Dr. Richard Horowitz is a board-certified internist and the medical director of the Hudson Valley Healing Arts Center, an integrative medical center which combines both mainstream and integrative approaches in the treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne disorders. He has treated over 13,000 Lyme and tick-borne disease patients in the last 41 years, with patients coming from all over the US, Canada, and Europe to his clinic. He is former Assistant Director of Medicine of Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and is one of the founding members and past president elect of ILADS, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society. He is also past president of the ILADEF, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the education of health care professionals on tick-borne diseases. Dr Horowitz has trained hundreds of healthcare providers in diagnosing and caring for patients with treatment-resistant tick-borne disorders and was previously awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award by the Turn the Corner Foundation as well as awards from Project Lyme for his treatment of Lyme Disease. He has dedicated his life to helping those stricken with this devastating illness. He is the author of two best-selling books on Lyme disease, Why Can’t I Get Better? Solving the Mystery of Lyme and Chronic Disease (2013, St Martin’s Press, NY Times Best Seller), and How Can I Get Better? An Action Plan for Treating Resistant Lyme and Chronic Disease (2017, St Martin’s Press, National bestseller). These books incorporate recent scientific advances and explain in detail how healthcare providers can effectively diagnose and treat resistant chronic illness. He has been a member of the Advisory Panel, Lyme disease Educational Initiative, at Harvard Medical School from 2021-2023 and in addition, he has co-authored peer-reviewed Lyme guidelines. Dr Horowitz was a member of the HHS Tick-borne Disease Working Group and Co-chair of the “Other Tick-borne Diseases and Coinfections” subcommittee from 2017-2019 which provided recommendations to Congress to help the US improve the care of those suffering with tick-borne disorders. He also served as a member of the HHS Babesia and Tick-borne Pathogen Subcommittee and has recently served as a member of the NYS Department of Health Tick-borne disease Working Group from 2021-2024. Finally, Dr Horowitz recently published several scientific articles on short-term oral antibiotic and integrative protocols that have been highly effective in the treatment of chronic Lyme disease/PTLDS and associated co-infections (dapsone combination therapy and the MSIDS model), as well as classical and integrative solutions for COVID-19. These have been effective in helping those with acute and chronic illness (see www.cangetbetter.com). He is the process of applying for an NIH grant to head up a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of dapsone combination therapy for the treatment of chronic Lyme disease to prove to the world that we do have answers in the middle of this spreading global epidemic. In that regard, he is also in the process of working on a digital app with researchers from the University of California Irvine to further improve the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme and associated illness to help those afflicted with this debilitating illness. Dr H released his first novel, Starseed R/evolution, ‘The Awakening’ a cli-fi (science fiction/climate change) novel in March of 2022, providing some unique solutions and hope for our present climate crisis (see https://starseed-revolution.com/ ) and he will be releasing his third science book on comprehensive answers for chronic disease late in 2026 through Simon and Schuster. His new science book called ‘Ending Chronic Illness: A Revolutionary New Program to Reverse Inflammation and Heal Persistent Disease’ will provide groundbreaking approaches to a broad range of chronic diseases. After a one year intensive dive into the scientific literature, Dr H discovered that the 16 point MSIDS model that he pioneered for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic Lyme disease also applies to most chronic diseases affecting humanity which are causing suffering and disability. Ending Chronic Illness will provide innovative scientific solutions for both the prevention and treatment of diseases including but not limited to ADD/ADHD, Autism, Alzheimer’s disease, allergies and asthma, the 3 B’s (Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella), cardiovascular disease, cancer, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E., digestive disorders, environmental toxicity, Fibromyalgia, hormonal, mood and pain disorders as well as acute and chronic viral infections. Since over 1 billion people worldwide and roughly half of the US now suffer with at least one chronic disease, ‘Ending Chronic Illness’ is the book that the world has been waiting for. For more information, please see: www.endingchronicillness.com and www.cangetbetter.com

