Table of Contents
- Letter from the Chair
- Grants & Awards
- Presentations
- Publications
- Research
- Tufts Wildlife Clinic
- Featured Community
- Student Corner
- Recent Events
- Updates & Reminders
- Wellness Corner
- Submissions
Letter from the Chair
Welcome, everyone, to the latest edition of our IDGH newsletter. While the New Year always promises changes and fresh starts, I think most would agree this year seems to be a bit amplified.
I look forward to meeting the new challenges and hopefully new opportunities as well that we face in moving forward with our mission in education, research and service. The work you all do to shed light on the basic understanding of infectious disease and health in both veterinary and human medicine, and on strategies for preventing and treating disease is far too important to let setbacks impede our attempts at progress. Whether considering the external challenges to fund research, attract students, and provide services that meet the needs of our communities or meeting the internal needs to develop new research and clinical infrastructure, continue to develop and revise graduate programs, and support our own community, I am confident that we will continue to forge a better and brighter IDGH every day.
We hope our quarterly newsletter contributes a small piece to that work, sharing the news and helping to connect our community and hopefully provide a breath of fresh air when you need it. As always, if you have ideas or want to share your thoughts on the newsletter, please reach out to Michaela Randall and I.
Thank you,
Jon
Grants & Awards
Allen Rutberg received a $20,000 grant from The Humane Society of the United States, and a $5,000 gift from the Burket-Plack Foundation; both to support his wildlife contraception research.
Chuck Shoemaker was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) on December 10, 2024. He and other fellows will be honored at the upcoming NAI annual meeting in June 2025 in Atlanta, GA.
PhD student Fernando Javier Vilchez Delgado was awarded the Terry Amundsen Presentation Award for the best presentation at the WDA International Conference.
Presentations
Giovanni Widmer participated in the virtual international meeting “Apicomplexa 2025” from January 23rd-24th. He presented the talk, “Cryptosporidium-microbiota interaction in the mouse: Can probiotics protect against severe cryptosporidiosis?”
Jon Runstadler was invited to give the presentation, “Influenza - Past, Present, and Future” at the US Animal Health Association Annual meeting in Nashville, TN on October 16th.
Jon Runstadler was also invited to give another presentation, "Influenza: Disease in Wildlife" at the Ecology and Evolution of Influenza Symposium in Athens, GA on November 18th at the University of Georgia’s Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases.
Yi-Pin Lin gave the talk, "OneHealth approaches to identify Lyme disease transmission determinants and prevention targets" to UMass Medical's Microbiology department on January 28th.
Hellen Amuguni participated in a New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) proposal review panel at Global Affairs Canada from January 13th-16th.
Publications
From the research group of Akram Da'Dara and Patrick Skelly: The enigmatic heptalaminate surface membrane of intravascular schistosomes (Trends in parasitology. February 2025)
From the research group of Yi-Pin Lin: CspZ variant-specific interaction with factor H incorporates a metal site to support Lyme borreliae complement evasion (Journal of Biological Chemistry. January 2025)
From the research group of Giovanni Widmer, Debora Da Silva, and Hannah Creasey: Nebulization of 2% lidocaine has no detectable impact on the healthy equine respiratory microbiota (PloS One. January 2025)
From the research group of Allen Rutberg: Effects of Porcine Zona Pellucida Immunocontraception on Mare Body Condition and Foaling Season Length in Two Western Wild Horse Populations (Animals: An Open Access Journal from MDPI. December 2024)
From the research group of Jonathan Runstadler and Laura Borkenhagen: Examining the Influenza A Virus Sialic Acid Binding Preference Predictions of a Sequence-Based Convolutional Neural Network (Influenza and other respiratory viruses. December 2024)
From the research group of Yi-Pin Lin and Carly Fernandes: Microbial genetic variation impacts host eco-immunological strategies and microparasite fitness in Lyme borreliae-reptile system (Ticks and tick-bourne diseases. November 2024)
