Epidemiologist Neil Vora joins Mongabay’s board as it expands global reach and planetary health coverage

Dr. Neil Vora, a physician, epidemiologist, and conservation advocate, has joined Mongabay’s board of directors.Vora brings extensive experience in infectious disease outbreaks and pandemic prevention, including work with the CDC responding to Ebola and COVID-19.His expertise in the links between deforestation, biodiversity loss, and human health will support Mongabay’s expanding coverage of planetary health.His appointment comes as Mongabay’s traffic has more than doubled in 2026, with the organization expanding its language offerings, strengthening its global newsroom, and launching new mobile apps for iOS and Android. Neil Vora has worked on Ebola outbreaks in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ran New York City’s COVID-19 contact-tracing operation that traced more than 700,000 people. Now the physician and epidemiologist is joining Mongabay’s board of directors. The Ebola deployments came during nearly a decade at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Over time, Vora turned his attention to the conditions that let diseases jump from animals to people in the first place: forest clearing, the wildlife trade, factory farming. “Some researchers believe the West African Ebola epidemic began with an axe,” he said in a 2023 TED Talk, describing how farmers in rural Guinea cleared forest to survive. He argues that protecting forests and wildlife, along with better public health and animal husbandry, can lower the risk of the next pandemic. He now leads the Preventing Pandemics at the Source Coalition, which pushes governments and funders to tackle the ecological causes of emerging diseases. Before that, he was a senior adviser on One Health at Conservation International. “We’re honored to have Neil join Mongabay’s board of directors,” said Rhett Butler, Mongabay founder and CEO. “His knowledge and experience at the intersection of public health and conservation will be particularly valuable as Mongabay builds out its planetary health reporting.” “I deeply appreciate how his work has connected deforestation and environmental degradation to human wellbeing,” Butler added. “And on a personal level, I feel a kinship with Neil as a fellow reptile and amphibian enthusiast.” Vora’s career has included some of the most challenging public health emergencies of recent decades. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led New York City’s contact-tracing program, overseeing more than 3,000 staff who traced more than 700,000 people affected by the virus. He has authored more than 100 scientific publications and other articles, and was named to the TIME100 Next list in 2025. Jane Goodall and Neil Vora. Photo by Manhar Vora Vora has also been a longtime supporter of Mongabay and has appeared on the Mongabay Newscast to discuss the links between environmental protection, infectious disease, and human wellbeing. “I’ve been a huge fan of Mongabay for years,” Vora said. “It sits at the intersection of the issues closest to my heart: nature, animal welfare, community wellbeing, and journalism. Its work is made possible by its top-notch journalists, who fiercely tell the stories — sometimes at huge personal risk — that would otherwise get overlooked.” “But Mongabay doesn’t just inform; it shifts outcomes, from the United States to Gabon, from the Netherlands to Malaysia, and beyond,” he said. “I love that Mongabay publishes in eight languages and makes its reporting freely available, reaching people who might otherwise not get environmental news.” Neil Vora for TIME Magazine’s The World’s Most Influential Rising Stars list. Photo by Julie Stahl / TIME. Reaching more readers in more languages Vora joins at a time of fast growth. Through the end of September, Mongabay’s traffic was up 174% over last year, reflecting growing demand for original environmental journalism even as artificial intelligence changes how people discover and consume information. Mongabay has set up reporting desks for wildlife, oceans, Indigenous peoples, conservation solutions, investigations, and short-form news. The organization is broadening its offerings through StoryTransformer, which is working to make reporting available in more languages and formats, including audio for radio distribution, messaging platforms like WhatsApp, text messages, and community media. In September, Mongabay launched redesigned mobile applications for Android and iOS, an effort led by Mongabay VP of Programs and Executive Editor Willie Shubert. The apps offer ad-free user experience and new formats and functionality, including personalized news feeds, short vertical videos, audio clips, place-based alerts, and an interactive map to explore stories around the world. They are part of a broader effort to build direct relationships with readers and reduce dependence on social media, search engines, and chatbot algorithms. Mongabay is also expanding its Y. Eva Tan Conservation Reporting Fellowship, which trains and supports journalists in regions where environmental reporting opportunities are often limited. The program has more than quadrupled the number of annual fellows in its first four years, and most recently added Indonesian and Portuguese cohorts alongside existing English, Spanish, and French fellowships. “We’re reaching more people, in more places and formats, than ever before,” said Holt Thrasher, Mongabay’s board chair. “Neil knows what’s at stake in that reporting. He’s seen what happens to people when nature breaks down and disease follows.” Vora’s appointment brings an additional perspective to Mongabay’s work as it develops reporting on planetary health, including the effects of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and environmental change on human communities. “Its independent journalism could not be more important at this precarious moment for humanity and the planet,” Vora said. Credits Topics