Collaboration for a Better World Brown Bag Speaker: Lily Perl Balloffet "Venomous Animals"

In 2017, the World Health Organization declared “snakebite
envenoming” to be one of the globe’s highest priority
Neglected Tropical Diseases. Recently, in June 2023, the
same organization published their first-ever guidelines for
the production of antivenom medicines used to treat
snakebites - a type of medication that has been in use for
130+ years.
 

This talk will explore mixed methods research on
venomous snakes, antivenom, and the possibilities for
taking an “animal-centered” approach to the history of
inter-American relations. I will discuss my research process
over the past five years, which has included archival work,
interviews, work with natural history specimens
collections, and training in venomous snake handling.