Tufts Wildlife Clinic
Year in Review 2024
It was another busy year at the Tufts Wildlife Clinic. In 2024, a total of 4,370 patients were admitted, just 40 shy of the previous record of 4,410, which was set in 2019. Of the total number of patients admitted, 2,248 were aves, 1,985 were mammals, and 126 were reptiles, with 172 different species taken into the clinic. The species with the most intakes for mammals was eastern cottontails, numbering at 1075. For birds of prey, the red-tailed hawk was the most numerous, with 206 patients admitted. Red-tailed hawks came in for injuries such as fractures and viral infections. For reptiles, the most common species admitted to the clinic was the painted turtle, with 60 admissions for 2024. There were some species listed under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act in the clinic in 2024, like this Blanding’s turtle, which is listed as Threatened under the Massachusetts ESA:
A significant number of barred owls were treated this year, with 120 admissions. Barred owls were treated for a myriad of injuries, including fractures, and head trauma. The US national bird was present in the clinic, with 11 bald eagles treated this year. A few were juveniles, and Mass Fish and Wildlife had the opportunity to band them at the clinic before being released. The fastest animal on Earth was also seen at the clinic this year. 8 Peregrine Falcons were admitted to the Wildlife Clinic in 2024.
This year at the Tufts Wildlife Clinic will be one to remember. It was busy, but the staff and faculty rise to the challenge, ready for whatever injured wildlife may arrive in 2025.
Featured Community
Roxanne Collins
Administrative Assistant
I am Roxanne Fernandes Collins, born in Boston MA. I’ve worked in the IDGH department at Cummings for 2.5 years. A little story: most of my childhood was spent in Medford MA where Tufts University has a large footprint. The Medford campus often held amusement-park, community-themed fairs during the summers, and I loved going to the revamped fields and parking lots, transformed with loud music, to play on carnival rides and eat cotton candy, with tons of people and kids shouting and having fun. It wasn’t until years later that I realized Tufts was actually a school and not just a playground!
Throughout my years working in human services and training organizations, I always dreamt Tufts would be a good place to work. After applying a few times over a few decades, my dream became reality when I began work on Tufts Medford campus at the Fletcher School in 2017. How rewarding for me to work at a place that prepares people for our future. Three years ago, my husband and I found a new home in Northborough. I commuted to my Fletcher job from Northborough for over a year, then decided I wanted less travel time in my commute. Again, I searched Tufts open positions and found a great position in IDGH working with Department Manager Jenn Keefe.
I now work about 10 minutes from my home, with the best team of IDGH and wildlife personnel. And people wonder why I smile all the time! Not only did I regain time each workday, I get to work with great people in beautiful Grafton setting. Our admin team works hard, dedicated to quality work, even when time is tight. I enjoy being part of this group, supporting IDGH with personnel and administration needs. I learn more each day about research, Cummings unique language, support tools from TSS, academic needs and procedures, and more.
Each day my hope is to be in decent-to-good mood and share positivity. I enjoy making someone’s day easier or nicer, getting tasks done and feeling that I’m learning, appreciating, and giving each work item its full attention.
Student Corner
View the faces, backgrounds and bios of selected students from the MS in Conservation Medicine (MCM) and MS in Animals and Public Policy (MAPP) Programs!
Student Resources
Confidential Counseling
Confidential Counseling provides free and confidential counseling to Tufts students when navigating:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Homesickness
- Conflict
- Eating Disorders
- Financial Concerns
- Alcohol/Substance Abuse
- Family Issues (Divorce, Illness, etc.)
- Academic/Life/Work Balance
For support, please call (800) 756-3124 - Available 24/7
Take Care Tuesdays
Come and meet with the Student Wellness Advisor, Lynn Roy, for a wellness check in, a snack, a self care activity and a word of encouragement! Every Tuesday 12-1pm at Elm's.
