Howdy y’all and welcome to Season 4, Episode 26 of the EEARSS by Alligator Robb Podcast, produced by Terrier TV at Titusville High School! This week’s guest is the incredibly insightful Dr. Norman Beatty.

Did you know Florida leads the country in leprosy cases—and that the majority of those are coming from Merritt Island? Ever heard of Chagas disease? Curious about the real dangers and science behind snakebite?

Dr. Beatty joins us to explore all of this and more. He is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Florida College of Medicine and works through the Emerging Pathogens Institute. His research focuses on neglected tropical diseases, including Chagas disease, leprosy, and snakebite.

Dr. Beatty grew up right here in Florida and had a firsthand experience with the dangers of snakebite when his brother was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake—an encounter that nearly led to the amputation of his thumb without quick antivenom intervention. Trained at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Dr. Beatty worked alongside experts in toxicology and envenomation before bringing his expertise back home. At UF, he’s now leading the charge in educating people about venomous snakes, their vital role in Florida’s ecosystems, and how we should medically manage a bite when it happens.

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