Ticktective

Liz Horn, PhD, MBI, serves as Principal Investigator of Lyme Disease Biobank, a resource that provides much-needed blood, urine, and tissue samples to researchers studying Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. She has spent more than 2 decades working with non-profit organizations to build research initiatives and collaborations with academia, other non-profits, and industry. Since 2020, s...

Dr. Somer Delsignore, DNP, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice and board-certified pediatric nurse practitioner specializing in complex chronic illness in children. Her clinical work focuses on the diagnosis and management of immune dysfunction using a root-cause approach. She developed the R.E.S.E.T. Protocol using a Root Cause lens to treat Immune Dysfunction systematically. A fellow of MAPS and AAO...

David Walsey joined Bay Area Lyme Foundation as Executive Director in 2025. He is a strategic biotech leader with 25 years of experience advancing corporate objectives through strategy, communications, financing, and investor initiatives for public companies. Most recently, David served as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs at MEI Pharma, leading programs spanning corporate strategy, investo...

Dr. Offutt is the medical director and co-owner of Heart & Soul Integrative Health and Yoga which she co-founded with her husband, Brad, in 2007, located in Marble Falls, Texas. Her first seven years of practice were focused on rural family medicine and obstetrics after which she transitioned to approach the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases using integrative medicine. She completed medic...

Dr. Casey Kelley, MD, is a board-certified family medicine physician and one of the first to earn certification in integrative medicine. Founder and medical director of Case Integrative Health in Chicago, she specializes in functional medicine to address root causes of chronic conditions like Lyme disease and mold toxicity. A graduate of Ohio State University College of Medicine (2007), she comple...

Dr. Jyotsna Shah is an immunologist and molecular biologist with over 40 years of experience in diagnostic tools for tick-borne diseases. She holds a Ph. D. in diagnostic immunology from the University of Nairobi and conducted postdoctoral work at Harvard University. Shah joined IGeneX in 1997, becoming Laboratory Director in 2003 and now serving as President and CEO.

Mikki Tal, PhD, is a Principal Scientist at MIT's Department of Biological Engineering and Associate Scientific Director of the MIT Center for Gynepathology Research. She leads the Tal Research Group, focusing on host-pathogen interactions, immune responses to infections like Lyme disease, and the mechanisms behind chronic illnesses, particularly their disproportionate impact on women. She earned...

Dr. Joseph J. Burrascano Jr., a pioneer in the field of Lyme, began his practice in East Hampton, NY, in 1981, where he identified and detailed the clinical aspects of Lyme in a high-prevalence area. Renowned for his groundbreaking diagnostic and treatment guidelines since 1984, he has advised the CDC, NIH, and U.S. Senate, authored extensive publications, and is a founding member of ILADS, contin...

Dr. Jill Crista is a pioneering naturopathic doctor, best-selling author, devoted educator, and creative innovator. Her superpower is to make complex medical concepts simple and digestible for the average person. Dr. Jill focuses on conditions that cause injury to the brain and nervous system, including mold, PANS and PANDAS, Lyme disease, and concussion.

Dr. Scott Commins is an esteemed allergist and immunologist known for his pioneering research on alpha-gal syndrome, a meat allergy triggered by tick bites. With a medical degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and fellowship training at the University of Michigan, he has dedicated his career to understanding food allergies and their impact on patients' lives. Dr. Commins is a...

Dr. Neil Nathan is a renowned physician and bestselling author specializing in the treatment of chronic illness, particularly those related to environmental toxins, vector-borne infections, and complex systemic disorders. With decades of experience in clinical practice, he focuses on understanding the impact of toxins on health and is dedicated to helping patients recover from illnesses that conve...

Steven E. Phillips, MD is a Yale-trained, expert on zoonotic infections and coauthor of the book CHRONIC. He specializes in treating medicine's most complex cases, which include Lyme & other vector-borne disease and long COVID. Additionally, he has served as an expert for the states of CT, NY, RI, and VT, providing testimony during their respective public hearings, which resulted in changes to exi...

