Join NJ PHEL Webinar: Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance - Ticks to Testing

Date:5/15/2026

Official Message No.:112650-5-15-2026-TRNG

Contact Info: Tyler | tyler.mizglewski@doh.nj.gov

Attachments: No

Dear Laboratory and Public Health Professionals,

The New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories (PHEL) invites you to join our upcoming educational webinar on vector-borne disease surveillance and tick testing in New Jersey.

Webinar Title: The Lifecycle of Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance from Ticks to Testing
Date: 5/19/2026
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Duration: 60 minutes
Registration: https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/f984217f-b2ee-46e4-bf54-b25eb88fbaee@5076c3d1-3802-4b9f-b36a-e0a41bd642a7

Why Attend?

With over 4,000 tick specimens tested annually and more than 6,500 cases of Lyme disease reported in New Jersey in 2024, understanding tick-borne disease surveillance is essential for laboratory professionals and public health workers. This webinar will provide you with:

Up-to-date surveillance data on tick-borne pathogen prevalence in New Jersey
Technical knowledge about PHEL's testing panels and methodologies
Clinical insights into emerging conditions like alpha-gal syndrome
Direct access to PHEL subject matter experts

Learning Objectives

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

Recognize the important tick species found in New Jersey and learn the pathogens transmitted by each species
Explain the relationship between tick feeding duration and pathogen transmission
Describe the NJDOH-PHEL tick testing panels and their target pathogens
Summarize the current surveillance data on tick-borne pathogen prevalence in New Jersey
Explain alpha-gal syndrome, the role the lone star tick plays, its discovery and clinical presentation

Presented By

Dana Woell, MPH – Program Manager, Molecular Virology
Jim Occi, MA, MS, PhD – Microbiologist and Entomologist

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is designed for:

Hospital microbiologists and laboratory directors
Medical laboratory scientists and technologists
Local health department staff
Infection prevention specialists
Community health workers

Register Now

https://events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com/event/f984217f-b2ee-46e4-bf54-b25eb88fbaee@5076c3d1-3802-4b9f-b36a-e0a41bd642a7

For questions about this webinar, please contact me directly or the following email:

Molecular Virology Laboratory
Email: phel.influenza@doh.nj.gov
Phone: 609-718-8336

We look forward to your participation in this important educational opportunity.

Best regards,

Tyler Mizglewski MPH, MLS ASCP(CM)

Research Scientist 3

Outreach and Workforce Development

p: 609-718-8023 e: tyler.mizglewski@doh.nj.gov

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