Our Team
The founder, physicians, researchers, and advocates behind Texas Lyme Alliance's work across the state.
"Texas Lyme Alliance's mission is to advocate, educate, and legislate for congenital and pediatric Lyme families' right to health through fundraising for a treatment for all."
Our goal is to connect resources to patients and the medical community to improve the quality of life for those we serve.
Founded in 2020
Texas Lyme Alliance is a science-based nonprofit whose mission is to advocate for congenital Lyme families' right to better health and treatment for all.
Top priorities:
- Work on legislation to protect doctors and ensure patients have the highest standard of care.
- Fund research for effective treatments that can treat our most vulnerable populations, kids and expectant mothers. We would then have a treatment for all.
- Network with the medical community to encourage more Lyme specialists to be trained to treat complex illness and immune system dysregulation.
- Attract new researchers to the field of tick-borne diseases.
- Launch programs to educate families, doctors and medical schools, K-12 programs, and communities with up-to-date science.
- Provide resources to patients and the medical community.
Standard of care shouldn't depend on your zip code.
Every priority on this list points to the same goal: a Lyme-literate medical community that Texas families can actually reach, wherever they live.
The numbers are being finalized
Rather than publish placeholder statistics, we're waiting until these are confirmed. Check back soon.
Kristina Petterson Bauer
Founder & Executive Director, Texas Lyme AllianceKristina (Petterson) Bauer is the Director of Texas Lyme Alliance, a charity dedicated to bettering the lives of congenital and pediatric Lyme patients, and finding a treatment for all. As of 2025, she is the lead in Texas as an ILADS Ambassador to grow a qualified medical community willing and capable of treating this complex patient group.
Kristina graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in International Business from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville in 1999. She serves on the board for Mothers Against Lyme and is the Texas State Captain for the federal legislative organization Center for Lyme Action in DC, which advocates for increasing funding for Lyme disease. She graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition Health Program in June 2023, focusing on the seven pillars of transformation, and has earned several certifications in yoga, meditation, pranayama (breath control), and Usui Teate Reiki therapy, and is a Raindrop therapist. She owned a yoga studio and wellness center for 14 years, operating three treatment rooms, a playcare, and up to 35 meditation and fitness classes a week. She has worked on several Lyme disease publications as an editor and collaborated on the "Disulfiram Papers," initiating the disulfiram treatment survey, gathering the respondents, and editing the article.
Kristina has uploaded over 40 expert interviews and podcasts on Lyme and coinfections. Other publications are on LinkedIn, and all interviews, podcasts, and videos are on YouTube and her other website, DisulfiramForLyme.org. Kristina is a Lyme patient veteran since her first tick bite in 1980, misdiagnosed for over 32 years. She has been a Lyme patient advocate since 2016, and is the mom of four congenital Lyme children successfully treating since 2013, all now in remission.
She was the first admin of the Disulfiram for Lyme Support Group and now runs her own forum, operating the public Facebook and Twitter pages "Disulfiram for Lyme" and the private Facebook group "Disulfiram Experience for Lyme Support Group" with over 6,400 members and growing quickly. She coaches patients and holds educational luncheons and workshops. Click the "Support" page to schedule her, or the "Join Us" page to subscribe to our newsletters or book an engagement.
Medical & Scientific Board
Dr. Ronald Wilson
Medical LeadDr. Ronald Wilson graduated from Harvard University in 1968. In 1970 he received his master's degree in immunology and bacteriology, researching HLA antigens. In 1974 he graduated from the University of Utah medical school, and in 1975–1976 served as chief of clinics at Tooele Army Depot, Utah, responsible for 4,000 workers. He was awarded a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement by James Weir, MD, Major General, for formulating protocols for medical support of chemical agent munitions disposal (SALT 2).
From 1976–1979 he served as a resident in OB-GYN, publishing research on the effects of pregnancy on the TB skin test. From 1979–1981 he was chief of the Department of OB-GYN at Darnall Army Hospital, voted outstanding instructor of the department, and received the Army Commendation Medal from the Secretary of the Army for establishing a teaching program for residents from other teaching hospitals.
From 1981–2011 he practiced OB-GYN in Denton, Texas, delivering 6,000 babies and performing countless surgeries in general obstetrics, gynecology, reconstructive gynecology, and urology. He retired from OB-GYN practice and returned from 2004–2019 to diagnose and treat tick-borne illness, especially Lyme, both early and late stage, treating over 5,000 Lyme-afflicted patients. He has attended ILADS conferences since 2014 and completed preceptorships with Drs. Horowitz and Jemsek. From 2017–2019 he served as President of the ILADS Educational Foundation, organizing meetings, physician education, and funding research.
Dr. Wilson is a blessing to the Lyme community and now serves as an advocate, volunteering to triage patients and refer them to practicing Lyme-literate physicians as needed.
Michael Wittstadt — Naturopath
Integrative Medicine LeadThe founder of Villa mediGrün is among the pioneers who made use of stem cells in the treatment of Lyme disease. He is partly responsible for the positive outcomes and favorable reputation stem cell treatment has gained in the Lyme community. Many have followed since then, but he was the original.
