Nita Bharti
Huck Early Career Professor; Assistant Professor of Biology
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W253 Millennium Science Complex
University Park, PA 16802 - She/Her
- nita@psu.edu
- 814-863-9545
Research Summary
The Bharti lab investigates the underlying links between humans, pathogens, and the environment. We work to identify the mechanisms that give rise to heterogeneities in host disease burden and risk across scales, across spatial and temporal scales. We study the dynamics of host-environment interactions that drive movement and contact patterns as they relate to to pathogen transmission and access to health care.
Huck Affiliations
Links
Publication Tags
Climate Change Ecology History Population Students Niger Coronavirus Chiroptera Satellite Imagery Antibodies Nigeria Vector Borne Diseases Information Storage And Retrieval Fluctuations Demography Pandemics Measles Accidental Falls Vaccination Masks Case Studies Population Dynamics Health Zoonoses ResourcesMost Recent Publications
A longitudinal study of the impact of university student return to campus on the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among the community members
Callum R.K. Arnold, Sreenidhi Srinivasan, Sophie Rodriguez, Natalie Rydzak, Catherine M. Herzog, Abhinay Gontu, Nita Bharti, Meg Small, Connie J. Rogers, Margeaux M. Schade, Suresh V. Kuchipudi, Vivek Kapur, Andrew F. Read, Matthew J. Ferrari, 2022, Scientific Reports
Large university with high COVID-19 incidence is not associated with excess cases in non-student population
Nita Bharti, Brian Lambert, Cara Exten, Christina Faust, Matthew Joseph Ferrari, Anthony Robinson, 2022, Scientific Reports
Ecology, evolution and spillover of coronaviruses from bats
Manuel Ruiz-Aravena, Clifton McKee, Amandine Gamble, Tamika Lunn, Aaron Morris, Celine E. Snedden, Claude Kwe Yinda, Julia R. Port, David W. Buchholz, Yao Yu Yeo, Christina Faust, Elinor Jax, Lauren Dee, Devin N. Jones, Maureen K. Kessler, Caylee Falvo, Daniel Crowley, Nita Bharti, Cara E. Brook, Hector C. Aguilar, Alison J. Peel, Olivier Restif, Tony Schountz, Colin R. Parrish, Emily S. Gurley, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Peter J. Hudson, Vincent J. Munster, Raina K. Plowright, 2022, Nature Reviews Microbiology on p. 299-314
Author Correction: Ecology, evolution and spillover of coronaviruses from bats (Nature Reviews Microbiology, (2022), 20, 5, (299-314), 10.1038/s41579-021-00652-2)
Manuel Ruiz-Aravena, Clifton McKee, Amandine Gamble, Tamika Lunn, Aaron Morris, Celine E. Snedden, Claude Kwe Yinda, Julia R. Port, David W. Buchholz, Yao Yu Yeo, Christina Faust, Elinor Jax, Lauren Dee, Devin N. Jones, Maureen K. Kessler, Caylee Falvo, Daniel Crowley, Nita Bharti, Cara E. Brook, Hector C. Aguilar, Alison J. Peel, Olivier Restif, Tony Schountz, Colin R. Parrish, Emily S. Gurley, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Peter J. Hudson, Vincent J. Munster, Raina K. Plowright, 2022, Nature Reviews Microbiology on p. 315
COVID-19 Mitigation Among College Students: Social Influences, Behavioral Spillover, and Antibody Results
Rachel A. Smith, Meg L. Small, Nita Bharti, Samuel J. DeMatte, Robert P. Lennon, Matthew J. Ferrari, 2022, Health Communication
Transient disease dynamics across ecological scales
Yun Tao, Jessica L. Hite, Kevin D. Lafferty, David J.D. Earn, Nita Bharti, 2021, Theoretical Ecology on p. 625-640
Ecology, evolution, and spillover of coronaviruses from bats
Manuel Ruiz-Aravena, Clifton McKee, Amandine Gamble, Tamika Lunn, Aaron Morris, Celine Snedden, Claude Yinda, Julia Port, David Buchholz, Yao Yeo, Christina Faust, Elinor Jax, Lauren Dee, Devin Jones, Maureen Kessler, Caylee Falvo, Daniel Crowley, Nita Bharti, Cara Brook, Hector Aguilar, Alison Peel, Olivier Restif, Tony Schountz, Colin Parrish, Emily Gurley, James Lloyd-Smith, Peter Hudson, Vincent Munster, Raina Plowright, 2021, Nature Reviews Microbiology
