Expert Tick Panel: Ticked Off? What you need to know!
Thursday, May 14, 2026
Expert Tick Panel: Ticked Off? What you need to know!
Growth of tick populations, diseases and syndromes are dominating conversations on Martha’s Vineyard, from the dinner table to medical professionals to environmentalists and public health leaders. Hosted by the Vineyard Haven Public Library in collaboration with the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital, this expert panel will answer questions about preventing bites, seeking medical treatment, alpha gal syndrome, community action, and new research efforts. This event will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, June 9th at the Katharine Cornell Theatre, located at 51 Spring Street in Vineyard Haven (above Tisbury Town Hall). Free and open to the public. No registration required.
The panel will be moderated by Ellen McMahon, MD, of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Panelists include: Lea Hamner, MPH of the Inter Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative; Aubrey Stimola Ryan, PA-C of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital; Josh Levy, MS, RDN, LDN of Vineyard Nutrition; Virginia Barbatti of Tick Free MV; and Kathleen Fitch, NP of Mass General Hospital Infectious Disease Division.
Ellen McMahon, MD – Moderator – Martha’s Vineyard Hospital
Dr. Ellen McMahon has served as a physician at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital since 2002, providing comprehensive primary care to patients of all ages. In 2023, Dr. McMahon became Chief of Medicine and Ambulatory Medical Director, focusing on the development of physician and advanced practitioner services, leadership of quality-of-care initiatives, and support of broader hospital and Mass General Brigham efforts. Dr. McMahon also serves as the medical director of the future Tick Care Clinic and Express Care at West Tisbury and a local liaison and investigator for the alpha-gal research project scheduled to begin in summer 2026.
Lea Hamner, MPH- Inter Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative
Lea is a public health epidemiologist based on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, specializing in tickborne diseases with a particular focus on Alpha-Gal Syndrome (AGS). She works for the Martha’s Vineyard Tick Program, Dukes County, and the Inter-Island Public Health Excellence Collaborative. She works at the intersection of applied epidemiology, local public health, and community-based research to better understand and respond to emerging tick-associated conditions. She serves as a Senior Advisor to Tick Free MV, supporting at-scale interventions to reduce tick and host abundance on the landscape.
Aubrey Stimola Ryan, PA-C – Martha’s Vineyard Hospital
Aubrey holds a MS in Physician Assistant Sciences from Albany Medical College and a BA in Bioethics—a curriculum she designed—from Bard College. She has over 17 years of clinical emergency room experience, including at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and in New York City. She has spent extensive time researching, writing about and presenting on tickborne illnesses including alpha-gal syndrome to both clinicians and the local community to help raise awareness and promote the most current science-based data on these topics. She sits on multiple tick related committees at MVH, will be working in the MVH tick care clinic and is collaborating with TickFree MV to help promote a cohesive, island-wide effort to reduce the burden of tickborne illnesses locally. Aubrey was one of the first Advanced Practice Providers in the U.S. to be offered a two-year fellowship in Global Health Studies—a program traditionally offered to MDs. Her global health work has included travel to Tanzania and Uganda, with a focus on infectious diseases. She received the American Society of Travel Medicine and Hygiene’s (ASTMH) Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and also holds a certificate in Travel Medicine from the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM).
Josh Levy, MS, RDN, LDN – Vineyard Nutrition
Josh, Co-owner Vineyard Nutrition, earned his master’s degree in human nutrition from Colorado State University in 2003 and completed his dietetic internships with the University of Northern Colorado in 2004. Since then, Josh has dedicated his career to helping people reach their health goals and establish a positive relationship with food. He has diverse experience in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, GI conditions, tick borne diseases, weight loss, and sports nutrition. He provides targeted nutrition education to patients in one-on-one settings, small groups and large classes. His additional experiences as a culinary instructor, college lecturer, and previous business owner provide a unique background to helping his patients reach their goals. Prior to Vineyard Nutrition, he worked at Kaiser Permanente Colorado and Maine Medical Center and has earned his certification in Adult Weight Management from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Outside of his practice, Josh is an avid cyclist, skier, traveler, cook, and father.
Virginia Barbatti – Tick Free MV
Virginia Barbatti serves as Executive Director of Tick Free MV, leading the organization’s efforts to reduce tick-borne disease and allergy on Martha’s Vineyard through coordinated, community-driven action. A lifelong seasonal resident of Martha’s Vineyard, Virginia moved to the Island full-time in 2020 with her family. She spent 15 years in senior corporate strategy roles at companies including Stanley Black & Decker and Wayfair. She went on to build nonprofit leadership experience on the Island, most recently as Development Director at Island Grown Initiative. She came to this work out of a deep commitment to this community and a belief that the Island has what it takes to meet this challenge. Virginia holds a B.S. in Business Management from Penn State University and grew up in Washington, D.C. She lives in Chilmark with her husband and their three young children.
