The Growing Tick Threat

Mandi de Mestre, BVSc, Ph.D., PGCAP, is the Director of the Baker Institute for Animal Health and the Dorothy Havemeyer McConville Professor in Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. de Mestre earned her veterinary degree with First Class Honours from the University of Sydney and completed her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences at the Australian National University, where she received the prestigious Frank Fenner Medal. Following postdoctoral training at Cornell, she spent 15 years on the faculty at the Royal Veterinary College in London before returning to Cornell in 2023.

As Director, Dr. de Mestre is guiding the Baker Institute’s strategic vision while advancing interdisciplinary research that improves the health of animals and people. An internationally recognized leader in reproductive biology, she also chairs the International Symposium on Equine Reproduction and serves on the Foundation Board of the International Society on Equine Reproduction, helping shape the future of equine and comparative reproductive science worldwide.

Patrick Carney, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, is an Associate Professor in Community Practice at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Carney earned his DVM from Cornell University and completed a residency in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Oregon State University. He then worked as an internist for Tufts VETS while obtaining a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health.

Dr. Carney’s clinical interests include the appropriate use and interpretation of diagnostic tests, particularly for infectious diseases and routine screening. He spends much of his research effort on helping other clinician-scientists design and analyze clinical studies. Dr. Carney teaches the small animal infectious disease portion of the preclinical curriculum at Cornell.

Laura B. Goodman, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Cornell University’s Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Section Chief of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, and a faculty member at the Baker Institute for Animal Health. Dr. Goodman earned her Ph.D. in Comparative Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Infectious Disease–Virology from Cornell University. Her research focuses on emerging infectious diseases, tick-borne pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, and genomic surveillance at the intersection of animal, human, and environmental health.

Dr. Goodman leads multiple federally funded research initiatives and works to develop innovative diagnostic tools that improve disease detection and strengthen One Health surveillance. She is internationally recognized for her expertise in molecular epidemiology and pathogen genomics and has received numerous honors, including the SUNY Chancellor Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities and the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence.