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James P Herrera

Adjunct Professor of Global Health
Duke Global Health Institute

Overview


I am a Research Scientist and the Program Coordinator for the Duke Lemur Center SAVA Conservation program at Duke University.  Our goal is to enhance biodiversity conservation in Madagascar through partnerships with local stakeholders, including the Madagascar National Parks, private reserves, and other entities.

My research focuses on diverse topics in evolution, ecology, infectious and noninfectious diseases, and conservation.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Adjunct Professor of Global Health · 2025 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers

Recent Publications


<i>Leptospira</i> prevalence and lineages vary across land-use types due to shifts in small mammal communities.

Journal Article Applied and environmental microbiology · February 2026 Human-induced land-use change can affect the composition of small mammal communities and the ecology of their zoonotic pathogens - yet questions remain on the direction and generality of these changes, which can have opposite effects on disease prevalence ... Full text Cite

Evaluating the Efficacy of Agricultural Interventions in Northeast Madagascar

Journal Article Sustainability Switzerland · December 1, 2025 Regenerative agroecology promotes a suite of methods that diversify farmers’ techniques, crops, and income-generating opportunities. Many low- and middle-income countries struggle with food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty, relying on natural resource ... Full text Cite

Effect of Land-Use on Hantavirus Infection Among Introduced and Endemic Small Mammals of Madagascar.

Journal Article Ecology and evolution · April 2025 Hantaviruses are globally distributed zoonotic pathogens capable of causing fatal disease in humans. Addressing the risk of hantavirus spillover from animal reservoirs to humans requires identifying the local reservoirs (usually rodents and other small mam ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Enhancing equity in land governance for sustained landscape restoration in Madagascar

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by General Mills Foundation · 2026 - 2027

Empowering women farmers in Madagascar through diversified livelihood strategies

Public ServicePrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Kathryn McQuade Foundation · 2025 - 2026

Socio-ecological networks of disease transmission in the Indian Ocean islands

FellowshipPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by FACE Foundation · 2019 - 2025

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