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Mean daily temperatures predict the thermal limits of malaria transmission better than hourly rate summation

Temperature shapes the geographic distribution, seasonality, and magnitude of mosquito-borne disease outbreaks. Models predicting transmission often use mosquito and pathogen thermal responses measured at constant temperatures. However, mosquitoes live in fluctuating temperatures. Rate summation––non-linear averaging of trait values measured at constant temperatures—is commonly used to infer performance in fluctuating environments, but its accuracy is rarely […]

The overlapping global distribution of dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever

Arboviruses transmitted mainly by Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Ae. albopictus, including dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, and yellow fever virus in urban settings, pose an escalating global threat. Existing risk maps, often hampered by surveillance biases, may underestimate or misrepresent the true distribution of these diseases and do not incorporate epidemiological similarities despite shared vector species. We address this by […]

Why the growth of arboviral diseases necessitates a new generation of global risk maps and future projections

Global risk maps are an important tool for assessing the global threat of mosquito and tick-transmitted arboviral diseases. Public health officials increasingly rely on risk maps to understand the drivers of transmission, forecast spread, identify gaps in surveillance, estimate disease burden, and target and evaluate the impact of interventions. This paper describes how current approaches […]

Ten quick tips to build a Model Life Cycle

Poisot, T., Becker, D. J., Brookson, C. B., Graeden, E., Ryan, S. J., Turon, G., & Carlson, C. (2025). Ten quick tips to build a Model Life Cycle. PLOS Computational Biology, 21(2), e1012731. ABSTRACT: This paper introduces the Model Life Cycle for biological data-driven research and develops a series of 10 quick tips aimed at facilitating collaborations […]

A holistic systems approach to global health research, practice, and partnerships

Borbor-Cordova, M., Ryan, S., Lowe, R., von Borries, R., & Stewart Ibarra, A. (2024). A Holistic Systems Approach to Global Health Research, Practice, and Partnerships. In Transforming Global Health Partnerships (pp. 51-65). Cham: Springer. ABSTRACT: Emerging and persistent infectious diseases are global threats that have evidenced the interconnectedness and interdependence of the environment, animal, and human systems. […]

Influence of environmental, geographic, socio-demographic, and epidemiological factors on presence of malaria at the community level in two continents

Villena, O. C., Arab, A., Lippi, C. A., Ryan, S. J., & Johnson, L. R. (2024). Influence of environmental, geographic, socio-demographic, and epidemiological factors on presence of malaria at the community level in two continents. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 16734. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67452-5 Article first published online: 20 July 2024 in Scientific Reports ABSTRACT: The interactions of environmental, geographic, […]

EPI Research Day 2024

UF Geography was well represented at this year’s Emerging Pathogens Institute (EPI) Research Day. Simrik Bhandari, a first year Masters student working in the Quantitative Disease Ecology and Conservation (QDEC) lab, presented a poster on the spatial patterns of dengue incidence in Nepal.   Gavriella Hecht, a second-year PhD student in the Quantitative Disease Ecology […]

Tales from local scales: life on the landscape after conservation decisions

Dr. Sadie Ryan Associate Professor Department of Geography University of Florida Thursday, February 8, 2024 3:00-3:50 PM (Period 8) Recorded for YouTube Turlington Hall 3018 and Zoom University of Florida Abstract: From restoration of vernal pool habitat, to the struggle for oil in a biodiversity hotspot, to measuring nutritional limits to herbivores in an iconic […]

Trends in mosquito species distribution modeling: insights for vector surveillance and disease control

LIPPI, MUNDIS, SIPPY, FLENNIKEN, CHAUDHARY, HECHT, RYAN – Trends in mosquito species distribution modeling: insights for vector surveillance and disease control Catherine Lippi, Stephanie Mundis, Rachel Sippy, Matthew Flenniken, Anusha Chaudhary, Gavriella Hecht, Colin Carlson, Sadie Ryan Article first published online: 28 August 2023 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-023-05912-z ABSTRACT: Species distribution modeling (SDM) has become an increasingly common […]

Geography Colloquium: Plans may change: Shifting risks of vector-borne diseases on a warming planet

Speaker: Dr. Sadie Ryan Associate Professor Department of Geography University of Florida Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:00-3:50 PM (Period 8) Recorded for YouTube Turlington Hall 3018 and Zoom University of Florida Abstract: This talk is an overview of work from around a decade of collaborations on ecophysiological models of thermal responses of mosquito borne diseases, and […]