Dr. Viveka Vadyvaloo serves as Director of the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health and is an Associate Professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Stellenbosch University, South Africa, in 2003. Her postdoctoral research included work at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories/NIAID/NIH where she began her career focused on studying the bubonic plague. Currently, her research investigates the intricate relationship between fleas and bubonic plague bacteria. The goal is to find innovative ways to break the deadly cycle of spreading plague bacteria through flea bite and thereby protecting global health.