The Center for Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Governance

Nikos Vasilakis serves as the Center's director, and Dr. Laura Dickson as the associate director. The Center’s leadership is advised by a 6-member diverse Advisory Board (AB) consisting of three UTMB faculty and 3 external members of national and international stature. Advisory board membership is voluntary and non-compensated.

UTMB faculty members will include: Drs. Matthew Dacso (Internal Medicine-Infectious Diseases), Susan McClellan (Internal Medicine-Infectious Diseases), and Mariano Garcia-Blanco (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology); external board members include: Drs. Peter J. Walker (University of Queensland, Australia), Mauricio Nogueira (FAMERP, Brazil) and Kathryn Hanley (NMSU, USA). The Center and CREATE-NEO leadership teams and the AB will be meeting twice yearly by video-conference to review progress, identify potential sources of vector borne and zoonotic disease emergence, novel and emerging field of research, identify new strategic partnership areas, and importantly new lines of funding programs and sources.

The Center as part of UTMB Health strives to provide equal opportunity without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information or veteran status.