Dawn Wesson, PhD

Associate Professor

Phone
504-988-2643
J. Bennett Johnson Bldg. Room 509

Education & Affiliations

Postdoctoral Fellow, Malaria Branch, Centers for Disease Control
Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University
PhD, University of Notre Dame
MS, University of Illinois
BA, North Central College

Biography

Dawn Wesson's background in medical/molecular entomology and vector biology has led to her role as a principal investigator on many research projects on vector-borne pathogens (particularly dengue, West Nile, and Chagas disease), and as an instructor of graduate and undergraduate courses on vector biology and ecology in the Department of Tropical Medicine at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her research interests include the ecology of arbovirus transmission, eco-epidemiology of Chagas disease, host-pathogen co-evolution, development of novel vector control strategies and tools, and examining the effects of vector-borne pathogen infection on human pregnancy outcomes. She has mentored more than 170 students (BSPH, MSPH and PhD), and post-doctoral researchers.

Research Areas

  • Novel vector control methods
  • Effect of vector-borne pathogens on pregnancy outcomes
  • Ecology of arbovirus transmission

Publications

View Dr. Wesson's publications at her NCBI profile page.

Courses

SPHU 2050 Arthropods and Public Health