He received his education as a naturopath from the Erich-Ausmeier-School for Natural Medicine (Hochheim, Germany) and has worked in natural medicine for over 10 years. He has two daughters and is married to our yoga teacher, Hanna. Michael serves on our board to bring his knowledge of integrative medicine to help steer us toward meeting the needs of our complex community.
Joy Sablatura
Vice PresidentJoy serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors. She has been a mentor for Kristina and many other patients and advocates for over a decade. She is a wealth of information and serves on our leadership advisory board. Her role includes physician outreach, serving as Texas historian for Lyme, and helping advise others on advocacy events. She is the original co-founder of the Texas Lyme Disease Association and has advocated for patients for decades.
She has traveled to Germany for a CDC-sponsored conference and met Dr. Willy Burgdorfer, the researcher for whom Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, is named. Joy has attended Lyme conferences across the states and stays in touch with Lyme practitioners, making her a great resource for patients and the medical community alike. Thank you, Joy, for your support and encouragement, we are honored by all you give us!
Advisory and Outreach
Major (Ret) Anders Karlsen, Director of Veteran & Military Impact
Major Anders Karlsen is a decorated combat veteran who has commanded missions in the C-17 across the globe. His home of record is Texas; he attended high school in The Woodlands, TX, so he enjoys meeting with both TX and OK legislators. He is a United States Air Force Academy graduate with a degree in civil engineering. After pilot training at his first assignment, he flew both the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper in counterterrorism operations before switching back to manned aircraft. Anders had his promising career cut short by a serious battle with tick-borne illness that nearly cost him his life while stationed at Altus, Oklahoma, as a schoolhouse instructor pilot.
He is now an advocate on a national level, helping support solutions for tick-borne diseases. He is very active with the United States Air Force Wounded Warrior (AFW2) Program, serving as an ambassador who speaks on behalf of wounded warriors for the Air Force. As an AFW2 mentor, he directly helps and guides service members dealing with tick-borne illness across all branches of service.
Anders also serves as a consumer reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) with HHS's Tick-Borne Disease Working Group, and advocates at the congressional level with the Center for Lyme Action.
Most importantly, Anders is a husband and father of two little girls. His wife Brittany has been his rock through the biggest fight of his life, and his daughters are beacons of light that give him strength every day.
Netira Sandoz, VP of Advocacy and Support Groups
Netira leads our support group in the San Antonio area and is responsible for leading patient advocacy. She is a student at Southern New Hampshire University, pursuing a degree in public health and nonprofit management. She also works for Texas Lyme Alliance and the Center for Lyme Action, using her skills as a writer and innovative thinker to help promote Lyme disease awareness. As a devoted wife and mother of two sons, she has navigated the challenges of raising a special-needs child, using her personal experience to help other mothers advocate for their children's educational and developmental needs.
Netira has a profound commitment to supporting her community in San Antonio, Texas. She has mentored former foster youth with the THRU Project and has worked extensively with organizations such as Texas Lyme Alliance and the Center for Lyme Action to help educate and inspire others to action. Her advocacy focuses on raising awareness and influencing policy change for Lyme disease, a mission born from her own harrowing battle with the illness.
In 2020 she was bitten by a tick, but doctors were reluctant to test her for Lyme because they didn't believe it existed in Texas. After two years of convincing, she was finally tested and diagnosed with Lyme disease. Having faced years of debilitating symptoms and misdiagnosis, she is now determined to help prevent others from facing similar struggles. Despite the challenges Lyme complications have brought to her life, Netira's resilience shows through in her dedication to making a difference, from organizing fundraisers to volunteering at events and drives, she has always stepped up to serve her community.
TX Research Team
Carol Kankwende
Lead Operations and ResearchCarol is a global health strategist specializing in data-driven health systems transformation. Over the past decade, she has worked with international donors, governments, and implementing partners to strengthen HIV and public health programs across Africa and the United States. Her work focuses on translating complex health data into strategic decisions that improve program performance and patient outcomes.
Her expertise spans global health strategy and policy analytics, HIV program performance improvement, supply chain and treatment access analytics, health program monitoring and evaluation, and artificial intelligence applications in healthcare. She has supported programs funded by major international donors and collaborated with ministries of health to design solutions that improve service delivery, data systems, and program performance.
Carol now brings this extensive operational leadership experience to improving care for vector-borne disease patients across Texas.
Hadis Hosseinzadehnaseri
Lead Public Health StrategistHadis is a public health professional with a Master of Public Health degree and over seven years of experience in vector-borne disease surveillance, mosquito control research, environmental health, and community outreach. She is experienced in collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, supporting CDC and Texas A&M research initiatives, and working closely with local and state health departments on public health and vector management programs.
Her active involvement with the American Mosquito Control Association and regional public health networks provides valuable connections and insight that support collaboration, stakeholder engagement, and strategic development for Lyme disease education, surveillance, and funding initiatives.