About Us
Dr. Neeta Pardanani Connally
Neeta Pardanani Connally is an Associate Professor specializing in medical entomology at Western Connecticut State University. She received her Ph.D. in Environmental Science from the University of Rhode Island, her M.S.P.H from Tulane University School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, and her B.S. in Animal Biology from Louisiana Tech University. Before joining WCSU, she was a research scientist at the Yale School of Public Health. Her research focuses in the ecology, epidemiology, and prevention of vector-borne diseases, specifically, prevention of tickborne pathogen transmission to humans. She is interested in how individuals and communities can protect themselves from tickborne illnesses via personal behaviors or manipulating the environment. She is the recipient of a Board of Regents Faculty Research Award and is frequently invited to speak on the topic of tickborne disease biology and prevention.
Dr. Daniel W. Barrett
Daniel W. Barrett is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT. He received his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, and his B.A. from the College of Social Studies, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT. Prior to joining WCSU, Dr. Barrett served as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Health Communication at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania. At WCSU, he has served as the Director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and the Director of Faculty Advising. He is currently the President of the University Senate. His research interests include persuasion, social influence, and cross-cultural psychology.
Dr. Rayda K. Krell
Rayda is an entomologist who has studied and worked in integrated pest management for 20 years. She received her B.A. in Biology and Russian from Middlebury College, VT and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Entomology from Iowa State University. She worked in Iowa and California to research the epidemiology of plant diseases caused by insect-transmitted pathogens. Recently, she has been a consultant to the agricultural industry to train employees about pest management and is an adjunct professor at Western Connecticut State University. She is very involved with the Entomological Society of America and was in the first class of their Science Policy Fellows program. She frequently participates in outreach about entomology to K-12 students.
Dr. Thomas N. Mather
Thomas N. Mather is a Professor and Director of the Center for Vector-Borne Disease at the University of Rhode Island. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, his M.S. from the University of Delaware, and his B.S. from Muhlenberg College, PA. Before joining URI, Mather was a research scientist at the Harvard School for Public Health. Mather has over 30 years of experience with vector-borne disease research, specifically on mosquito and tick ecology. For the past 11 years, his research has focused on tick population suppression and transmission dynamics of tickborne diseases. His research and outreach programs are diverse, including vaccine discovery projects, evaluations of targeted tick control strategies, tickborne disease risk prediction, as well as development of tick-bite protection decision support tools and social networking strategies for tickborne disease prevention. His website, TickEncounter.org, has received local, national, and international recognition.
Dr. Howard S. Ginsberg
Howard S. Ginsberg is a Research Ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. He is USGS Field Station Leader and Professor in Residence at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Ginsberg received his Ph.D. in Entomology from Cornell University in 1979, based on his research on the foraging ecology of wild bees in the northeastern U.S. His current research explores transmission dynamics and management of vector-borne zoonotic pathogens, such as Lyme disease spirochetes and West Nile Virus. Dr. Ginsberg received the Director’s Award for Natural Resource Research in 1999 from the U.S. National Park Service.
Mr. Steven Engborg
Prior to joining University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease, Steve worked for the Louisiana State University AgCenter on a project to evaluate the health of the Mississippi Delta marsh following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In addition to his bachelor’s degree in biology, Steve holds an M.S. in science education. He has classroom experience educating students of many ages, from elementary school to university undergraduate. Steve grew up picking ticks off himself in Wilton, CT.