The second annual meeting of the TalkToTick project, supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia through the PRISMA call, took place on June 18 at the Czech House in Belgrade. The event brought together researchers, collaborators, and representatives from leading scientific, educational, and healthcare institutions.
Project team members shared key outcomes and challenges from the second year of implementation, which saw an expansion of field activities and improvements to sampling and data validation protocols. These enhancements have led to more accurate insights into tick biodiversity and the presence of pathogens across various locations in Serbia.
A panel discussion, moderated by SAIGE project consultant Vukica Popadić and Dr. Marijana Kovačić from the Institute for Medical Research, emphasized the importance of integrating ecological perspectives into all phases of scientific project planning.
The agenda also featured a science communication workshop led by Monika Stefanović-Stojanović, a communications specialist, who introduced practical strategies for delivering clear and effective messages to diverse audiences.
Unlike the previous year, which centered on educating primary care physicians, this year’s event gathered experts in biomedicine, ecology, epidemiology, and veterinary science.
TalkToTick continues to explore the public health risks posed by ticks in Serbia, through locally grounded research and civic engagement. The next phase of the project includes the development of national guidelines for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of tick-borne diseases, drawing directly from the project’s ecological and epidemiological findings.