Dr. B. Robert Mozayeni was trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Yale and at NIH. He has had pre- and post-doctoral Fellowships in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, and also at NIH where he was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar at LMB/DCBD/NCI and later, Senior Staff Fellow at LMMB/NHLBI/NIH. He is an expert in Translational Medicine, the science and art of advancing medical science safely and efficiently. He is a Fellow of the non-profit Think Lead Innovate Foundation and is a co-founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases. He is a Founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases to crowd-source medical solutions for complex conditions using existing knowledge, diagnostic methods, and therapies to meet patient needs immediately. He is the Chief Medical Officer of Galaxy Diagnostics, LLC. And, he was recently appointed to be a Board member of the Human-Kind Alliance. Dr. Mozayeni has held admitting privileges (since 1994) on the clinical staff of Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine and an affiliate of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Dr Ehrlich is Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCoM) in Philadelphia, PA, USA. His scientific career has been characterized by his integration of technologies and ideas across a broad spectrum of academic and clinical disciplines and the continuous development of advances that span a range of disciplines including diagnostics, informatics, artificial intelligence, infectious diseases, genetic diseases, wound healing and evolutionary biology. Dr Ehrlich is an elected a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Microbiology based on his works in the development of molecular diagnostics, genomic technologies, and evolutionary modelling of chronic bacterial pathogenesis. He is also one of the foundational class of fellows for the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). He has served as a member of the American Society of Microbiology’s Distinguished Lecture (ASMDL) panel and on its subcommittee for elections. Dr Ehrlich counts among his major contributions to science the re-writing of much of our understanding of chronic bacterial pathogenesis. This began with his promulgation of the biofilm paradigm to explain many facets of chronic mucosal microbial infections. This work originated with his explorations into chronic middle-ear disease in children which he has since repeatedly generalized such that it is now widely accepted that the vast majority of all chronic microbial infections are biofilm-associated. He also advanced the Distributed Genome Hypothesis to align bacterial genomics and evolution with the enormous phenotypic and clinical variability among strains within a bacterial species, which together with the biofilm paradigm form the bases for his rubric of Bacterial Plurality. More recently he has developed the concept of bacterial population-level virulence factors and has used both statistical genetics and multiple artificial intelligence platforms for the first time within the field of bacterial genomics to identify distributed genes that are associated with tissue tropisms and virulence. These computational methodologies provide non-biased, top-down approaches to prioritize the annotation of hypothetical genes. Coincident with the relocation of his research enterprise to DUCOM he founded CAMP which functions as a collaborative multi-discipline facility for exploitation of a suite of technological advances, many developed within the CGS, which permit the identification, cloning, heterologous expression, and biochemical verification of commercially important biosynthetic and biodegradative pathways from what he refers to as the “Genomic Dark Matter”16. Dr Ehrlich’s latest work is on characterizing the in situ evolution of virulence among bacterial pathogens during the chronic infectious process and the development of high-resolution microbiome analyses which serve as species-specific, pan-domain MDx assays which he has applied towards characterizing the brain's pathobiome in Lyme and Alzheimer's disease. He is also developing the first true anti-biofilm drugs targeting the bacterial stringent response which serendipitously also turn off virulence factor production, thus "defanging" the pathogens.

Dr. Stricker received his medical degree and training in Internal Medicine at Columbia University in New York. He did subspecialty training in Hematology/Oncology at the University of California San Francisco, and supplemental training in Immunology and Immunotherapy at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He is currently Medical Director of Union Square Medical Associates, a multispecialty practice in San Francisco. Dr. Stricker is past President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS) and a current board member of LymeDisease.org. He is also a member of the California State Lyme Disease Advisory Committee, and he has testified at Lyme disease hearings before the California State Senate and the United States Congress. Dr. Stricker is a recipient of the American Medical Association Award for Physician Excellence, and he has authored over 200 medical journal articles and abstracts. Areas of special interest include immunodeficiency disorders, reproductive immunology, Covid-19 and tickborne diseases. He is internationally recognized as a leader in tickborne disease diagnosis, treatment and research.

