Chad L. Cross
Biography
Chad L. Cross is a researcher who also teaches courses for the Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics housed within UNLV's School of Public Health. He has expertise on the ecology and epidemiology of parasites and vector-borne diseases — illnesses that can be transmitted directly or indirectly between animals and humans, such as Lyme disease, tick-borne encephalitis, and West Nile virus. He also studies medical and veterinary entomology, a branch of zoology that examines the biology and control of ticks, mites, and other insects.
Prior to academia, Cross did stints with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Veterans Health Administration, and worked in private industry as a quantitative ecologist and statistician.
His research has investigated chronic and infectious diseases; used statistics to examine problems in the health, psychological, environmental, and ecological sciences, such as clinical trials and avian fatality around wind turbines; and taken him into the field to study arthropod-borne and parasitic diseases. His projects have explored topics such as PTSD in veterans, links between neurodevelopmental disorders and sports concussions, and postmortem THC levels in decedents following the legalization of recreational cannabis in Clark County, Nevada.
Education
- Ph.D., Ecological Sciences (Quantitative Ecology), Old Dominion University
- M.S., Computational & Applied Mathematics (Statistics), Old Dominion University
- M.S., Entomology & Nematology (Medical & Veterinary), University of Florida
- M.S., Counseling (Systems Theory), UNLV
- B.S., Wildlife Science, Purdue University
- B.S., Biological Sciences, Purdue University
Related Links
Chad L. Cross In The News

Articles Featuring Chad L. Cross
UNLV Newsmakers 2023: August
A roundup of prominent news stories highlighting university pride, research, and community collaboration.
UNLV Study Suggests New Way to Predict CTE Risk in Pro Fighters
Boxers, MMA fighters with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome diagnoses may be more likely to develop severe degenerative brain disease, research finds.

UNLV Study: Placenta Consumption Offers Few Benefits for New Moms
Research finds that consuming encapsulated placentas has little to no effect on postpartum mood and maternal bonding; detectable changes shown in hormones.

UNLV Study Finds No Iron Benefit from Eating Placenta
First clinical study of its kind finds no benefit for women who eat their placenta as a source of needed iron after giving birth.