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Faculty

Researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) embody the spirit of discovery and channel their enthusiasm into projects examining the underlying molecular and biochemical mechanisms of diseases in livestock, companion, wild, and exotic species. Our multidisciplinary group of clinical and basic investigators is engaged in cutting edge research that directly impacts both veterinary and human medicine. The CVM collectively receives more than $13 million dollars in state, federal, and private funding each year.

Research Building

The college has 5 academic departments and two service departments including the veterinary medical teaching hospital (small and large animal clinics) and the Texas Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS) which provide a stimulating environment fostering translational research that will shape the future. We have approximately 250 faculty members in our college that are actively engaged in research, teaching and service.

The CVM has faculty members from many diverse research areas, including our seven signature programs are conducting interdisciplinary research projects on basic, translational and clinical biomedical research.  The findings of these projects have been reported in prestigious journals, including Nature, Science, Cell, and Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.  This research is supported by federal, state, and private agencies, such as NIH, USDA, and Morris Animal Foundation.

A major aspect of our mission is to train future scientists and clinicians in the cutting edge biomedical techniques and ensure they are on the forefront of their areas of expertise. We have over 130 graduate students and numerous undergraduate students that are actively engaged in research.

Name
Research Disciplines
Areas of Specialization
Scholarly Interests
Department
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Abbott, Louise Associate Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Epidemiology, Toxicology, Neuroscience, Anatomy, Cell Biology, Environmental Health, Imaging, Neurology, Education
Scholarly Interests:
Developmental neurobiology of the mammalian nervous system; neuroanatomy; neurochemistry; specific neurologic disorders including cerebellar ataxia and spatial learning and memory; developmental neurotoxicology with special interest in mercury toxicity and autism; environmental influences on  muscle development and the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases with special interest in Alzheimer's disease; programmed cell death (apoptosis) in the developing and adult nervous system
Adams, Garry Professor of Veterinary Pathology VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Immunology, Cell Biology, Genomics, Infectious Disease, Pathology, Microbiology, Biodefense, Education
Scholarly Interests:
I have long been intrigued with the biological interface between hosts and etiological agents, and the resulting patterns of morphological lesions, especially lesions caused by infectious disease agents. The morphologic, cytokine/chemokine, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic patterns of host and pathogen responses provoke a series of fundamental questions, e.g. what is the molecular pathogenesis of these lesions?; does the host genome manipulate the pathogen or vice versa?; what host and pathogen cellular pathways are perturbed and dysfunctional in the disease processes?; what is the cause of death?; can we apply genomic pathology (the convergence of ‘omics’ and morphology) and systems biology to more fully understand infection biology as the basis for improved prediction of host and pathogen mechanistic genes and pathways critical to health and clinical illness? In response to these questions, my research is focused on the: 1) investigation of the comparative molecular pathogenesis of zoonotic intracellular bacterial pathogens in natural animal models, particularly salmonellosis, brucellosis and mycobacterial diseases, 2) development of vaccines and host gene expression-based diagnostics for zoonotic and select agent caused diseases, and especially 3) development of in silico host:pathogen interactome predictive models based upon bi-directional in vivo host (bovine/murine) and Salmonella enterica Typhimurium interactions at the target organ interface, enteric Peyer’s patches. The vision to develop improved animal models for salmonellosis originated in the early 2000s in association with my collaborators, Drs. Andreas Bäumler and Renee Tsolis. From our very successful and continuing collaboration grew the idea to develop a computational infection biology model based on temporal neonatal calf in vivo microarray-based transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of the acute Salmonella infection process. We expanded our research team by including Drs. Sara Lawhon, Kenneth Drake and Harold ‘Skip’ Garner, focusing on an envisioned systems biology analysis of both host and pathogen comprehensive transcriptomic and proteomic datasets derived from our in vivo biological model. We next computationally fused the datasets based on actual Salmonella proteomic data (performed by Dr. Mary Lipton at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) and computationally predicted bovine host structural proteins to identify maximum likelihoods of host and pathogen protein:protein interactions as the basis for our preliminary in silico interactome model to predict mechanistic genes and linked perturbed cellular pathways. We then established in vitro phenotypes of S. Typhimurium deletion mutants (provided by Dr. Helene Andrews-Polymenis) of the predicted mechanistic genes for attachment, invasion or survival in murine RAW 264.7 macrophages to confirm almost half of the modeled predictions. Finally, over half of the model-predicted and in vitro-confirmed S. Typhimurium genes were validated to have in vivo phenotypes in our bovine ligated ileal loop model. We subsequently performed siRNA knockdowns in RAW 264.7 macrophages of predicted host proteins interacting with Salmonella proteins and validated in vitro phenotypes in almost half of the predicted host genes. Our lab proposes to significantly enhance the predictability of the in silico interactome model by adding the NEXTGen sequencing transcriptomics, advanced proteomics and metabolomics. By fusing higher quality genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic datasets derived from in vivo S. Typhimurium comparative infection models in mice, calves and non-human primates, we propose to further enhance the predictability and validation of in silico interactome model as a tool for the ultimate practice of “precision human medicine” as envisioned by the 2011 report by the National Academy of Sciences. As our publications document, we have also developed in silico interactome modeling tools for intracellular bacterial pathogens, Brucella melitensis and Mycobacterium avium ssp. paratuberculosis, all based on in vivo datasets. Our team has published 42 peer-reviewed manuscripts on salmonellosis using animal models, confirming our combined abilities to perform complex series of in vivo and in vitro experiments and developing high level in silico predictive models as we propose here. My long term role as co-developer of our in vivo based in silico interactome predictive model and personal collaborations with each of our team of investigators and core directors enables us to envision developing the in silico interactome predictive model for the biomedical research community.
