Research Focus
Research in VIBS is ongoing in the following broad areas:
- Epidemiology and Public
Health
- Genomics
- Neuroscience
- Reproductive Biology
- Toxicology/Environmental
Health/Food Safety
- Science and Technology
Journalism
Four VIBS faculty members are actively involved in epidemiology
and public health research. Areas of research include analytical
epidemiology, mathematical modeling, risk assessment and
communication, bioinformatics, foreign animal and zoonotic
diseases, transmission dynamics of parasitic diseases,
international veterinary medicine and public health, epidemiology
of disease detection and surveillance, antimicrobial resistance
ecology and epidemiology, spatial epidemiology, food safety, and
biodefense.
Genomics
Within VIBS, eight faculty members research the genomes of
diverse species. Their studies include comparative genomics snd
population genetics of various taxa (e.g. felines, canines,
equines, bovines, and marsupials), epigenetics and diseases,
molecular cytogenetics in domestic and wild animals and birds,
genomics of host-pathogen interactions, and diagnostic tests for
inherited disease and traits in animals.
Eight faculty members within VIBS are integrating both
cutting-edge, basic research and clinically-relevant, translational
research. Such research includes the mechanisms by which
environmental factors interact with the genetic background to
induce pathology and dysfunction in neurological diseases and
neurodevelopmental disorders. Specific research areas range from
whole animal behavior to the cellular, epigenetic, and genetic
levels.
» View the Neuroscience Research
Page
Reproductive Biology
The research endeavors of six VIBS faculty members focus on
reproductive biology. Research includes mechanisms underlying
changes in the female reproductive system during early development,
puberty, and gestation, as well as factors that alters the onset of
puberty and affects embryo implantation.
Toxicology/Environmental Health/Food Safety
Thirteen VIBS faculty members are engaged in research involving
toxicology, environmental health, and food safety. Their research
includes a wide range of topics, such as detecting and
characterizing toxicities of heavy metals, pesticides, and alcohol
in various organ systems (e.g. nervous, reproductive, and
metabolic); investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms
underlying the links between these toxicants to neurodegenerative
diseases, developmental defects, reproductive dysfunction, and
cancers; and detecting and detoxifying hazardous food-borne and
environmental chemicals and pathogenic microbes.
Three VIBS faculty members in the science and technology
journalism program train undergraduate and graduate students in
scientific reporting, writing, and editing, as well as public
information, public relations, and current technology and
multimedia. Graduate students are guided into internship programs
to increase their skills through practical experience.