Kathleen Fitch, NP – Mass General Hospital Infectious Disease Division
Katie is a nurse practitioner and clinical researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital with more than 20 years of experience leading large scale clinical research studies. After a long career investigating cardiometabolic disease in people with HIV—including leadership of a landmark trial that helped shape national guidelines—she now works in the MGH Infectious Diseases Division focused on tick borne diseases. She leads and helps design observational studies, supports a Tick Bite Access Clinic, and provides care in the Multidisciplinary Lyme Disease Clinic. Her work integrates community based clinical care with research aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of Lyme disease and persistent symptoms after infection.
For more information, please contact the library at vhpl_programs@clamsnet.org or (508) 696-4211.
Running a kitchen in alpha-gal times
Why Is Martha’s Vineyard Going Vegan? It’s All About Tick Bites.
New York Times, Aug. 12, 2025
By Pete Wells
A former restaurant critic for The Times, Pete Wells followed tick-safety protocol while reporting this article on Martha’s Vineyard by tucking his pants into his socks.
On Martha’s Vineyard, this was supposed to be the summer of the shark. Instead, it’s the time of the tick.
The Massachusetts island is throwing a months long party for the 50th birthday of “Jaws,” with tours of locations where the movie was filmed, a museum show, grinning-shark cashmere sweaters and a commemorative kale salad featuring turnips carved in the shape of sharks’ teeth.
As the season has gone on, though, great white sharks have been replaced as the Vineyard’s scariest animal. When islanders get together these days, they talk about their fears of an eight-legged creature the size of a grape seed.
On the porch of the Chilmark General Store and at sunset-watching parties on Menemsha Beach, conversations circle ineluctably to the lone star tick, which after a single bite can leave people with a life-threatening allergy to most meat and dairy.
Known as alpha-gal syndrome, the condition is changing the way many people shop, cook and eat in a place long known as a food-lover’s retreat for its thriving independent farms and restaurants. These new habits may prove to be lasting, as some islanders who initially avoided beef and cheese temporarily, out of necessity, later give them up for good out of preference.
“It’s sort of supersized vegetarianism,” said Rebecca Miller, a farm owner who has the syndrome herself.
Last year, out of 1,254 tests for the allergy, 523 came back positive, according to laboratory data from Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. This was a stunningly fast rise from 2020, when only two out of nine tests were positive.
“Alpha-gal cases are skyrocketing across the island,” said Patrick Roden-Reynolds, a state-funded biologist who leads the tick safety programs on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. He has spent much of the past few summers counting ticks in yards and teaching people to cut down on the risk of bites by, for instance, wearing clothing treated with repellent.
Residents have told him that worries about alpha-gal syndrome keep them from hiking, gardening and going to the beach. A few said they were moving off the island entirely, and while ticks aren’t the only reason, they are definitely in the mix.
“There are a lot of angry people, a lot of stressed-out people and a lot of fearful people,” Mr. Roden-Reynolds said.
Over the past three decades, alpha-gal syndrome has taken hold in a wide band of the United States from Oklahoma to Long Island, changing the lives and diets of people who come down with it. Its arrival on Martha’s Vineyard has been especially dramatic in part because its spread has been so quick, and in part because people come here to unwind in nature, not to hide from it.
The acres of undeveloped woods and waving grasses that make the island so alluring to celebrities and vacationers are also deeply attractive to deer and the ticks that feed and breed on them.
A population that was already wary of deer ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, reacted quickly to the ascent of a new species. First spotted on the island in 1985 but seen in significant numbers only in the past few years, the lone star tick has become that scourge of beach communities everywhere: the uninvited guest who won’t leave.
After a walk in the woods three summers ago, Nina Levin noticed that the screen on her phone appeared to be moving. It was, in fact, covered with tiny lone star ticks. So was she.
Her walk had brought her into contact with a teeming cluster of crawling, biting arachnids known as a tick bomb. A few hours later, after she ate red meat for dinner, her stomach was in knots with what felt like food poisoning. A test confirmed that she had developed antibodies to the sugar molecule galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, familiarly known as alpha-gal and found in almost all mammals.
Her symptoms (“wildly unpleasant”) stayed away if she simply avoided red meat until a few months ago, when she was bitten by lone star ticks again. Now, she reacts to milk, cheese and other dairy products, too. This is particularly challenging for Ms. Levin because she is the owner and chef of a mobile pizza oven and a dessert trailer known for buttery pastries and soft-serve ice cream.
“I’m not a big red-meat eater,” she said. “But the dairy is, like, tragic.” This summer she is selling a new vegan cruller made with coconut oil, a recipe she came up with at least partly so she could eat one of her own pastries again.
Islanders who come down with alpha-gal syndrome discover that it is much easier to find help here than it would be in many places on the mainland. There is an alpha-gal support group, alpha-gal seminars and spontaneous alpha-gal convocations in the checkout aisle.
