Our Story

Why I Started TickWarriors

In 2011, while working on my doctorate in public health at the University of North Carolina, I became ill with ehrlichiosis. I was later also diagnosed with Lyme disease and babesiosis. Those experiences changed my health and the direction of my work.

My career had long focused on the relationship between human health and the environment. When tick-borne disease became personal, I wanted practical ways to protect my family while being thoughtful about what we were putting on ourselves, our animals, and our property.

I founded TickWarriors in 2016 to help others do the same.


Ten Years in the Field

Over the past decade, we’ve worked with families, camps, schools, and farms to reduce tick encounters in the places they use every day. That work has taken us onto wooded trails, around playgrounds, and through the areas surrounding homes and barns. Much of our experience has focused on managing lone star ticks.

As a public health scientist and licensed pesticide applicator and consultant in North Carolina, I bring both research and hands-on experience to this work. We pay attention to where ticks are active, how people and animals use a property, and what customers are experiencing over time. Our case studies share what we’ve learned through years of working with these properties.

Today, TickWarriors offers tick protection products for people, pets, property, and livestock, as well as practical guidance on their use. Choosing ingredients thoughtfully and considering their effects on the surrounding environment remain central to our approach. I want our customers to understand what they are using, where to use it, and why.

A Commitment to Public Health

My work also extends to research, education, and advocacy through Tick-Borne Conditions United, the nonprofit I co-founded with Beth Carrison. Through TBC United, we connect patient experiences and emerging science with the information healthcare providers need to better recognize and respond to tick-borne conditions.

That work and TickWarriors share a common purpose: reducing the burden of tick-borne disease. Prevention matters. So does listening to people who have become ill and using what we learn to improve education and care.

I know firsthand what is at stake. That is why I remain committed to helping people protect themselves, their families, and the outdoor places they love.

Jennifer Platt, DrPH
Founder & CEO, TickWarriors
NC Pesticide Certification 026-34332
NC Pesticide Consultant 030-1321

 

Advocacy for a Tick-Borne Disease-Free Future

Driven by the vision of a day when tick-borne illnesses no longer pose a public health hazard, Dr. Platt is at the forefront of advocacy efforts. Alongside her co-founder Beth Carrison and their sister organization TBC United, Dr. Platt actively contributes to research, education, and advocacy initiatives. Their goal is to raise public awareness about ticks and the diseases they cause, ultimately improving overall public health and well-being.