Vector Biology Boot Camp

The Vector Biology Boot Camp is offered by the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases to provide hands-on learning opportunities in vector surveillance program operations.

The program is designed for vector-borne disease professionals working in the Northeast, covering tick and mosquito species of medical importance to this region. Ideal program applicants include professionals whose job duties specifically involve vector surveillance and/or control.

Current Program Offerings (2024)

We will be hosting this year’s hands-on training event in partnership with the MaineHealth Lyme & Vector-Borne Disease Lab in May 2024.

  • When: Tuesday May 21 to Thursday May 23, 2024
  • Where: 81 Research Drive, Scarborough, Maine 04074
  • Cost: Attendance to this event is no-cost. Participant housing and meals are included. Attendees are responsible for travel to and from the training site. Travel assistance may be available on an individual basis.
  • Agenda: The final agenda for the 2024 Vector Biology Boot Camp will be available shortly. You can access a general overview of the modules included in this training event in the 2024 Vector Biology Boot Camp Flyer.

How to Apply

The application window for the 2024 Vector Biology Boot Camp closed on Friday March 8, 2024.

Program Highlights

Hands-On Training:

Attendees gain hands-on experience in the latest methods for field collection and identification of medically important ticks and mosquitoes in the Northeast region of the US.


Expert Instruction:

Vector Biology Boot Camp instructors have over 500 years of cumulative experience in the fields of mosquito and tick surveillance, identification, and control.


Networking:

Attendees have multiple opportunities to engage with colleagues and counterparts from across the region, as well as interact with our team of vector-borne disease expert instructors.


Program Essentials:

The Vector Biology Boot Camp curriculum covers the essentials of maintaining a vector surveillance program, including methods for data collection, equipment considerations, and best practices for communicating with the media and the public.

Program Impact

The Vector Biology Boot Camp Workplace Impact Assessment was published in summer of 2020. This brief report provides a summary of how program attendance has influenced workplace operations for attendees to the 2018 and 2019 Vector Biology Boot Camps.

Read the Report

Online Lecture Series Recordings

You can access recorded presentations from the 2021 Virtual Vector Biology Boot Camp available through the Cornell Video on Demand service. Simply complete the user registration form below to gain access to these recordings.

Vector Biology Boot Camp Recording Access Form


The 2021 Virtual Vector Biology Boot Camp covered the following topics:

  • Arthropod Biology & Behavior / Major Regional and Emering Diseases
  • Mosquito and Tick Collection & Processing Methods
  • Data Management & Analysis, Mapping, and Advanced Spatial Statistics
  • Taxonomy of Mosquitoes and Ticks
  • Vector Control for Mosquitoes and Ticks
  • Public Health Communication
  • Vector-Borne Disease Diagnostics
  • Pesticide Resistance Monitoring and Mosquito Colony Maintenance
  • Monitoring for Metastriate and Ixodes ticks
  • Regional Networking Opportunity

Meet Our Instructors

Bristol County (MA) Mosquito Control Project

  • Priscilla Matton - Superintendant, Entomologist (2019, 2020, 2021)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases

  • Roxanne Connelly - Chief Entomologist, Arboviral Diseases Branch (2023)
  • Erik Foster - Medical Entomologist, Bacterial Diseases Branch (2021)
  • William Nicholson - Microbiologist, Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch (2021)
  • Anna Perea - Policy & Communications Lead, Bacterial Diseases Branch (2018, 2020)

Columbia University

  • Maria Diuk-Wasser - Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolution & Environmental Biology (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Maria del Pilar Fernández - Postdoctoral Associate (current: Assistant Professor, Washington State University) (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Ángel Muñoz - Associate Research Scientist, International Research Institute for Climate and Society (2018, 2019)

Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

  • Theodore Andreadis - Director (retired) (2018, 2019)
  • Philip Armstrong - Agricultural Scientist (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
  • John Shepard - Assistant Agricultural Scientist (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Kirby Stafford - Chief Scientist/State Entomologist (retired) (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

Cornell University

  • Lindsay Baxter - Research Support Specialist, Department of Entomology (2023)
  • James Burtis - Postdoctoral Associate (current: Biologist, CDC-DVBD Bacterial Diseases Branch) (2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Amelia Greiner Safi - Professor of Practice, Public & Ecosystem Health (2021, 2023)
  • Laura Harrington - Professor of Entomology (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023)
  • Emily Mader - Extension Associate, Department of Entomology (2018, 2023)
  • Sarah Michaels - Lecturer, Department of Entomolgy (current: Clinical Assistant Professor, Tulane University) (2019)

Louis Calder Center, Fordham University

  • Thomas J. Daniels - Director (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

New Jersey State Mosquito Control Commission

  • Scott Crans - Commission Administrator (2018)

New York State Department of Health

  • Bryon Backenson - Director, Bureau of Communicable Disease Control (2018, 2019)
  • Alexander Ciota - Director, Wadsworth Center Arbovirus Laboratory (2020, 2021)
  • Richard Falco - Regional Medical Entomologist (2018, 2019)
  • Alexander ‘Sasha’ Keyel - Research Scientist (2021)
  • Nicholas Piedmonte - Assistant Research Scientist (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
  • Melissa Prusinski - Research Scientist (2020, 2021)
  • Dennis White - Associate Director, Office of Health Emergency Preparedness (retired) (2018, 2019)
  • Jennifer White - Deputy Director, Vector-Borne Disease Unit (2018, 2019)
  • Steven Zink - Surveillance, Wadsworth Center Arbovirus Laboratory (2018)

Pennsylvania State Department of Environmental Protection

  • Christian Boyer - Manager, Tick Surveillance & Testing Program (2023)
  • Keith Price - Microbiologist, Vector Management (2023)

Pennsylvania State University

  • Jessica Brown - Graduate Student, Department of Entomology (2023)
  • Jesse Evans - Graduate Student, Department of Entomology (2023)
  • Erika Machtinger - Assistant Professor of Entomology (2023)
  • Jamie Kopco - Pesticide Education Specialist (2023)
  • Michael Skvarla - Assistant Research Professor of Arthropod Identification (2023)
  • Emily Struckhoff - Vector-Borne Disease Program Specialist (2023)
  • Maria Luisa Tejada de Rivero - Extension Educator, Food Families & Health (2023)

Suffolk County (NY) Department of Health Services

  • Scott Campbell - Chief, Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory (2018, 2019)