Opportunities and constraints in women's resource security amid climate change: A case study of arid-living Namibian agro-pastoralists
Ashley Hazel, Gillian Meeks, Nita Bharti, John Jakurama, Justy Matundu, James Holland Jones, 2021, American Journal of Human Biology
Quantifying the impacts of Australian bushfires on native forests and gray-headed flying foxes
K. Baranowski, C. L. Faust, P. Eby, N. Bharti, 2021, Global Ecology and Conservation
The influence of vector-borne disease on human history
Tejas S. Athni, Marta S. Shocket, Lisa I. Couper, Nicole Nova, Iain R. Caldwell, Jamie M. Caldwell, Jasmine N. Childress, Marissa L. Childs, Giulio A. De Leo, Devin G. Kirk, Andrew J. MacDonald, Kathryn Olivarius, David G. Pickel, Steven O. Roberts, Olivia C. Winokur, Hillary S. Young, Julian Cheng, Elizabeth A. Grant, Patrick M. Kurzner, Saw Kyaw, Bradford J. Lin, Ricardo C. Lopez, Diba S. Massihpour, Erica C. Olsen, Maggie Roache, Angie Ruiz, Emily A. Schultz, Muskan Shafat, Rebecca L. Spencer, Nita Bharti, Erin A. Mordecai, 2021, Ecology Letters on p. 829-846
Most-Cited Papers
Approaching the limit of predictability in human mobility
Xin Lu, Erik Wetter, Nita Bharti, Andrew J. Tatem, Linus Bengtsson, 2013, Scientific Reports
Mapping populations at risk
Andrew J. Tatem, Susana Adamo, Nita Bharti, Clara R. Burgert, Marcia Castro, Audrey Dorelien, Gunter Fink, Catherine Linard, Mendelsohn John, Livia Montana, Mark R. Montgomery, Andrew Nelson, Abdisalan M. Noor, Deepa Pindolia, Greg Yetman, Deborah Balk, 2012, Population Health Metrics
Ebola: Mobility data
M. Elizabeth Halloran, Alessandro Vespignani, Nita Bharti, Leora R. Feldstein, K. A. Alexander, Matthew Ferrari, Jeffrey Shaman, John M. Drake, Travis Porco, Joseph N.S. Eisenberg, Sara Y. Del Valle, Eric Lofgren, Samuel V. Scarpino, Marisa C. Eisenberg, Daozhou Gao, James M. Hyman, Stephen Eubank, Ira M. Longini, 2014, Science on p. 433
Remotely measuring populations during a crisis by overlaying two data sources
Nita Bharti, Xin Lu, Linus Bengtsson, Erik Wetter, Andrew J. Tatem, 2015, International Health on p. 90-98
Measuring populations to improve vaccination coverage
Nita Bharti, Ali Djibo, Andrew J. Tatem, Bryan T. Grenfell, Matthew J. Ferrari, 2016, Scientific Reports
Ecology, evolution and spillover of coronaviruses from bats
Manuel Ruiz-Aravena, Clifton McKee, Amandine Gamble, Tamika Lunn, Aaron Morris, Celine E. Snedden, Claude Kwe Yinda, Julia R. Port, David W. Buchholz, Yao Yu Yeo, Christina Faust, Elinor Jax, Lauren Dee, Devin N. Jones, Maureen K. Kessler, Caylee Falvo, Daniel Crowley, Nita Bharti, Cara E. Brook, Hector C. Aguilar, Alison J. Peel, Olivier Restif, Tony Schountz, Colin R. Parrish, Emily S. Gurley, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Peter J. Hudson, Vincent J. Munster, Raina K. Plowright, 2022, Nature Reviews Microbiology on p. 299-314
Spatial dynamics of meningococcal meningitis in Niger: Observed patterns in comparison with measles
N. Bharti, H. Broutin, R. F. Grais, M. J. Ferrari, A. Djibo, A. J. Tatem, B. T. Grenfell, 2012, Journal of Hygiene on p. 1356-1365
Fluctuations in anthropogenic nighttime lights from satellite imagery for five cities in Niger and Nigeria
Nita Bharti, Andrew J. Tatem, 2018, Scientific data
The influence of vector-borne disease on human history
Tejas S. Athni, Marta S. Shocket, Lisa I. Couper, Nicole Nova, Iain R. Caldwell, Jamie M. Caldwell, Jasmine N. Childress, Marissa L. Childs, Giulio A. De Leo, Devin G. Kirk, Andrew J. MacDonald, Kathryn Olivarius, David G. Pickel, Steven O. Roberts, Olivia C. Winokur, Hillary S. Young, Julian Cheng, Elizabeth A. Grant, Patrick M. Kurzner, Saw Kyaw, Bradford J. Lin, Ricardo C. Lopez, Diba S. Massihpour, Erica C. Olsen, Maggie Roache, Angie Ruiz, Emily A. Schultz, Muskan Shafat, Rebecca L. Spencer, Nita Bharti, Erin A. Mordecai, 2021, Ecology Letters on p. 829-846
Linking human behaviors and infectious diseases
Nita Bharti, 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