Dr. Robert C. Bransfield, MD, DLFAPA is a graduate of Rutgers College and the George Washington University School of Medicine. He trained at Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Psychiatry and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Dr. Bransfield’s primary activity is an office based private practice of psychiatry. Dr Bransfield is the Past President of ILADS, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Educational Foundation and the New Jersey Psychiatric Association. He has held a number of administrative positions with hospitals and organizations involved with health, mental health and community related activities and has received multiple awards from the APA and ILADS, including the Pioneer Award. He is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Rutgers—RWJ Medical School and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. Dr. Bransfield’s clinical activities has focused upon treating patients who are considered to be treatment resistant. Many of these patients were found to have infectious disease contributors to their psychiatric symptoms. As a result, his research has often focused upon the association between infectious disease and mental illness. Dr. Bransfield has authored and co-authored a number of publications in peer-reviewed and other literature and has been active in political advocacy on an international, national, state and local level.

Dr. Rosalie Greenberg is a Board-Certified Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, known for her expertise in the diagnosis and management of complex psychiatric problems in children, and pediatric psychopharmacology. Dr. Greenberg received her MD from Columbia University-College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she also completed her training in adult psychiatry, as well as a fellowship in child psychiatry, serving as chief resident. She subsequently served for years on the teaching faculty at Columbia. A firm believer in the power of education, Dr. Greenberg is an author, researcher, lecturer, co-producer of an educational film, and creator and host of an award winning cable TV show, all related to children's health. These various activities have been geared to both medical professionals and the lay public, including presentations at both national and international conferences. Dr. Greenberg brings her 40 years of experience to topics that range from adolescent suicide and pediatric bipolar disorder as well as the many psychological aspects attributed to Lyme disease. Working in New Jersey, where Lyme disease is endemic, she found a sizable number of the children she evaluated, tested positive for tick-borne illness, most of whom never had a known tick bite. For the past few years, she has focused on the psychiatric manifestations of infectious diseases, especially, tick-borne illnesses in children and adolescents.

Dr. Stafford is a computational immunologist with substantial experience in pathogen detection. His grans from NIH (NIBIB 1R01EB021345-02, Multiplexed Serological Test for Blood Screening), DHS (Monitoring Healthy Persons for Changes in Immune Profile), and DoD (DTRA: FQS0051, Scalable Technology for Monitoring Health Status and Infections) yielded accurate pre- and post-infection multiplexed diagnostics. With ACES Diagnostics, Dr. Stafford continued this development using a proprietary panel of antigens specific to early and disseminated Lyme disease. This assay is currently being commercialized through a European CDMO.

Prof Lambert is an adjunct Full Clinical Professor and Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Genitourinary Medicine at Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, and Associate Professor at UCD School of Medicine. Current research focused on infections in pregnancy and treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C. Prof Lambert has successfully developed a database at the Rotunda and Mater Hospitals to monitor pregnant women with various infectious diseases, and also monitoring HIV drug levels in HIV positive pregnant women in receipt of HIV therapy. Active in Hepatitis C treatment and also developing national policies and strategies Prof Lambert is the recipient of a 228K two year grant from VIIV Access and Government Affairs department, to develop a paediatric AIDS database in two clinics in Eastern Cape South Africa. This database captures information on 2500 children, approximately 2000 of whom are on HIV treatment and captures important safety and clinical data on these children. Currently Prof Lambert has received further funding of 200K to develop this database in 4 countries: South Africa, Kenya, Swaziland and Zambia. Prof Lambert's is currently developing research into international adolescent HIV. He is leading a multi country study including sites in Dublin, London, Bucharest Romania, Chiang Rai Thailand, Rio de Janeiro Brazil, Mona Jamaica, East London and Durban South Africa, He has been awarded a 237K grant from VIIV Access and Government Affairs for this project. His most recent grant for £150K focusses on Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in South Africa. Prof Lambert has also been awarded a 1.8 million euro three year grant to develop a community based intervention for HCV with the Horizons 2020 programme, with location in Dublin, London, Bucharest and Seville.

