABSTRACT Humans are inextricably linked to each other and our natural world, and microorganisms lie at the nexus of those interactions. Microorganisms form genetically flexible, taxonomically diverse, and biochemically rich communities, i.e., microbiomes that are integral to the health and development of macroorganisms, societies, and ecosystems. Yet engagement with beneficial microbiomes is dictated by access to public resources, such as nutritious food, clean water and air, safe shelter, social interactions, and effective medicine. In this way, microbiomes have sociopolitical contexts that must be considered. The Microbes and Social Equity (MSE) Working Group connects microbiology with social equity research, education, policy, and practice to understand the interplay of microorganisms, individuals, societies, and ecosystems. Here, we outline opportunities for integrating microbiology and social equity work through broadening education and training; diversifying research topics, methods, and perspectives; and advocating for evidence-based public policy that supports sustainable, equitable, and microbial wealth for all.
Keywords
- biopolitics
- health disparities
- social determinants of health
- structural determinants of health
- integrated research
- microbiomes
