Our Team

Our lab functions because of the hard work of research staff and student interns who work throughout the year to help collect data and keep our projects moving forward.  If you’re interested in learning more about seasonal student internships and/or other opportunities to work on tickborne disease prevention projects at WCSU, click here.

Neeta Pardanani Connally

Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, WCSU Biology
​Bio

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Rayda Krell, Ph.D.

BITM Study Coordinator
​Assistant Professor
​​Bio

Vicki Hornbostel, M.S.

Project Assistant
​Bio

Brittany Schappach, B.A. 

Research Assistant
WCSU Biology ’18
​Bio

Sandra Zapata Ramirez, B.A.

Study Coordinator
​WCSU Biology ’18
​​Bio

Daniel Buser, B.A.

Research Assistant 
​WCSU Anthropology, ’18
​​Bio

Danielle Marcone

Summer Research Assistant 
​Quinnipiac Biology, ’21
Bio

Karen Thompson, B.A., M.S.

Research Assistant 2011-2012,
​Laboratory Manager 2012-2018
Bio

Tick Lab Alumni:

​Barbara Campbell (Sociology), Vanele Dacosta (Biology '16), Melissa Dease (Biology '12), Melissa DiNino (Biology '14), Carina Doyle (NYU Biology), Payal Dudhedia (Biology '16), Karina Escobar (Biology '16), AmberJean Hansen (Biology '14), Socheata Lim (Biochemistry '14), Jake Lipinski (Biology '17), Kim Lockwood (Biology '17), Christopher Madden (Biology), Megan Morrow (Biology '15), Devin Norkowski (Psychology), Colin O’Brien (Biology '16), Bruna Oliveira (Biology '15), Dimitri Psaltos (Boston Univ. Biomedical Engineering), Jennifer Reid (Health Promotion '13), Chantal Ridlon (Biology '14), Esau Rojas (Biology '15), Kiran Singh-Smith (Barnard Coll. Environmental Sciences), Amanda Thompson (UNH Biology '18), Robert Toth III (Biology '17), Layra Valdez (Biochemistry '19), Rebecca Warren (Biology '16).