Risa Pesapane

Risa Pesapane is an Assistant Professor in Ecosystem and Wildlife Health at The Ohio State University, jointly affiliated with the Department of Preventive Medicine and the School of Environment and Natural Resources. She leads the Parasite and Pathogen Ecology (PPE) Lab, which investigates infectious disease ecology in natural populations, focusing on ticks and mites as critical vectors for human, wildlife, and domestic animal health risks.

• Ph.D. in Ecology (2019) with emphasis on Vector-borne Disease, University of California, Davis
• M.S. in Wildlife Science (2011) with focus on Disease Ecology, Virginia Tech
• B.S. in Biology (2007) and Wildlife Science (2006), Virginia Tech

The PPE Lab employs interdisciplinary approaches, including molecular and morphological methods, mathematical modeling, and field studies, to analyze acarid (tick/mite) abundance drivers, disease transmission dynamics, and conservation implications. Key projects include tracking Ohio's tick species distribution, studying Lyme disease transmission via Ixodes scapularis, and investigating pathogenic nasal mites in marine mammals.

Her lab collaborates with the Ohio Department of Health, state/federal agencies, and non-profit organizations, maintaining a biorepository of 22,000+ tick specimens. The lab is part of Ohio State's Ecosystem Health Unit, Infectious Disease Institute, and Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Lab, equipped with advanced tools like Real-Time PCR systems.