Vishvapali Kobbekaduwa
Public Health Entomologist, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
she/her/hers
Bio
Dr. Viva (Vishvapali) Kobbekaduwa is a Public Health Entomologist specializing in ticks and tickborne diseases, bridging public and veterinary health. With a Ph.D. in Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology from Michigan State University, where she researched blacklegged tick ecology and disease ecology of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in the Midwest. She later focused on longhorned tick research at the University of Tennessee where she was a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Now, as the Public Health Entomologist for North Carolina, Dr. Viva is dedicated to enhancing the state’s tick surveillance network and public education on tickborne diseases, directly supporting Global One Health initiatives.