Tara Roth has a B.S. in Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity from the University of California Davis, an M.S. in Ecology and Systematics from San Francisco State University, and a PhD from the University of California Davis in Integrative Pathobiology with a designated emphasis in the Biology of Vector Borne Diseases. Before joining the San Mateo Vector Control District her research focused on the ecology and epidemiology of tularemia in the California Central Valley. Tara specializes in the ecology of multiple tick and flea borne diseases including Lyme borreliosis, Rickettsia felis, rocky mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, and tularemia.