Dr. Ryan Tokarz

Dr. Ryan Tokarz joined the Mercer University faculty in 2021 as an assistant professor of global health. He previously served as a Global Health Surveillance Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Ethiopia country office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dr. Tokarz holds a doctorate and master’s in global communicable diseases from the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida and is Certified in Public Health (CPH) by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Dr. Tokarz specializes in vector-borne disease and is a member of the American Public Health Association and the Society for Vector Ecology.

Education

• Ph.D., Public Health – Global Communicable Diseases, University of South Florida
• M.P.H., Public Health – Global Communicable Diseases, University of South Florida
• B.S., Dietetics, Florida State University

Specialty

Vector-borne disease, field epidemiology, remote sensing.

Professional Interests

Dr. Tokarz’s research examines the impact of human behavior and ecology on human health, focusing on community-based initiatives and solutions. His work integrates field epidemiology, entomology, remote sensing techniques, and anthropological concepts to better understand vector-borne disease dynamics throughout North America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Recent Publications

• Hall, D.R., Tokarz, R.E., Field, E.N. et al. (2022). Surveillance and genetic data support the introduction and establishment of Aedes albopictus in Iowa, USA. Scientific Reports 12, 2143.
• Gutu M.A., Bekele A., Seid Y., Mohamed Y., Gemechu F., Woyssa A.B., Tayachew A., Dugasa Y., Gizachew L., Idosa M., Tokarz R.E., Sugerman D. (2021). Another Dengue Fever Outbreak in Eastern Ethiopia – An Emerging Public Health Threat. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
• Tokarz R.E., Smith R.C. (2020). Crossover Dynamics of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) Vector Populations Determine WNV Transmission Intensity, Journal of Medical Entomology.
• Hadfield J., Brito A.F., Swetnam D.M., Vogels C.B.F., Tokarz R.E., Anderson K.G., Smith R.C., Bedford T., Grubaugh N.D. (2019). Twenty years of West Nile virus spread and evolution in the Americas visualized by Nextstrain. PLoS Pathogens.
• Field E.N., Tokarz R.E., Smith R.C. (2019). Satellite Imaging and Long-Term Mosquito Surveillance Implicate the Influence of Rapid Urbanization on Culex Vector Populations. Insects, 10, 269.
• Tokarz R.E., Novak R.J. (2018). Spatial-temporal distribution of Anopheles larval habitats in Uganda using GIS/remote sensing technologies. Malaria Journal, 17(1), 420.

Contact Dr. Ryan Tokarz

(478) 301-4379
tokarz_re@mercer.edu
Office: Groover Hall, Room 210