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INFORMATION FOR

Tick-borne Diseases

credit: CDC
The Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases at the Yale School of Public Health has long been a leader in the discovery and research of several tick-borne diseases, beginning with Lyme disease in the late 1970s. The Department brings together expertise in an array of disciplines for the study of tick-borne diseases, including epidemiology, entomology, and disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. YSPH faculty engage in research, teaching, surveillance, and control of several tick-borne diseases: Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi hard tick relapsing fever, Powassan virus and Lyme disease. The research work encompasses a range of projects including the epidemiology of these infections in tick vectors, reservoir hosts, and humans; geographic and spatial analysis of epidemiological data; human genetic risk of tick-borne infection; ecological and behavioral drivers for human risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens; persistence of infection; and co-infection with multiple pathogens, analysis of the cost of infections, and effectiveness of prevention methods.

Faculty of Interest

  • Durland Fish, PhD

    Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

    Research Interests
    • Babesia
    • Babesiosis
    • Borrelia
    • Chikungunya virus
    • Climate
    • Epidemiology
    • Biological Evolution
    • Insect Vectors
    • Lyme Disease
    • Parasitology
    • Public Health
    • Ticks
    • Global Health
    • Evolution, Planetary
    • Climate Change
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  • Robert Heimer, PhD

    Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and of Pharmacology; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

    Research Interests
    • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
    • Epidemiology
    • Foodborne Diseases
    • Hepatitis C
    • Injections
    • Public Health
    • Russia
    • Vietnam
    • Global Health
    • HIV Infections
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  • Peter James Krause, MD

    Senior Research Scientist in Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases), in Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and in Pediatrics (Infectious Disease) and Lecturer in Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Affiliated faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

    Research Interests
    • Babesiosis
    • Blood Transfusion
    • Epidemiology
    • Lyme Disease
    • Relapsing Fever
    • Borrelia burgdorferi
    • Infectious Disease Medicine
    • Biostatistics
    • Diseases
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  • Linda Niccolai, PhD

    Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Director, HPV Working Group at Yale; Director, CT Emerging Infections Program at Yale, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases

    Research Interests
    • Epidemiologic Methods
    • Epidemiology
    • HIV
    • Sexually Transmitted Diseases
    • Vaccines
    • Communicable Diseases, Emerging
    • Qualitative Research
    • Human papillomavirus 11
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Secondary & Adjunct Faculty

  • Erol Fikrig, MD

    Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases) and of Microbial Pathogenesis; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Section Chief, Infectious Diseases, Internal Medicine

    Research Interests
    • Bacteria
    • Epidemiology
    • Lyme Disease
    • Parasitology
    • Public Health
    • Ticks
    • Viruses
    • West Nile virus
    • Global Health
    • Ehrlichiosis
    • Malaria Vaccines
    • Borrelia burgdorferi
    • Infectious Disease Medicine
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  • James Meek, MPH

    Associate Director, Yale Emerging Infections Program, and Lecturer in Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Associate Director, Yale Emerging Infections Program

    Research Interests
    • Epidemiology
    • Tick Control
    • Ticks
    • Zoonoses
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  • Eugene Shapiro, MD

    Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) and of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases); Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pediatrics, Pediatrics; Deputy Director, Investigative Medicine PhD Program, Investigative Medicine Program; Co-Director of Education, Yale Center for Clinical Investigation, YCCI Senior Leadership; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health

    Research Interests
    • Education
    • Lyme Disease
    • Investigative Techniques
    • Pediatrics
    • Vaccines
    • Case-Control Studies
    • Infectious Disease Medicine
    • Translational Research, Biomedical
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