Ajithdoss, Dharani Anatomic Pathology Resident VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Infectious Disease, Pathology, Microbiology, Virology
Scholarly Interests:
Andrews-Polymenis, Helene Associate Professor - Joint Appointment VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Food Safety, Genomics, Genetics, Infectious Disease, Pathology, Microbiology
Scholarly Interests:
Arnold, Carolyn Assistant Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Equine soft tissue surgery. Reproductive surgery and wound healing
Arosh, Joe Associate Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
central role of prostaglandins on molecular and cellular aspects of reproductive processes, gynecologic diseases and endocrine cancers.
August, John Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Infectious Disease, Medicine, Education
Scholarly Interests:
Feline internal medicine; distance education; educational technology
Bailey, Murl Professor VTPP
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Toxicology; veterinary toxicology; toxic plants; wildlife, and environmental toxicology; anesthesiology; pharmacology; experimental surgery; clinical medicine; emergency medicine, bioterrorism, weapons of mass destruction.
Ball, Judith Associate Professor VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Toxicology, Cell Biology, Oncology, Virology, Field Service (Livestock)
Scholarly Interests:
Our studies focus on the molecular and biochemical aspects of viruses, interactions of viral proteins with host cell moieties and intracellular transport. The overall goal of our work is to identify unique therapeutic targets for viral intervention. We employ a multitude of techniques such as yeast two-hybrid assays, laser-scanning confocal microscopic techniques (single and multiphoton), synthetic peptide chemistry, protein analyses and mutagenesis studies. Our primary interest is rotavirus, the single most important cause of pediatric, life-threatening gastroenteritis that annually claims ~610,000 young lives worldwide and results in hospitalization of 1 in 60 children in the U.S. at an annual cost of one billion dollars. We also study other viral systems that impact human and animal health with a focus on dissecting the association viral proteins with plasma membrane microdomains, such as caveolae.
Banu, Sakhila Assistant Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Toxicology, Reproductive Biology, Environmental Health, Oncology
Scholarly Interests:
Endocrine toxicology; endocrine oncology; reproductive toxicity of chromium-VI on ovarian development and function, pregnancy, and fetal development; vitamin C and nutrioxidants' intervention on heavy metal-induced toxicity; prostaglandin E2 biosynthesis, signaling and transport on mammary gland cancer development
Barhoumi Mouneimne, Roula Research Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Toxicology, Imaging
Scholarly Interests:
Barr, James Assistant Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Medicine
Scholarly Interests:
Mechanical ventilation; coagulation; fluid therapy; cytokine response in sepsis
Barton, Claudia Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Oncology; aspiration cytology; small animal reproduction
Bauer, John Senior Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Food Safety
Scholarly Interests:
Nutrition; lipid biochemistry; disorders of lipid metabolism; obesity, weight management
Bazer, Fuller Distinguished Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Reproductive Biology
Scholarly Interests:
Reproductive biology with emphasis on uterine biology and pregnancy. Mechanisms of action of pregnancy recognition signals from the conceptus to the maternal uterus, including interferon tau and estrogen from ruminant and pig conceptuses, respectively, are studied at the molecular and cellular levels. The roles of uterine secretions as transport proteins, regulatory molecules, growth factors and enzymes and endocrine regulation of their secretion is another major research interest. The endocrinology of pregnancy, especially the roles of lactogenic and growth hormones in fetal-placental development and uterine functions are being studied. The mechanism(s) of action and potential therapeutic value of conceptus interferons and uterine-derived hematopoietic growth factors are areas of research with both pigs and sheep as models for human disease.
