Walid Alali, Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, is a co-investigator on a federally funded grant. This grant is one of four nationally supported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to the need for a better understanding of the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance in wastewater and its impact on the environment and human health.
The project is led by the Water Research Foundation (PI) in collaboration with seven U.S. universities (including ETSU). As a site-PI, Dr. Alali will work with Dr. Phil Scheuerman, Professor of Environmental Health and Occupational Health and Safety Sciences and a key collaborator on this research project, to quantify antibiotic resistance in the wastewater treatment plants of Johnson City and the rivers and streams where the effluent is discharged. The project began in August 2024 and is expected to conclude in July 2026.