STUDENT
SPOTLIGHT
Bella Termini is currently completing her M.S. in Tropical Medicine at the Tulane University Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, where she works in the lab of Dr. Dawn Wesson. Bella’s thesis research focuses on population ecology and identifying genomic markers that can be used in surveillance for the Chagas disease vector Triatoma sanguisuga in the greater New Orleans area.
Bella earned her B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Tulane University in 2024. As an undergraduate, she completed internships with an environmental education nonprofit in her hometown in South Carolina and with the Mosquito Team at the New Orleans Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board, where she was first introduced to the Gulf South Vector program. These experiences shaped Bella’s appreciation for environmental conservation, public health education, and community engagement at the local level. Getting out into the field quickly became the most exciting part of this work for her, whether it was leading a kids’ tour through the marsh, sampling water for mosquito larvae, or bug collecting with the lab. Bella has always been interested in how environmental change influences animal habitats and the role humans play within these systems, both as populations affected by vector-borne diseases and as drivers of positive and negative ecological change. Public health, particularly through a One Health lens, allowed Bella to bridge these interests by connecting ecology, human health, and entomology.
Looking ahead, Bella hopes to gain more hands-on experience in public health before pursuing a PhD and a research career focused on field entomology, vector and disease ecology, and the impacts of vectors on human health. Her long-term goal is to contribute research that not only advances science but also supports communities through highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental stewardship, ecosystem health, and human health.