“I was standing at the grocery store shortly after I got it, and four out of five people standing in line had it,” said Cassie Courtney, a Chilmark resident who has lived with the syndrome for two years. “We were all looking at each other’s carts asking, ‘What are you eating?’ ”
Some restaurants, like the takeout window at Menemsha Galley, hand out a list of alpha-gal-safe menu items. Nightly specials at Mo’s Lunch, a counter-service restaurant inside the Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs, are either vegan and dairy-free or can easily be modified, a direct response to the rise of alpha-gal, said Maura Martin, an owner and chef.
The rustic roadside market at North Tabor Farm, in Chilmark, now refrigerates plant-based butters, sausages and cheeses on their own shelf behind a slate sign reading “alpha gal friendly.” The farm’s prepared foods have changed, too.
“This year, the stuff we cook or create in our kitchen has been 100 percent vegetarian,” said Ms. Miller, an owner of the farm. “And a high percentage of it is vegan, too, just because there are so many people” with alpha-gal.
For people with extreme sensitivity to the alpha-gal molecule, watching what they eat is not enough. They also have to watch where they stand. One local man lost consciousness at a recent cookout after inhaling the smoke from burgers on the grill at a cookout, according to Josh Levy, a dietitian in Edgartown who now advises him.
Other patients have reported allergic reactions to brands of bottled water and white sugar that are processed using animal-bone char.
Both the troublemaking foods and the symptoms they induce — cramps, diarrhea, hives, swelling, asthma and, in extreme cases, anaphylactic shock — vary widely from one person to to the next.
“The hallmark of alpha-gal is that the reactions are consistently inconsistent,” Mr. Roden-Reynolds said.
Some patients find that their sensitivity clears up within six to 12 months. For others, it can linger, though exactly how long is one of many unknowns in the relatively young field of alpha-gal science. A number of people aren’t quite sure whether they have gotten over it or not because they’ve simply stopped eating meat and dairy.
“Some people say it’s the best thing that’s ever happened, and they’ll never go back,” even if their sensitivity vanishes, said Mr. Levy, the dietitian.
Whether temporary or not, the vegan boom has inspired some grocers to seek out more plant-based ice creams, cheeses and other products.
“They’re selling like crazy,” said Rosemarie Willett, who owns North Tisbury Farm & Market. Several times a day, customers who are loading up their grocery baskets break into impromptu conversations about life without meat and dairy.
“I feel left out at this point that I don’t have alpha-gal,” Ms. Willett said.
Corn & Basil Cakes
- ½ cup white whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup low-fat milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
- Whisk flour, milk, eggs, 1 tablespoon oil, baking powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in corn and basil.
- Brush a large nonstick skillet lightly with some of the remaining 1 tablespoon oil; heat over medium heat until hot (but not smoking).
- Cook 4 cakes at a time, using about ¼ cup batter for each, making them about 3 inches wide. Cook until the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side, 1 to 3 minutes more.
- Repeat with the remaining oil and batter, making 10 cakes total. Reduce the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
Sesame-Shiitake Bok Choy
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 T fresh ginger, diced into small pieces
- 1 2-pound head bok choy, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 4 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps, (9 ounces with stems)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic and ginger, cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant but not browned, 30 seconds.
- Add bok choy and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Continue cooking, stirring often, until just tender, 3-5 minutes more.
- Stir in rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and salt.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
Fig & Goat Cheese Salad
- 4 cups mixed salad greens
- 6 dried figs, stemmed and sliced (dried apricots can also be used)
- 2 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, preferably toasted
- 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Pinch of salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- Combine greens, figs, goat cheese and almonds in a medium bowl. Stir together oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
- Just before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss.
Parmesan Broccoli Bites
- Olive oil or canola oil cooking spray
- 1 pound broccoli crowns, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon reduced-fat milk
- 1¼ cups almond flour or almond meal
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Cut broccoli into florets and peel the stems. Toss with cornstarch in a large bowl.
- Whisk eggs and milk in a shallow dish. Whisk almond flour (or meal), Parmesan, paprika, baking powder, salt, pepper and cayenne (if using) in another shallow dish.
- Dip a few pieces of broccoli at a time in the egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off, then dredge in the flour mixture, tapping off any excess.
- Transfer the broccoli to the prepared baking sheet. Generously coat with cooking spray.
- Bake the broccoli, without turning, until golden brown and tender-crisp, 25 to 30 minutes.
2017 Winter Newsletter
Enjoy our recent newsletter filled with tips, recipes, and articles.
Spinach Salad with Japanese Ginger Dressing
- 3 tablespoons minced onion
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 medium red bell pepper, very thinly sliced
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- Combine onion, oil, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender. Process until combined.
- Toss spinach, carrot and bell pepper with the dressing in a large bowl until evenly coated.
Skillet Apple Chicken Thighs
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 (4-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided (use light salt to further reduce sodium content)
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- ½ cup unsalted chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1½ teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 medium apples, thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly vertically sliced
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1½ teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅜ teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan.
- Combine stock and mustard, stirring with a whisk. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl. Add remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, remaining ⅜ teaspoon pepper, sage, rosemary, apple, and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in stock mixture. Return chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
