Education

PhD - Penn State University (Dual: Entomology; International Agriculture & Development)

MS - Texas Tech University (Environmental Toxicology)

BS - Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Dual: Geography, Human-Environmental Studies; Biology, Ecology & the Environment)

Extension and Research Goals

The primary focus of the Veterinary Entomology & Parasite Ecology Lab is to reduce the burden of disease in animal systems. All of the lab's Extension and research pursuits are built on the three main pillars of disease management: education, surveillance, and control. Through Extension initiatives, the lab seeks to convey and promote sustainable approaches for disease management in livestock and animal systems to Kentuckians, as well as assess current threats and barriers to adoption by listening to stakeholder needs and challenges. Current Extension and research initiatives in the lab include:

• Ectoparasite assessments and disease management for grazing animals

• Tick management strategies harnessing tick-wildlife ecology

• Ectoparasites and infestations in the poultry industry

• Integrated vector management strategies for ticks and mosquitoes

If you would like to learn more about the lab, potential student or technician openings, or would like to request an Extension talk, please email me directly. 

Extension presentations are available on the following topics: tick management (around the home or agricultural landscapes), integrated vector management for ticks and/or mosquitoes, livestock pest management, veterinary entomology, wildlife disease management (with a focus on zoonotic diseases, ticks, or mange).

Select Publications

• *Tiffin, H.S., *Green, K.D., Burgess IV, E.R., and Machtinger, E.T. 2024. Maximizing and sustaining the efficacy of tick control tubes through optimized placement strategies. J. Med. Entomol.
• Tiffin, H.S., Brown, J.D., Ternent, M., Snavely, B., Carrollo, E., Kibe, E., Buderman, F.E., Mullinax, J.M., and Machtinger, E.T. 2024. Resolution of clinical signs of sarcoptic mange in American black bears (Ursus americanus), in ivermectin-treated and non-treated individuals. J. Wildl. Dis, 60(2).
• Brown, J. E., Tiffin, H. S., Pagac, A., Poh, K. C., Evans, J. R., Miller, T. M., Herrin, B. H., Tomlinson, T., Sutherland, C., and Machtinger, E. T. 2023. Differential burdens of blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) on sympatric rodent hosts. J. Vector Ecol., 49(1). 
• Tiffin, H.S., Rajotte, E.G., Sakamoto, J.M., and Machtinger, E.T. 2022. Tick control in a connected world: Challenges, solutions, and public policy from a United States border perspective. Trop. Med. Infect. Dis. Special Issue: Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases and Public Health Challenges.
• Tiffin, H.S., Skvarla, M.J., and Machtinger, E.T. 2021. Tick abundance and life-stage segregation on the American black bear (Ursus americanus). Int. J. Parasitol. Parasites Wildl.,16.

Science Communication... Often overlooked but incredibly important! (select publications)

• Poh, K.C., Tiffin H.S., Evans, J.R., Brown, J.E., Skvarla, M.J., and Machtinger, E.T. 2021. Tales from the Field: Training Undergraduate Researchers for Fieldwork. American Entomologist: Field and Bench column.
• Tiffin, H.S. 2020. Mange girl: Science communication and engagement within a hunter and trapper community. American Entomologist: Field and Bench column.