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Guest Speaker Bios

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Jason Farned, MPA

Jason Farned is currently the District Manager at the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. He has been with the District since 2013, where he has held many positions including Public Information Officer and Director of Operations. He has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of La Verne. Prior to public service, Jason spent many years in the hospitality industry serving, most notably, as Executive Chef and Managing Partner at an Italian restaurant group called Buca de Beppo. Jason received a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant management from the Collins College at Cal Poly Pomona. Jason is a So Cal native and currently resides in Fontana with his wife Katelyn and their two children: Connor, age 9 and Farrah, age 6.

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Dr. Matt Feaster

​Dr. Matt Feaster is the Division Manager in the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control for the City of Pasadena Public Health Department. For more than 15 years, Matt has been responsible for program evaluation, health assessment, community health planning, and communicable disease outbreak investigations. He has published peer-reviewed research articles across public health topics including communicable disease transmission, work stress and evaluation of public services. He has a bachelor’s of science in bioengineering from UC San Diego, a Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from USC, and a PhD in Epidemiology from UCLA.

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Andrea Lund is an epidemiologist in the Vector-Borne Disease Section at the California Department of Public Health. In this role, Andrea leads projects focused on climate change, health equity and data modernization as they relate to the surveillance and control of vector-borne diseases in California. She earned a PhD in disease ecology from Stanford University, an MPH in epidemiology from Emory University and a BA in biology and Spanish from the University of Minnesota, Morris.

Dr. Andrea Lund

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Jung Ma

Jung received their Bachelor of Science in Animal Biology from the University of California, Davis. There they began their career in an aquatic invertebrate laboratory researching the effects of herbicide runoff on mosquito development. Afterwards, they moved to the California Department of Public Health in the Vector-Borne Disease Section working on the state-wide West Nile Virus Dead Bird Program. From there Jung moved to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources to explore digital image software and its implications for invertebrate research. Jung joined the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District in 2019 and has been the Assistant Vector Ecologist since 2023.

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Tristan Hallum, MPH

Tristan Hallum received his Bachelor of Science in Entomology from the University of California, Riverside. There he began his career working in a wetland ecology laboratory focused on pesticide resistance in mosquitoes and the effects of mosquito fish in various ecosystems. From there, he moved to the surveillance laboratory at the Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control agency where conceptual entomology met public health challenges. While there, Tristan attended California State University, Fullerton and received his master’s in public health. With degree and extensive experience in hand, Tristan has been the Director of Scientific Programs at San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District since 2022.

Speaker Topics

Day 1: Thursday, July 25, 2024

Jason Farned

(10:20 am – 11:20 am)

  • Importance of vector control to public health

    • What makes an animal a vector

    • Local and global implications of vectors

  • Overview of SGVMVCD

    • District general structure breakdown

    • IVM strategies used by the District

  • Data collection and implementation

Dr. Matt Feaster

(11:20 am – 11:50 am)

  • State and local agency interaction (local, state, federal) cooperate during a disease response

  • Chain of Transmission in Humans

  • Local Intervention Strategies to interrupt Chain of Transmission

  • How community science can play a role in mitigating public health concerns

Jung Ma

(11:50 am – 12:20 pm)

  • Types of disease transmission

  • Disease transmission cycles for West Nile virus and Dengue

    • Species overview (Culex vs. Aedes)

    • How invasive species arrived to the SGV

  • Why they thrive in Southern California

Dr. Andrea Lund

(1:20 pm – 1:50 pm)

  • Invasive Species in CA

  • Decreasing biodiversity and vector-borne disease risk

  • Concerns as temperature increases/climate changes

  • Environmental elements that support mosquitoes

  • Top pathogens and disease cycles that are or may cause problems in Southern California in the future

Day 2: Friday, July 26, 2024

Tristan Hallum

  • Aedes seasonality and biology

  • Overview of SGVMVCD surveillance

  • Science behind oviposition cups used in Operation Mosquito G.R.I.D.

  • Oviposition trap preparation (hands-on)

  • Aedes egg identification (hands-on)

SGVMVCD Cities

Contact

EcoHealth Vector Education Program

San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control Agency

(626) 214-0726

SGVMVCD services: Alhambra, Arcadia, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bradbury, Claremont, Covina, Duarte, El Monte, Glendora, Industry, Irwindale, La Puente, La Verne, Monterey Park, Monrovia, Pasadena, Pomona, Rosemead, San Dimas, San Gabriel, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Temple City, West Covina and Walnut

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