Rachel Lange Elected as Lead Trainee Councilor for the American Committee on Arthropod-Borne Viruses

ALBANY, N.Y. (November 10, 2023) - Rachel Lange, a doctoral student in Alexander Ciota’s lab, was elected to be the lead trainee councilor for the American Committee on Arthropod-Borne Viruses (ACAV), a subgroup of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). ACAV works to promote the study of arthropod-borne and zoonotic viruses through various means, such as training and travel fellowships, advocacy, and advising scientific and public health communities on virus classification, laboratory safety, and biocontainment.

Rachel has been involved with the ACAV Trainee Leadership Group since 2020, and as the lead trainee councilor she will now be the leader of this group from 2024-2027. In this position, she will act as a middleman between the ACAV executive council and student representatives. She will also work with other student representatives to organize scientific symposiums at the annual ASTMH conferences, hold scientific and career panels year-round, run the ACAV booth and ACAV social media accounts, and create merch. While in this position, she hopes to increase and expand student involvement and spread excitement and opportunities for field work.

Rachel was elected to this position at this year’s ASTMH annual meeting in October. While there, she also presented her work on Powassan virus host switching and evolution, and helped with various student-run events, including a happy hour, running the ACAV booth, and organizing a reverse Q&A during the ACAV business meeting.

If you are interested in tropical medicine, global health, infectious disease, or vector-borne disease, you can check out the ASTMH website, the ACAV website, or ACAV on X.