News Articles Featuring Nita Bharti
Aug 31, 2022
Penn State team awarded $2.3M to assess disease vulnerability, improve response
An interdisciplinary team from Penn State has been awarded $2.3M from the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation’s joint Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease (EEID) program to evaluate the vulnerability of certain populations to disease outbreaks, with the goal of improving outbreak response and preventing future outbreaks.
Full Article
Jan 27, 2022
Nita Bharti to deliver 2022 Darwin Day Lecture
Nita Bharti, Penn State assistant professor of biology, will deliver a virtual lecture titled “Adaptation for Survival: Humans and Their Pathogens” at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10, as part of Penn State’s 2022 Darwin Day celebration. Advance registration is required for the event, which is open to the public.
Full Article
Jan 11, 2022
Researchers use satellites to monitor bat habitat and study virus spillover
Over the last year and a half, the word "remote" has come to dominate a large portion of our collective consciousness. We’ve had to work remotely, learn remotely, and even socialize remotely. But before the pandemic, because of the nature of their research, remote was already a part of the daily lexicon of some Penn State researchers.
Full Article
Dec 20, 2021
Sports Leagues Are Showing Us Just How Bad Omicron Could Get
Even some of the healthiest and most highly vaccinated communities in the country are being ravaged by the new variant.
Full Article
Oct 25, 2021
Traffic and mobile phone data predict COVID case counts in rural Pennsylvania
How much people moved around town predicted COVID-19 cases in a rural Pennsylvania county in 2020, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State.
Full Article
Jul 15, 2021
Australian megafires burn critical habitat of 'Vulnerable' virus-harboring bats
The severe megafires that occurred in eastern Australia during 2019-20 were much larger and more concentrated across the landscape than in previous years, according to a study by researchers at Penn State and the University of New South Wales. The unprecedented fires included the burning of 34% of the foraging habitat of grey-headed flying foxes, which are known to transmit deadly Lyssa and Hendra viruses.
Full Article
Jun 23, 2021
Behavior limits COVID-19 spread between University and community
When universities across the U.S. opted to return students to campus for in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic in the fall of 2020, surrounding communities were understandably concerned that COVID-19 infections rates would significantly increase. In response, several Penn State researchers formed the Centre County COVID-19 Data 4 Action Project (D4A) to conduct anonymous surveys and biological testing for nonstudent residents and Penn State students to document the social and economic impacts of the pandemic in one community.
Full Article
Feb 02, 2021
Vector-borne diseases shaped human history and reveal race disparities
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs), such as plague, malaria and yellow fever, have significantly shaped society and culture, according to an international team of researchers. In a study published in Ecology Letters on Jan. 27, the team used historical evidence interpreted through an ecological lens to illustrate how VBDs have influenced human history, with particular attention to how VBDs have reinforced and exacerbated racism.
Full Article
Jan 29, 2021
Take Note: Epidemiologist Dr. Nita Bharti On Safety And Effectiveness Of New COVID-19 Vaccines
The COVID-19 vaccine is slowly rolling out across the country. Some people still have concerns about these new vaccines and their safety.
Full Article
Dec 21, 2020
Can the NBA win its rematch with COVID-19?
As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the NCAA and NFL, the 2020-21 NBA season offers new hopes and fears
Full Article