Beaver, Bonnie Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Normal and abnormal domestic animal behavior; human-animal interrelationships; animal welfare
Berghman, Luc Associate Professor-Joint Appointment VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Immunology, Food Safety, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Environmental Health, Infectious Disease, Imaging, Physiology, Biodefense
Scholarly Interests:
Major long-term goals are (1) to acquire fundamental new knowledge of avian immune system and (2) to apply this new knowledge toward the development of novel immuno-biotechnological tools, such as vaccines, immunoassays and diagnostics. Basic avian immune studies include the study of cellular and humoral interactions, especially those involving the chicken professional antigen-presenting cells (APC)s (macrophages, dendritic cells and B-cells). This includes immunohistochemical micro-anatomical studies and the study of gene expression profiles. Immuno-biotechnological applications include the development of monoclonal antibodies (a routine procedure and hallmark of our lab), polyclonal antibodies and chicken egg yolk antibodies for diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. Current projects feature the development of antibody-targeted, “smart” vaccines and vectored vaccines, and the development of immunodiagnostic and analytical tools for the detection of a wide variety of molecules and microorganisms.
Bissett, Wesley Assistant Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Epidemiology, Toxicology, Environmental Health, Disaster Management, Education
Scholarly Interests:
Veterinary emergency response, environmental health, epidemiology, and public health.
Black, Dorothy Clinical Assistant Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Sepsis; infectious disease; coagulation; critical case management
Blanchard, Terry Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Reproductive Biology
Scholarly Interests:
Theriogenology and ambulatory emergency. Stallion and mare reproduction; management strategies to improve stallion fertility; stallion testicular dysfunction.
Blue-McLendon, Alice Clinical Assistant Professor VTPP
Areas of Specialization:
Physiology, Zoo, Exotic and Wildlife Medicine
Scholarly Interests:
Veterinary physiology, avian reproductive physiology, medicine of exotic animals, management of exotic animals teaching and research projects
Bolling, Melanie Veterinarian VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Bratton, Gerald Senior Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
gross anatomy; neuroanatomy; nutritional influences on lead intoxication; metal effects on reproductive function; localization of central nervous system neurons and their peripheral distribution.
Bray, Jeffrey Research Associate VTPP
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Brightsmith, Donald Assistant Professor VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Zoo, Exotic and Wildlife Medicine, Education
Scholarly Interests:
Avian diseases; avian ecology; geophagy (consumption of soil); avian conservation; disease threats from the live bird trade; diets of wild and captive exotic birds; role of infectious diseases in wild and endangered bird populations. Specialization in psittacines (parrots, macaws, parakeets and allies).
Brinsko, Steven Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Reproductive Biology, Cell Biology, Genetics, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology
Scholarly Interests:
Equine theriogenology. Sperm membrane function; and semen preservation.
Budke, Christine Associate Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Epidemiology, Food Safety, Infectious Disease, Public Health, Parasitology, Education
Scholarly Interests:
Epidemiology; burden of disease indicators; zoonotic diseases (larval cestodes); transmission dynamics of parasitic diseases; international veterinary medicine and public health.
Burghardt, Robert Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Toxicology, Reproductive Biology, Cell Biology, Environmental Health, Imaging, Physiology
Scholarly Interests:
Cellular signaling and signal transduction; reproductive physiology; pregnancy and parturition; development/application on non-invasive imaging tools using biosensors and biomarkers; in vitro toxicology.
Cai, James Assistant Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Genomics
Scholarly Interests:
Dr. James Cai develops computational tools and statistical tests to investigate evolutionary processes shaping genomic variability within and between species. He applies population genetics theory to genomic data in order to identify the signatures of natural selection and the causal genotypes underlying genetic disorders and complex traits in different organisms.
Cannon, Marvin Visiting Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Carroll, Gwendolyn Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Anesthesiology; assessment of pain and stress; feline osteoarthritis; rehabilitation and recovery
Carter, Kent Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Equine lameness
Chadalapaka, Gayathri Assistant Research Scientist VTPP
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Chaffin, Keith Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Equine internal medicine, pediatrics, respiratory disease and ultrasonography; Rhodococcus equi foal pneumonia; equine infectious disease; equine gastrointestinal disease; equine urogenital disease; and equine neurologic disease.
Chapkin, Robert Professor - Joint Appointment VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
chemoprevention; dietary effects on chronic inflammation, T-cell biology and colon cancer; plasma membrane microdomain organization and protein trafficking; functional genomics and systems biology.
