Nikos Vasilakis, PhD, FASTMH Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Dept. of Pathology; Center for Vector-borne and Zoonotic Diseases; Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases; Center for Tropical Diseases; and Institute for Human Infections and Immunity University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USAProfessor Nikos Vasilakis is the Vice Chair of Research at the Department of Pathology Professor of Pathology at UTMB. He earned his BA and MA degrees in biology from Hofstra University and his PhD in arbovirology from the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston. His research interests have been to understand the evolution and pathogenesis of arthropod-borne viruses, virus - mosquito, and virus - host interactions. He served as Chair of the American Committee on Arthropod-Borne viruses and is the current chair of the Subcommittee on the Interrelationships Among Catalogued Arboviruses. He currently leads The C oordinating R esearch on E merging A rboviral T hreats E ncompassing the Neo tropics (CREATE-NEO), one of the Centers for Research In Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID) funded by the National Institutes of Health. Laura D Kramer, PhD, FASTMH Former (retired) Director Arbovirus Laboratory l Wadsworth Center, NYSDOH l Albany, NY Professor Emeritus, Biomedical Sciences l School of Public Health l State University of New York at Albany Professor emeritus, Laura Kramer, earned her BA degree from University of Pennsylvania, and her PhD from Cornell Medical College. As the former (now retired) Director of the Arbovirus Laboratories of the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, she led a research program on basic and applied field and laboratory studies examining the interactions of mosquito- and tick-borne arboviruses, arthropod vectors, and vertebrate hosts, and how these interactions impact transmission dynamics as well as emergence, persistence and evolution of the virus.

She retired from NYSDOH in December 2020 and is currently Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the School of Public Health, State University of New York at Albany. She also serves as an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, a virology moderator for ProMED (Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases) in the International Society for Infectious Diseases, and a contributing virus author for Merck Manuals in virology.