Michael is an air quality expert, author, and founder of HomeCleanse, a go-to source for information, services, and products to create healthier living through cleaner indoor air. A specialist in working with people who are immunocompromised or have acute and sustained reactions to mold exposure, Michael's scientific understanding has enabled him to create change, via alternative remediation.

Jill Carnahan, MD, is a functional medicine doctor with a huge media presence, board-certified in Family Medicine and Integrative Holistic Medicine. She is the Medical Director of Flatiron Functional Medicine, a sought-after practice with a broad range of clinical services. As a survivor of breast cancer, Crohn's disease, and toxic mold illness she brings a unique perspective to treating patients...

David Perlmutter, MD, FACN is a board-certified neurologist, Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and five-time New York Times bestselling author. He is recognized internationally as a leader in the field of nutritional influences in neurological disorders. He serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and has published extensively in peer-reviewed sci...

Akiko Iwasaki, Ph. D., is a Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She received her Ph. D. from the University of Toronto in Canada and her postdoctoral training from the National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on the mechanisms of immune defense against virus...

Dr. Matt Kaeberlein is the Chief Executive Officer at Optispan, Inc., Affiliate Professor of Oral Health Sciences at the University of Washington, and Co-Director of the Dog Aging Project. Dr. Kaeberlein's research interests are focused on understanding the biological mechanisms of aging in order to facilitate translational interventions that promote healthspan and improve the quality of life for...

Dr. Elena Frid is a Neurologist and Clinical Neurophysiologist specializing in Infection Induced Autoimmune Disorders. With clinical interests in Autoimmune Neurology, she sees patients with complex cases of Lyme disease + co-infections, PANS/PANDAS, and Autoimmune conditions resulting in various neurological complaints. Using cutting-edge diagnostic tools and clinical expertise, she differentiate...

David Putrino is a physical therapist with a PhD in Neuroscience. He is currently the Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, and a Professor of Rehabilitation and Human Performance at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He develops innovative rehabilitation solutions for adults and children in need of better healthcare accessibility, and in 2019, he was n...

Isabel Rose is a writer, performer and activist. She has addressed audiences large and small urging understanding of, and support for, both congenital Lyme disease and rights for transgender children and their families. Rose is working on a memoir chronicling her lifelong battle against Lyme disease which she passed along, in utero, to both her children. Isabel is on the executive board of Project...

Dr. Todd Maderis is the Founder and Medical Director of Marin Natural Medicine Clinic in the San Francisco Bay Area. He specializes in treating tickborne infections, chronic viral infections, mold illness, and other conditions associated with complex chronic illnesses such as mast cell activation disorder and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. His approach to treating chronic illn...

Kris Newby is an award-winning medical science writer and the senior producer of the Lyme disease documentary UNDER OUR SKIN , which was a 2010 Oscar semifinalist. Her book BITTEN: The Secret History of Biological Weapons and Lyme Disease has won three international book awards for journalism and narrative nonfiction. She has two engineering degrees and has worked as a science/technology writer fo...

Annie Brewster is an Assistant Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, a practicing physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, a writer and a storyteller. She is also a patient, diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2001. In response to the disconnection she experienced in healthcare, both as a patient and a provider, and motivated by her belief in the power of stories, she st...

Dr. Robert C. Bransfield, MD, DLFAPA is a leading expert in the relationship between microbes and mental illness. He's a graduate of Rutgers College and the George Washington University School of Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and the Hacke...

Raina MacIntyre (MBBS Hons 1, M App Epid, PhD, FRACP, FAFPHM) is Head of the Biosecurity Program, Kirby Institute, UNSW & author of DARK WINTER. She has over 450 peer-reviewed publications, has received many awards including the Sir Henry Wellcome Medal from the Association of Military Surgeons of the US and is a member of the WHO COVID-19 Vaccine Composition Technical Advisory Group and WHO Small...