Teacher and scholar Bridget Barker explores the environmental sources of fungal pathogens to prevent exposure and infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Associate Professor Bridget Barker<\/a> of NAU\u2019s Pathogen and Microbiome Institute<\/a> first became fascinated with plants, starting her journey studying botany. \u201cI was really interested in plant pathology, and I’ve always been interested in the interaction between species,\u201d Barker says. \u201cSo I started out working on plants, and I was very interested in the co-evolutionary processes between plants and their insect herbivores. I’ve always been fascinated by evolutionary trade-offs: for example, how a plant adapts and creates a volatile chemical that\u2019s a toxin to certain insects that chew on its leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her academic interests grew to include the ecology and evolution of a wide array of organisms, eventually leading to fungal pathogens\u2014which are not nearly as well understood as bacterial or viral pathogens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barker earned a BA in Botany and an MS in Organismal Biology and Ecology from the University of Montana, then worked for the US Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service in Prosser, Washington as a lab technician. \u201cI had a great mentor at the USDA,\u201d she says. \u201cHe told me I really wasn\u2019t a technician, and that I needed to get my PhD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a girl growing up among farmers and ranchers in Billings, Montana, Barker’s highest aspiration was to be a veterinarian because of her love for horses. That early impulse to be a healer\u2014along with persistence, an innate sense of curiosity, and a strong drive to be successful\u2014led her to ultimately become a biologist, disease ecologist, and geneticist studying the pathogens that cause Valley Fever<\/a>, a potentially deadly, dust-borne fungal disease increasingly common in the desert Southwest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barker moved to Tucson, securing a position at the University of Arizona (UA) working in the lab with researchers studying the genetics of Coccidioides immitis<\/em> and C. posadasii<\/em> (cocci<\/em> for short), the pathogens that cause Valley Fever. But soon, realizing how much she wanted to help solve the mysteries surrounding the pathogens herself, she earned her PhD in Genetics at UA, supported through a prestigious IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) Fellowship in Comparative Genomics from the National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a postdoctoral fellowship and a stint as research faculty at the University of Montana, Barker came to Flagstaff in 2013 as an Assistant Research Professor both at NAU and at TGen North Clinical Laboratory. In 2016 she joined NAU\u2019s Pathogen and Microbiome Institute (PMI) as a research-intensive tenured Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences<\/a> and was subsequently promoted to Associate Professor. Since then, she has been building her career with research focused on the ecology and population genetics of cocci<\/em> and detecting cocci<\/em> in the soil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By developing better methods of detecting the fungus linked to Valley Fever in the environment and identifying ways to reduce exposure, we can prevent people from being infected.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n One of Barker\u2019s concerns is with health disparities affecting disadvantaged populations, who are at risk of exposure to Valley Fever yet may not have equal access to healthcare. \u201cDelayed diagnosis is a risk factor for severe disease,\u201d she says. \u201cThe lack of access to healthcare as well as specialists can delay treatment, increasing mortality risk. Additionally, workers in occupations such as construction, farming, and landscaping are more likely to be exposed to high levels of fungal spores, which increases the likelihood of severe disease. By developing better methods of detecting the fungus linked to Valley Fever in the environment and identifying ways to reduce exposure, we can prevent people from being infected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond Arizona and the Southwest, Barker explains, Valley Fever affects communities in some of the most impoverished regions of North and South America. \u201cI work with researchers in Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil to look at similar questions in these regions, as well as fungal infections more broadly. These diseases cause a great deal of morbidity (illnesses or unhealthy conditions), including severe facial deformities, which can permanently impede a person\u2019s ability to work and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barker wants to make a difference with her work. \u201cIn the short term, we hope to increase awareness\u2014both for the public and medical professionals,\u201d she says. \u201cThe more people are aware of Valley Fever, the more likely testing will occur before the onset of severe disease. In the long term, we would like to deploy a monitoring system to detect higher risk and alert the public and clinicians on a weekly basis. I believe that this will increase early detection and also help our research in understanding the impact of climate change on fungal diseases, including Valley Fever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among her many projects, Barker is collaborating with Assistant Research Professor Anita Antoninka<\/a> of NAU\u2019s School of Forestry<\/a> to determine whether biocrust restoration can reduce dust-borne cocci<\/em> spores, which are the causative agent of Valley Fever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTargeting the environmental source of Valley Fever is critical, as the disease is not passed from human to human,\u201d Barker says. \u201cThe fungus grows in the soil, and people get sick from breathing in the fungal spores from the environment. We are looking at the effect of biocrust restoration on the prevalence of the organism in soil.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it\u2019s not an easy fix, and Barker has learned some important lessons. \u201cThe desert Southwest is incredibly beautiful and restoring soils in the area can have multiple benefits. This area of research is novel and exciting, but difficult to fund! I think the desert has taught me resilience and patience.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I really love teaching small capstone classes with upper-division students because it\u2019s so much fun. And I learn a lot by teaching those classes, too. Because they’re challenging. Those are the students who are going to ask you really tough questions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Although Barker\u2019s primary focus is on her research, she says that when she worked as research faculty without teaching, she missed sharing her knowledge. \u201cIt just wasn’t for me. I wanted to have grad students and undergrads. I wanted to be able to have more of a mentoring role. I really love teaching small capstone classes with upper-division students because it\u2019s so much fun. And I learn a lot by teaching those classes, too. Because they’re challenging. Those are the students who are going to ask you really tough questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barker teaches courses including BIO 346: Advanced Microbiology; BIO 471C: Microbial Ecology; and BIO 485: Undergraduate Research. She mentors and trains undergraduates in her lab, which is a collaborative academic workplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMaking a difference in Arizona and beyond<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Targeting environmental sources of dust-borne spores<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Teaching and mentoring an important part of the job<\/h3>\n\n\n\n