PAULA LADO
Hello and welcome to my website!
ABOUT ME |
MORE ABOUT ME |
I grew up in Uruguay, where I did my Bachelors and one of my Masters degrees. During my undergrad, I thaught Veterinary Parasitology and did my research thesis on fishes’ trematodes (flukes). We identified both intermediate and definitive host species for Dicrogaster fastigatus parasite in nature. After finishing my BS, I pursued a master degree under the direction of Jose Venzal, working on ticks and tick-borne diseases. My work focused on the seroepidemiology of Rickettsia parkeri and other rickettsiosis in dogs living in metropolitan areas and suburbs in Uruguay. During this time, I had the opportunity to visit Marcelo Labruna’s lab at the University of Sao Paulo (Brazil), where I did part of my laboratory work (some birds sampling looking for ticks on my spare time), and learned some Portuguese! Then, I decided to explore a different area within ticks’ research and I took a research assistant position in the Beati lab, at Georgia Southern University (where I did a MS in Biology). At GSU, I worked on molecular systematics of different tick species, such as Amblyomma parvum, and the A. maculatum group of species. I learned new techniques, approaches, and to think from a more “evolutionary” perspective. It was about that time when I became more interested in phylogenetics, and species delimitation. Once I graduated, and after some time as a lab tech at Beati lab, I moved to Columbus, Ohio, to start my PhD in Hans Klompen lab, at The Ohio State University. By then I had seen the world from the pathogens’ perspective, and from the ticks’ (and other parasites) perspective…which provided me with great insight for developing my PhD research project. My dissertation aims to better understand the dynamics of TBDs in the US using an integrative approach (more information in the research section).
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