Developing a Best-Practices Rodent Management Framework for United States Cities

Led by Associate Professor Wendy Heiger-Bernays and Assistant Professor Jessica Leibler of the School of Public Health, with collaboration from Dr. Gadhoke (St. Johns University), Dr. Chelsea Himsworth (veterinary pathologist), and Dr. Jessie Gaeta (Boston Healthcare for the Homeless), this project seeks to coordinate and review urban policies on rodent and pest management in large U.S. cities, including Boston.

Over the course of their project, the team will

• Coordinate and review urban policies on rodent and pest management from the 20 largest US cities in multiple geographic regions, including speaking with government officials and sanitation companies
• Devise a transmission model for rodent-borne infections in urban areas of the United States, identifying pathways of transmission relevant in particular for marginalized groups
• Develop an evidence-based framework for rodent and pest control in large urban municipalities in the United States.

This research will enable them to

• Evaluate current rodent and pest control policies and the largest US cities across multiple geographic areas
• Identify rodent-borne disease transmission pathways of specific relevance to marginalized urban populations
• Devise a “gold standard” framework for urban rodent control policies on the basis of this evidence.

The goal of this research is to provide health departments and managers with an approach that can begin to inform current procedures.

View more projects funded through our Early Stage Urban Research Awards