New Community Pantry for Students
These resources are available to all students 24/7 who may be experiencing food insecurity. You will need your Tufts ID to access the building after hours. We just ask that you complete our "Check Out" form when using the pantry so we can continue to evaluate and adjust operations to efficiently support students' needs. The Community Pantry is the first of many steps as our campus aims to address basic needs challenges impacting our students, including food insecurity.
The Community Pantry is located within the Campus Center 2nd Floor (Between Quiet and Loud Lounges).
Recent Events
Department of IDGH Holiday Party
The Department of IDGH held a fun Holiday Party on 12/17 in the Wood Conference Room of the Barbour Wildlife Building. This celebration featured a potluck, a game of white elephant, and a new cookie swap! All attendees had a great time catching up and exchanging food, gifts, stories, and holiday spirit.
Updates & Reminders
Tufts University observes the following paid holidays throughout the year:
- Monday, April 21st - Patriot's Day
- Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day
New Parking Lot for Students: The Cummings School has recently introduced a new parking lot next to Building 20. While it may be tempting to park in the new, closer spot, this lot is reserved for the V28 students only.
Tufts Parking Portal: The new Tufts Parking Portal system was launched in early January. An FAQ page with answers to using the portal is available.
Coming Changes to Campus: Building 18 has begun the process of demolition as of January 27th, 2025.
New Hires in IDGH: Dr. Abhineet Sheoran will be joined by a new Research Tech Anne Fu.
Faculty: Start preparing now for any summer students and let the admin team know if you are planning to hire. Remember to use your professional development funds as well.
Wellness Corner
Recent Wellness Events
The Cummings Mental Health & Wellbeing Group recently held held its' Navigating Grief During the Holidays & Remembering Those We Lost Through Creativity events on 12/9 and 12/11. On Monday the 9th, Ken Barringer, M.A., LMHC hosted a lecture and workshop around grief. On Wednesday the 11th, the group hosted a bracelet-making event to destress and/or memorialize those that have passed, human or non-human with custom charm bracelets.
Resources for Faculty & Staff
KGA, your Employee Assistance Program, offers free customized resources, in-the-moment emotional support and various professional consultations for you and all adults 18+ in your household - including family, roommates and partners!
- Telephone - (800-648-9557) 24/7 live access
- KGA LifeServices Platform to self-schedule, text/chat, and email.
- KGA Mobile app for 24/7 access anywhere (available in Apple and Google Play stores)
This Month's Spotlight: Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the science of designing work environments to fit the unique needs of individuals, promoting efficiency, comfort, and injury prevention. However, poor ergonomic practices can lead to musculoskeletal disorders, fatigue, and decreased productivity; it is not a subject to be ignored.
Below are some of KGA's free resources for achieving better ergonomics. Please note that to access these recourses, you must be registered with KGA as a Tufts Employee, and logged in to access the content in the links below. If you don't have an account with KGA, please click the green "Create a free KGA Membership" button above to get started.
- Ergonomics in a Work Environment (Article)
- Chair Yoga (Webinar)
- Workstation Workout (Video)
- Back and Stretch Series (3 Videos)
- Bonus: Why Some People Find Exercise Harder Than Others TED Talk (Video)
*DISCLAIMER: The videos on this site are intended for instructional purposes only and are not to be used as a substitute for professional advice or information. To avoid potential injury, be sure to consult your doctor or other medical professional before conducting these exercises. KGA is not liable for any injury or medical condition which may occur after following along with these videos. Please be aware of any physical limitations you may have and take care to not push your body past what is reasonable for you.
Submissions
Carly's work with D&S Deer Processing
Carly Fernandes of the Lin Lab helped Melissa Prusinski’s lab from the Wadsworth Center collect data on hunter-killed deer (and the ticks living on them) as a part of their tick-borne pathogen surveillance program. They were also collecting fully engorged female ticks for the Lin lab to help maintain their colony of ticks in the lab.
The photos were taken by Ashley Hodge at D&S Deer Processing in Mechanicville, NY.