Description

Introduction: Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are responsible for a significant burden of morbidity and mortality across the globe, and they directly threaten human health security. Across many parts of the United States, for example, a diversity of potentially debilitating tick-borne infections – anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, and spotted fever group rickettsial infections – are becoming more common. Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and chikungunya are also moving into the southern United States. Regional changes in climate, particularly increases in temperature and precipitation, will likely expand the ranges and frequency of these vectors and their pathogens. Likewise, globalized transportation networks may introduce vectors and pathogens into naïve populations. Both processes have the potential to increase the risk of human infections.  Cataloging, understanding, and ultimately predicting the movement of pathogens into naïve suitable environments is a critical step toward understanding current and future public health threats. This workshop will bring together experts including climatologists, epidemiologists, health geographers, and tick and mosquito experts. 
 

Objectives: The proposed workshop will include both scientific presentations and breakout group sessions. The presentations will provide an overview of the current state of understanding for field observations, the use of remotely sensed data (such as vegetation and land use data), temperature and precipitation data and projections – and its availability and reliability, epidemiological data, and spatial modeling. Breakout groups will be tasked with scoping out different vector-pathogen systems with the goal of writing a white paper to identify and characterize the current ranges and habitats of a vector-pathogen system.  These papers will highlight current knowledge gaps and offer insights into next steps towards developing GIS models for these systems to predict future range shifts in light of global change.

Program

Monday, August 13, 2018

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Call For Participation

This workshop is part of Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013+. Attendance is by invitation only.  If you would like to participate, please go to Application to attend to fill out an application for participation. Some funds are available to support participants, with emphasis on graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty. Please go to http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/archive/Workshops/Emerging/applicant.html to fill out an application for financial support. Deadline for Applications for full consideration for participation and financial support: June 8, 2018. Applications will continue to be accepted until all slots are filled.

Organizers:
Sadie Ryan, University of Florida
Benjamin Cash, Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, George Mason University
Holly Gaff, Old Dominion University
 

Scientific Organizing Committee:
Benjamin A. Cash, Center for Ocean-Land-Atmosphere Studies, George Mason University: Holly Gaff, Old Dominion University; Shannon LaDeau, Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies; and Sadie Ryan, University of Florida

Confirmed Speakers:
Leah R. Johnson (Virginia Tech), Luis E. Escobar (Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), Sadie Ryan (University of Florida), Alex Perkins (University of Notre Dame), Sam Rund (Ashworth Labs)

Presented in association with the Mathematics of Planet Earth 2013+ Program.