Our current projects
The Eco-epidemiology lab led by Prof. Maria Diuk-Wasser has been conducting several tick-focused research projects in NYC since 2017. Our field work has focused primarily on Staten Island, the most affected borough.

Through tracking deer and mice movement, sampling tick and mice in parks and screening for pathogens, this project will determine how tick-borne diseases, like Lyme disease, can emerge and persist on Staten Island.
Project lead: Meredith VanAcker, MS, PhD Candidate

This project examines the role of urban feral cats in the Lyme disease system as potential predators of the main host of the disease, the white-footed mouse.
Project lead: Laura Plimpton, MS Candidate

From our research last year we discovered that the newly invasive Asian longhorned tick feeds on deer but not on mice. We aim to determine if it feeds on medium-sized mammals (raccoons, opossums, skunks, etc.) that could infect them.
Project lead: Danielle Tufts, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate

This project examines how the depth and quality of the leaf litter in parks and other forest characteristics affect the number of mice, the number of ticks, and the role that leaves and plants play in the spread of Lyme disease.
Project lead: Daniel Mathisson, MA Candidate

The goal of this project is to evaluate the risk of tick exposure in the most frequently used areas in parks, how the park visitors protect themselves from tick bites and what we can do to increase the protection from ticks
Project lead: Erin Hasset, MS Candidate (Cornell Univ.)

During house visits, we will evaluate the risk in the yards by sampling for ticks and conducting a survey to learn about protective measures people undertake or are willing to implement. This data will be combined with the data collected in parks and The Tick App to understand how can we better prevent tick exposure and provide custom-made solutions for Staten Islanders.
Project lead: Pilar Fernandez, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate

The main goal of this project is to study human behavior, tick exposure and the risk of Lyme disease using a citizen science approach via a smartphone application, The Tick App. The Tick App uses a combination of surveys and geolocation technology to uncover how people's day-to-day activities play a role in their risk for tick-borne diseases.
Project lead: Pilar Fernandez, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate