Ticks and Tickborne Diseases Symposium | Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute

3rd Annual Ticks and Tickborne Diseases Symposium

April 30, 2025 Agenda

Sheldon Hall

8:00am Registration

8:30am Welcome and Introduction
Nicole Baumgarth, Director, Lyme and Tickborne Diseases Research and Education Institute

8:45am Tick surveillance and tickborne disease risk assessment
Dustin Brisson, University of Pennsylvania

9:30am Tick biology and new tools to guide anti-tick efforts
Jean Tsao, Michigan State University

10:15am Coffee break & Poster viewing (Feinstone Hall)

11:15am B. burgdorferi bacterial genetics and pathogenesis (Sheldon Hall)
Brian Stevenson, University of Kentucky

12:00pm Lunch & Poster viewing (Feinstone)

Feinstone Hall

1:15pm Panel #1 Human tickborne diseases – challenges and opportunities
Linden Hu, Tufts University
John Aucott, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Facilitator: Paul Auwaerter, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

2:00 pm Panel #2 New and emerging tickborne diseases
Saravanan Thangamani, Upstate Medical University
John Branda, Massachusetts General Hospital
Facilitator: Thomas Hart. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

2:45 pm Coffee Break

3:15 pm Panel #3 Tick surveillance and intervention strategies
Holly Gaff, Old Dominion University
Robert P Smith (Maine Health Institute for Research)
Facilitator: Doug Norris (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

4:00 pm Keynote Address: Tickborne Disease Vaccine Progress
Joppe Hovius, Multidisciplinary Lyme Borreliosis Center, Amsterdam UMC

5:00 pm Cocktails/mixer (Wall of Wonder)