Tick experts, researchers and health advocates will all gather this weekend to address rising concerns about tick-borne illnesses on the Island. 

Hosted by Martha’s Vineyard Medical, the Tick Talk 2025 conference will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 16  at the Katharine Cornell Theatre in Vineyard Haven. Planned discussion topics include practical information about tick-borne illnesses, prevention strategies and the latest research in the field. 

The seating capacity is 100 people and attendees are required to RSVP.

The Island is at a boiling point when it comes to ticks, according to Patrick Roden-Reynolds, one of the Island’s leading tick experts who will be speaking at the talk.

Patrick Roden-Reynolds, an Island tick expert, will speak at the conference.

Ray Ewing

Patrick Roden-Reynolds, an Island tick expert, will speak at the conference.

Ray Ewing

“I have folks who can’t do normal things around the yard without putting on a tick suit to spend all of 45 seconds outside,” he said. “People are scared to go into their yards. They’re not hiking, gardening and spending time outside in their yard anymore. I’ve got people that are kinda scared to live their lives here.”

Having all the necessary information about ticks and tick-borne illnesses is essential for living on the Island, according to Martha’s Vineyard Medical owner Jeff Levy. 

“The goal and purpose of the conference is to provide information that’s practical and useful to the layperson,” he said. “Fourteen different speakers with a range of perspectives with doctors, researchers, survivors, a veterinarian, researchers on the cutting edge...I think it’s going to be an incredibly interesting and unique morning.” 

Speakers include Aubrey Stimola Ryan from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, veterinarian Dr. Jake Tedaldi, and tick researcher Dick Johnson. Jo Marie Solet and Georgi Prevosti will also share their personal stories dealing with tick-borne illnesses. 

Mr. Levy knew he wanted to host an event like this after he took over the medical practice in May. 

“I thought that it was very important for us as a medical practice to be there as part of the conversation,” he said. 

Ticks have been a consistent problem on the Island. The Vineyard has high rates of Lyme disease and lone star ticks have emerged as a new threat in recent years, bringing alpha-gal syndrome along with them. 

With the new concerns, Mr. Roden-Reynolds’s strategy to deal with ticks is starting to shift. 

“The first three years of my job, I focused on yard surveys and tick bite prevention talks and outreach and education,” he said. “Recently, in the last six months to a year, a lot of my conversations have turned into long-term solutions and what can we do about the ticks.” 

Alpha-gal syndrome, which can cause people to become allergic to red meat and other mammalian products such as dairy, has gone from a handful of cases a few years ago to more than 400 positive tests at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital last year.  

“When it was just the deer tick around and Lyme disease was the crisis, it was still manageable,” Mr. Roden-Reynolds said. “I’m finding lone stars in all different types of habitats and people are getting more exposed and bitten by them. They’re more prolific and make twice as many eggs as deer ticks do.” 

Because alpha-gal syndrome is still relatively new, scientific research is still being gathered on the ailment. When patients ask questions, Dr. Gerry Yukevich, who will be moderating a panel, emphasizes that simple education is important.  

“There’s no real treatment at this point that’s proven to be effective,” Gerry said. “So we’re waiting for the epidemiology and research.  All we can do now is make sure the patient is informed.” 

Mr. Roden-Reynolds looks forward to hearing from varying perspectives.  

“The best part of this conference is just getting opinions from a wide variety of experts,” he said. “It’ll be nice to hear these things from different opinions because you can hear things explained different ways.” 

Gathering all the voices in one room for the public is essential to understanding the basic information, as well as igniting change.  

“I think there’s some real interest and effort from individuals who want to put some real resources behind doing something,” Mr. Levy said. “What can we do about our deer population? What can we do about alpha-gal? Powassan? How do we put some real resources behind this? I hope that [Saturday] can be a catalyst for more conversation and more action.” 

For more information and tickets, visit mvmed.org/tick-talk-2025.