Chenault, Edith Lecturer VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Science/Tech Journalism
Scholarly Interests:
Choi, Young Research Scientist VTPP
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Chowdhary, Bhanu Professor and Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Genomics, Education
Scholarly Interests:
comparative genomics of domesticated animals; molecular cytogenetics; equine genome analysis; physical and comparative gene mapping; disease genetics; molecular analysis of equine fertility; functional analysis of the equine genome.
Clubb, Fred Clinical Professor VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Pathology, Imaging, Cardiology, Diagnostic Imaging
Scholarly Interests:
Electron microscopic evaluation of myocardial and renal biopsies; qualitative and quantitative evaluation of implantable cardiovascular devices for nonGLP and GLP \preclinical trials.
Cohen, Noah Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Immunology, Epidemiology, Infectious Disease, Public Health, Medicine, Microbiology, Lameness, Food Animal, Education
Scholarly Interests:
Equine internal medicine. Special Interests: equine gastroenterology, infectious diseases, and neurology. Director, Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory.
Coleman, Michelle Assistant Research Scientist/Masters Science,Thesis Option VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Epidemiology
Scholarly Interests:
Epidemiology
Conover, Gloria Research Assistant Professor VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Cell Biology
Scholarly Interests:
Our research is focused on the cell biology of muscle disease. Mutations in desmin identified in humans cause severe muscle atrophies and cardiomyopathies. Our goal is to decipher how inherited desmin mutations lead to muscle dysfunction. Specifically, we are interested in the effects of these mutations on sarcomere protein assembly and actin cytoskeletal dynamics. We are also interested in defining the ultrastructural impact of desmin mutations on sarcomere architecture by using a combination of genetic, molecular, biophysical and biochemical approaches.
Cook, Audrey Associate Professor VSCS
Areas of Specialization:
Medicine
Scholarly Interests:
Endocrinology; gastroenterology; endoscopy and interventional radiology.
Cook, Jennifer Clinical Pathology Resident VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Cothran, Jr., Ernest (Gus) Clinical Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Genomics, Genetics
Scholarly Interests:
heredity basis of equine congenital defects and economically significant traits in domestic animals (mainly the horse); interrelationships of inbreeding, genetic polymorphism, and reproductive performance in horses; population genetics of feral horses; comparative aspects of genetics variation in horses under human selection and under natural selection; genetic aspects of captivity; genetics of domestication. Management of genetic polymorphism in small populations and conservation of rare breeds; genetic relationship among domestic horse breeds; changes in gene regulation based upon environmental factors; gene mapping of the horse.
Craig, Thomas Professor VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Epidemiology, Food Safety, Infectious Disease, Public Health, Parasitology, Ecology
Scholarly Interests:
Primary interest is in the epidemiology and control of internal parasites of grazing animals, including improved diagnostics, evaluation of and sustainable use of anthelmintics. Anthelmintic resistance is an increasing problem. Identifying the problem before it occurs by looking at both the worm and the hosts are important aspects of this research. Exploitation of the parasite at times of vulnerability by management is an area of interest. Research in arthropod borne protozoan infections including pathogenesis and the epidemiology of parasites of man and domesticated animals is also something I do.
Criscitiello, Michael Assistant Professor VTPB
Areas of Specialization:
Immunology, Toxicology, Cell Biology, Genomics, Genetics, Infectious Disease, Medicine, Microbiology, Biodefense, Laboratory Animal Medicine, Zoo, Exotic and Wildlife Medicine, Education
Scholarly Interests:
I am interested in diverse mechanisms by which adaptive immunity can be mediated: novel receptors, novel cells, novel lymphoid architectures, novel paratopes and novel systems for repertoire generation and selection. These have been devised by natural selection and battle-tested in the myriad of vertebrate adaptive immune systems. By studying unconventional comparative models such as shark, shrimp, cattle and frog, hypotheses of immune system origins and natural history are tested while discovering new ways of achieving lymphocyte repertoires that protect against pathogens while limiting autoimmunity and hypersensitivity.
Cummings, Kevin Assistant Professor VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Epidemiology, Food Safety, Infectious Disease, Public Health, Biodefense
Scholarly Interests:
My research focuses on the use of analytic and molecular epidemiology to study Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens at the pre-harvest level.  Work is targeted at minimizing zoonotic transmission of pathogens that threaten food safety, as well as reducing disease burden among veterinary species. Additional areas of interest include emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and hospital biosecurity.
Curley, Jr., Kevin Lecturer VIBS
Areas of Specialization:
Science/Tech Journalism
Scholarly Interests:
science communication; educational technology; web-based learning
Dabareiner, Robin Associate Professor VLCS
Areas of Specialization:
Scholarly Interests:
Equine lameness
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