Dr. Tania Dempsey, MD, ABHIM is a world-renowned expert in complex, multisystem diseases. Her extensive knowledge and experience with MCAS, Mold, Environmental Toxins, Lyme and Vector Borne Diseases has propelled her to the forefront of the international medical community as a recognized and trusted speaker, researcher, and physician. Dr. Dempsey is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative and Holistic Medicine. She received her MD from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, her BS from Cornell University, and completed her Internal Medicine residency at NYU Medical Center. She founded AIM Center for Personalized Medicine in 2011, a destination practice in Purchase, NY, focusing on complex, multisystem disorders. She is a founding member and Treasurer of the newly created non-profit, ISMCAS (International Society for Mast Cell Activation Syndromes) and serves as the newly elected Secretary on the Board of Directors of ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society). She hosts the podcast “Mast Cell Matters”, where she takes deep dives on all things MCAS related. She is an accomplished international speaker, writer and thought leader. She is well published in the medical literature and was a co-author of a chapter titled “Urogynecology and Hypermobility” in the 2020 book, Disjointed Navigating the Diagnosis and Management of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders. She was involved in a research study in collaboration with the TILT team at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio which led to two publications: Mast cell activation may explain many cases of chemical intolerance (2021) and Chemical Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation: A Suspicious Synchronicity (2023). She is also a co-author of several groundbreaking papers, including Diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome: a global "consensus-2, Learned cautions regarding antibody testing in mast cell activation syndrome and Utility of glucagon-like-peptide-1-receptor agonists in mast cell activation syndrome.

Dr. Nancy O’Hara is a board-certified Pediatrician. Prior to her medical career, Dr. O’Hara taught children with autism. She graduated with highest honors from Bryn Mawr College and as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She earned a Master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh. She is a leader in the training of clinicians, both in the United States and abroad on integrative and holistic care of children with chronic illness and neurodevelopmental/neuropsychiatric disorders such as PANDAS/PANS, Tick-borne Diseases, Mold Mycotoxin illness and all Post-Infectious Syndromes. Dr. O’Hara has written a comprehensive guidebook, “Demystifying PANS / PANDAS: A Functional Medicine Desktop Reference on Basal Ganglia Encephalitis”, which is available on Amazon in e-book or soft-cover formats.  Her audio book with 5 additional chapters on Mold, Bartonella, Babesia, COVID and FRAAs is available on Amazon, Audible, and Spotify. Additionally, Dr. O’Hara’s research on Folate Receptor Auto Antibodies and PANS/PANDAS was published in 2024. (https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14020166). Together with Dr Jim Greenblatt, she is spearheading a CME-based, integrative Pediatric Fellowship for Psychiatry Redefined. Her podcast, Demystifying PANS/PANDAS is now available on all podcast platforms. Finally, for more information on all of this as well as her membership and mentoring programs, please visit www.drohara.com.

Executive Director, AlzPI, Founding Director of the Pathobiome Research Center and Research Assistant Professor at The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), and Principal Founder, Intracell Research Group, LLC Nikki received her BS in Business Administration from Villanova University, studying Marketing, French and International Business. She began her career in the life sciences industry with Pfizer and Genentech. Shortly after accepting her most treasured role, “mom”, Nikki fell systemically ill, including frightening neurodegenerative symptoms. After being diagnosed with Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease), Chlamydia pneumoniae and other co-infections and receiving antibiotic therapy, she experienced remission. Nikki is accelerating innovation in Infection Associated Chronic Illnesses (IACI), such as Alzheimer’s Disease, PANDAS/PANS, Asthma and others by building interdisciplinary research collaborations. In 2017 she Founded Intracell Research Group, LLC, to unite researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders across the globe. Nikki is a collaboration architect, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative, Founding Director of the Pathobiome Research Center and Research Assistant Professor at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a co-investigator of a 3,200-patient asthma clinical trial (iTREAT-PC) and member of the Board of Directors of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Education Foundation. To date, Nikki has connected philanthropic grant funding to launch AlzPI research at 8 academic centers and generate preliminary data using the roadmap she co-lead authored, published in Alzheimer’s and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association (Lathe, Schultek, Balin et al., 2023), detailing an actionable, scientifically rigorous plan to unveil the potential role of microbial infections in dementia and other brain diseases.

