Public Health Entomology for All participants gain real-world experience in vector-borne disease research and management
Annapolis, MD; July 10, 2025—The Entomological Society of America congratulates the 2025 class of interns and fellows selected for the Public Health Entomology for All program.
In partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ESA has expanded Public Health Entomology For All (PHEFA) in 2025 to include more one-year fellowships, extended two-year fellowships, and new summer internships and placements in state health departments. This growth reflects ESA's commitment to developing a public health workforce prepared to address the threats posed by disease-transmitting insects. The goal of PHEFA is to encourage students and recent graduates to pursue entomology as a career and work toward a future in which all communities benefit from creative scientific processes and solutions.
PHEFA interns and fellows are students or graduates of U.S. colleges and universities who have demonstrated a commitment to scientific inquiry and an interest in entomology and public health. The 2025 PHEFA participants met in Fort Collins, Colorado, at the end of May for orientation before departing for their respective workplaces.
The following individuals were selected as 2025 PHEFA interns and fellows.
| State Health Department Fellows | |
| Jacoby Clark received an M.S. in biology with a concentration in molecular and cellular biology/microbiology from San Francisco State University in 2022 and a B.S. in biological sciences from North Carolina State University in 2020. Jacoby has been a PHEFA fellow for three years at the CDC Bacterial Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado, and will now complete a one-year placement at the Washington State Department of Health. |
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| Cassandra Durden obtained an M.S. in veterinary public health epidemiology at Texas A&M University and a B.S. in university studies biomedical sciences with a minor in public health and neuroscience in 2021. She completed a two-year fellowship at the CDC Arboviral Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado, and will now complete a one-year fellowship in the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. |  |
| Kristen "Joy" Adkins graduated from Florida A&M University with a B.S. in agricultural sciences with a minor in global agriculture. She completed a fellowship at the CDC Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will now complete a one-year placement in the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health. |  |
| Returning CDC Fellows | |
| Sri Jyosthsna Kancharlapalli earned her doctorate in biological sciences with a specialization in medical entomology from Texas Tech University in 2023. Sri will have completed a two-year fellowship with the CDC in August and is mentored by William Nicholson, Ph.D., of the Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch in Atlanta, Georgia. Sri will continue to work with Nicholson for another year. |  |
| Sabaa Logman received a B.S. in biology with a minor in public health from SUNY University at Albany in 2024. Sabaa is currently completing her second year as a PHEFA fellow and is mentored by Lisa Reimer, Ph.D., in the CDC Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Anwar Green graduated from Tuskegee University with a B.S. in animal science in 2022. Anwar is currently completing his second year as a PHEFA fellow and is mentored by William Nicholson, Ph.D., and Bryan Ayers, Ph.D., of the CDC Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Kiara Ivy attended Florida A&M University and received an M.S. in entomology in 2024 and a B.S. in biology with a specialization in pre-medical sciences in 2022. Kiara is currently completing her second year as a PHEFA fellow and is currently mentored by Gilberto Felix, Ph.D., and Ryan Hemme, Ph.D., of the CDC Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. |  |
| Matylda Lally obtained a B.S. in natural science with an emphasis on fisheries and wildlife ecology from Northland College in 2024. Matylda is currently completing her second year as a PHEFA fellow and is mentored by Roxanne Connelly, Ph.D., and Joanie Kenney, Ph.D., of the CDC Arboviral Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado. |  |
| Jerry Champion, Jr., obtained a B.S. in mathematics with minors in biology and health professions from Texas Tech University in 2021. Jerry is currently completing his second year as a PHEFA fellow and is mentored by Anna Drexler, Ph.D., of the CDC Arboviral Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado, after previously working in the Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. |  |
| New One-Year CDC Fellows | |
| Tahirah Jones received a B.S. in animal science from North Carolina A&T State University in 2023 and a master of public health degree from Ohio State University in 2025. Tahirah is completing a one-year fellowship and is currently mentored by William Nicholson, Ph.D., and Bryan Ayers, Ph.D., of the CDC Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Subhika Rao graduated from the University of Minnesota with a B.A. in biology, society, and environment with a minor in public health in May 2025. Subhika completed a 10-week PHEFA internship in 2024 and has returned to complete a one-year fellowship mentored by Cristina Rafferty and Sarah Zohdy, Ph.D., of the CDC Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Amechelle Leander graduated from The College of New Jersey with a B.A. in biology and a B.S. in public health with a concentration in social and behavioral sciences in 2024. In summer 2024, Amechelle worked as an intern with mentors Gilberto Felix, Ph.D., and Ryan Hemme, Ph.D., of the CDC Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has returned to complete a one-year fellowship. |  |
| Samantha Rodriguez obtained a B.A. in public health with minors in health care ethics and biological sciences at Wayne State University. In summer 2024, Samantha worked as an intern at the CDC Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch in Atlanta, Georgia, and has now returned to complete a one-year fellowship with mentor Jim Dunford, Ph.D., of the Arboviral Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado. |  |
| 10-Week CDC Interns | |
| Jennifer Louie is currently pursuing a B.S. in biology with a concentration in microbiology at San Francisco State University and is expected to graduate in May 2026. Jennifer is currently working as an intern with mentors William Nicholson, Ph.D., and Bryan Ayers, Ph.D., of the CDC Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Amari Hutchins is currently pursuing a B.S. in biology at Howard University and is expected to graduate in May 2026. Amari is currently working as an intern with mentors Ellen Dotson, Ph.D., and Becca Love, Ph.D., of the CDC Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Kenedy Chauvette is currently pursuing a B.S. in public health with a concentration in applied epidemiology and a minor in geography and medical humanities at Texas State University and is expected to graduate in May 2026. Kenedy is currently working as an intern with mentors Ellen Dotson, Ph.D., and Becca Love, Ph.D., of the CDC Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria in Atlanta, Georgia. |  |
| Marivi Angel graduated this spring and received a B.S. in ecology and environmental biology from California State Dominguez Hills. Marivi is currently working as an intern with mentor Jim Dunford, Ph.D., of the Arboviral Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado. |  |
| Naomi Putirka is currently pursuing a B.S. in cell molecular biology and chemistry at San Francisco State University and is expected to graduate in May 2026. Naomi is currently working as an intern with mentors Nicole Foley, Ph.D., and Casey Crockett, Ph.D., of the CDC Arboviral Disease Branch in Fort Collins, Colorado. |  |
| Noel Tirado Ayala is currently pursuing a B.S. in natural sciences with a concentration in human biology at the University of Puerto Rico at Bayamón and is expected to graduate in May 2026. Noel is currently working as an intern with mentors Gilberto Felix, Ph.D., and Ryan Hemme, Ph.D., of the CDC Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. |  |
| Pamela Crespo Rivera is currently pursuing a B.S. in microbiology at the Universidad Ana G. Méndez Carolina Campus and is expected to graduate in May 2027. Pamela is currently working as an intern with mentors Gilberto Felix, Ph.D., and Ryan Hemme, Ph.D., of the CDC Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. |  |
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ABOUT: ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has nearly 7,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, the Society stands ready as a non-partisan scientific and educational resource for all insect-related topics. For more information, visit www.entsoc.org.
PHOTO CREDIT: Brett Bell, Jr., www.jbellvisuals.com