Denver, Colo., Aug. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Colorado teenager Olivia Goodreau has garnered support from some of the world’s top scientists through her dogged determination to find a cure for the debilitating Lyme disease. Many of those researchers will come to Westminster, Colo., for the first LivLyme Summit September 22-23. The forum will focus on the research being done across the globe to find a cure for Lyme disease and the active measures being undertaken to help eradicate tick-borne illness. Thanks to a generous donation from an anonymous sponsor, registrants are able to attend the Summit free of charge. Additionally, medical professionals will receive 10.75 hours of free continuing education credit from the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine.
Researchers and scientists slated to attend the two-day conference include:
- Holly Ahern, MS, Biologist, State University of New York, Adirondack
- Phillip DeMio, MD, Private Practice
- Susan Green, Chief Legal Counsel, NatCap Lyme
- Debby Hamilton, MD, MPH Researched Nutritionals
- Kristen Honey, PhD, PMP Vice-Chair, Tick-Borne Disease Working Group Innovator in Residence United States DHHS
- Richard I. Horowitz, MD, Medical Director HVHAC, Member, HHS Tick-borne disease task force, Co-chair HHS Other Tick-Borne diseases and Co-infections subcommittee
- Kim Lewis, PhD, University Distinguished Professor Director, Antimicrobial Discovery Center Northeastern University
- Ricardo G. Maggi, MS, PhD, Research Associate Professor, Internal Medicine, Co-Director Vector-Borne Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory, North Carolina State Veterinary Medicine
- Isaac Melamed, MD, Medical Director/Private Practice IMMUNOe Health and Research Centers
- Omar Morales, MD, Lyme Mexico
- Christian Perronne, PhD, MD, University of Versailles, France
- Jayakumar Rajadas, PhD, Director, BIOADD and Assistant Director of CV Pharmacology, Biomaterials and Advanced Drug Delivery, Stanford University
- Eva Sapi, PhD, Professor and Director of Lyme Disease Program, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, University of New Haven
- Jyotsna Shah, PhD, President and Laboratory Director of IGeneX Clinical Laboratory
- Jeff Stauffer, TickTracker Chief Insect Information Officer
- Heather Szerlong, PhD, CEO & Co-founder Ticknology
- Susanna N. Visser, DrPH, MS, Associate Director for Policy, Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center on Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Center for Disease Control
- Ying Zhang, MD, PhD, Johns Hopkins University
To register for the LivLyme Summit, visit: http://livlymefoundation.org/conference/
Lyme is the fastest growing vector-borne disease. Every year, more than 350,000 people contract Lyme disease. Almost none of them get a 'bullseye' rash or even know they were bitten. Lyme disease can be transmitted from mosquito bites, rodents, mother-to-child transmission, and many other ways.
Olivia is not only making an impact by bringing the world’s top researchers and scientist together. She has also been travelling across the USA promoting the recently created TickTracker app. The free app has quickly become one of the best ways to help combat tick transmitted infections and disease. TickTracker uses a patent pending algorithm to coordinate multiple tick activity data sources into a simple and user-friendly map view. The app displays real time and historic tick activity data on an interactive map, reports tick sightings and bites, and educates users on tick prevention and safety.
For Users:
• Real time tick exposure risk based on geo-location • Real time sighting and bite reporting • Easy connections to tick testing labs for disease exposure awareness • Edutainment through gaming - based learning • Alerts users for tick activity and sightings based on geo-location services • Timely updates on tick - based illness and disease • Tick identification field guide For Business: • Available API to pull TickTracker mapping data into web sites and apps
Despite her outward appearances and grace, Olivia suffers horribly from the disease. Olivia contracted Lyme disease on a family vacation in Missouri when she was in the first grade and went through a battery of tests before eventually being diagnosed with the illness years later. Her own medical experience and understanding of the costs associated with Lyme disease treatment inspired her to found the LivLyme Foundation, raise more than $500,000 to fund Lyme disease research, provide grants to treat under-insured children and young adults affected by Lyme, and develop the life-saving TickTracker app. Additionally, Olivia, who has been honored by Stanford University, has presented before federal Health & Human Services officials in Washington, D.C., and spoke with Maryland legislators to help pass critical legislation.
More About Lyme Disease: Lyme Disease is most often transmitted by tick bites and has been found in all 50 States and in more than 60 other countries. Public awareness of its symptoms and possible contraction is critical. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revised its estimates from 30,000 to over 350,000 people diagnosed with Lyme disease in the U.S. every year. This is 1.5 times greater than the number of women diagnosed annually with breast cancer, and seven times the number of people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS each year. Lyme disease affects people of all ages; however, the CDC notes that it is most common in children and older adults. Outdoor enthusiasts, park rangers and firefighters have a higher risk of contracting Lyme and other tick-borne diseases because of their greater exposure to ticks. For more information, visit http://livlymefoundation.org/resources/what-is-lyme-disease/ .
Media Contacts: Jeff Howard, Managing Partner Gomez Howard Group jeff@gomezhowardgroup.com / 303.513.16283
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Gerri Gomez Howard Gomez Howard Group 303.748.3933 gerri@gomezhowardgroup.com