Tanja Mijatovic, PhD Screenshot 2025-03-27 at 10.38.31.jpg Experienced scientist with notable work practice in academic, biotech, private labs and big pharma settings. Addicted to research and strong commitment to develop new diagnostic tools for tick-borne diseases and autism-spectrum disorders. I am also heavily contributing to the discovery and testing of new therapeutic solutions through transfer of knowledge, coordination & management

Hi! I am Dr. Leona Gilbert, co-founder and CEO of Te?ted Oy (Tezted). I have co-founded Tezted with Kunal Garg (Chief Technology Officer) in 2016 as a university spinoff company. Our goal was to help patients with complex diseases (e.g., Lyme disease) to get tested reliably, so they could get timely treatment and recover quicker. I was born in Canada and moved to Finland for love. I am a Docent of Cell and Molecular Biology and I have over 20 years of experience in research-driven initiatives that provided valuable tools for patients. I have a doctorate in biotechnology and a very long experience in bio-innovation and bio-business and have supervised numerous PhD, MSc and BSc students. My various peer-reviewed articles span turning research results into a translational value with developing novel delivery vectors as well as diagnostic lab-on-chip platforms. My publications show the thorough investigation of how a common virus or bacterium can contribute to autoimmune diseases, and demonstrate a multi-disciplinary background and collaborative efforts between clinicians, microbiologists, diagnostic developers, nano-scientists, physicists and engineers, and especially patients. I strive so that my research initiatives into complete diagnostic platforms and clinical profiling of patients for tick-borne and autoimmune diseases will lead to a better understanding of how chronic conditions could be established with infectious pathogens.

Dr Carsten Nicolaus is a world-renowned Lyme expert, dedicated to researching, diagnosing, and treating Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Since 1990, he has advised over 25,000 Lyme patients from more than 80 countries and has trained and mentored over 1,500 doctors since 2006. After obtaining his medical license in 1988 and specializing in organ transplants, he went on to do his doctorate in immunology in Munich. In 1990, having set up his own GP practice in Augsburg, Germany, which he wasn’t aware was in a Lyme endemic area, he began to diagnose and treat patients, realizing that many of the patients he was seeing were suffering from chronic Lyme. Dr Nicolaus immediately pursued specialist training and research into tick-borne diseases so that he was able to better diagnose and treat these patients. Over the past three decades Dr Nicolaus has developed a unique set of protocols and treatment approaches that cutting edge doctors and clinics have successfully adopted in their own practices. Dr Nicolaus founded BCA-clinic in 2006, which was the first and largest Lyme clinic of its kind in Europe. His targeted approach to treatment is the result of years of work conducted in frontline Lyme clinical care, a pioneering research department, and a field-based training academy which all worked together seamlessly under the ownership and steerage of Dr Nicolaus. Over the years the BCA-clinic, BCA-lab and Training Centre gained worldwide recognition and praise as a beacon of hope and treatment success for patients and doctors until its closure in 2020 during the Covid- 19 pandemic.In 2016, Dr Nicolaus co-founded Infectolab Americas (USA) with the aim of developing the highest quality diagnostic testing for viruses and bacteria including Lyme, and other tick-borne diseases. Infectolab Americas (USA) is an independent laboratory that consults with doctors and practitioners regularly who they support with diagnostic interpretation and guidance on treatment. In 2021, Infectolab Americas set up a specialized research department in-house that plays a crucial role in development of ongoing scientific refinements and advancements to the diagnostics they offer. Dr Nicolaus has been an active member of ILADS (International Lyme & Associated Diseases Society) since 2007 having been a board director of the organization as well as treasurer of the educational foundation of ILADS at various junctures in his membership with the group. He is also a long-standing member of ILADEF (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Education Foundation) as well as a member of the medical advisory panel of the Charles E Holman Morgellons Disease Foundation. His work now encompasses not only tick borne/vector-borne diseases but also the associated health conditions that often develop as a result of chronic infections.Dr Nicolaus currently divides his time between the United Kingdom, Germany and North America, speaking at conferences and training medical practitioners in diagnostics and treatment protocols. This, combined with his own ongoing research, aims to further our global understanding in the management and treatment of patients with tick-borne diseases. He continues to provide mentorship and training to doctors and clinics worldwide offering personalized support to doctors who manage patients with complex medical histories. Whilst much progress has been made in understanding and accepting the impact that tick-borne diseases have on people around the world, much remains to be done to create a greater understanding of the tick-borne diseases and their impact on patients. He firmly believes there is a need for a global ‘gold standard’ in diagnostics and treatment protocols that would enable doctors and patients to work together towards a positive health outcome.