Previous Postdoctoral Researchers & Research Scientists
Carolyn Hodo, DVM, PhD, DACVP
Postdoctoral Research
Associate
chodo@cvm.tamu.edu
Visit Carolyn’s website here.
Currently Assistant Professor at The University of Texas MD Anderson Keeling Center
Jillian Wormington, MS, PhD
Postdoctoral Research
Associate
jwormington@cvm.tamu.edu
Visit Jillian’s website here.
Currently Assistant Professor at Wayne State College
Alyssa Meyers, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
ameyers@cvm.tamu.edu
Currently Data Manager, University of Michigan School of Public Health
Italo Zecca, MPH, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
ibzecca@cvm.tamu.edu
Currently ORISE Fellow at the CDC–One Health Group
Alex Pauvolid, DVM, MSc, PhD
Assistant Research Scientist
pauvolid@cvm.tamu.edu
Currently Professor of Veterinary Virology at Universidade Federal de Vicosa, Brazil
Previous Graduate Students (PhD + MS Thesis)
Jaime Rodriguez, MS
MS in Wildlife & Fisheries Science, 2014
Co-advised by Dr. Jessica Light
Currently MD student
at UT-Southwestern
Texas A&M University Diversity Fellow
Miranda Bertram, DVM, PhD
PhD in Biomedical Science–
Epidemiology, 2016
Currently postdoctoral researcher
at the USDA Plum Island Disease
Research Center
VMBS Merit Fellow
Dissertation: Whooping crane
conservation medicine
Rachel Curtis-Robles, PhD
PhD in Biomedical Science–
Epidemiology, 2016
Currently postdoctoral researcher
in the VMBS Hamer Lab
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
VMBS Merit Fellow
Dissertation: Eco-epidemiology
of Chagas disease in Texas
Carolyn Hodo, DVM, DACVP, PhD
PhD in Veterinary Pathobiology, 2017; Co-advised by Dr. Jane Welsh
NIH T32 Research Fellow, 2014-17
Dissertation: Mammalian reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi
Justin Bejcek, MS
MS in Veterinary Public Health –
Epidemiology, 2018
Thesis: Triatomine identification
and outreach
Spencer DeBrock
MS Veterinary Public Health – Epidemiology (thesis option)
VMBS Merit Fellow 2018–2020
Kewsick Killets
MS in Veterinary Public Health – Epidemiology (thesis option) 2021
Carlos Rodriguez
MS Veterinary Public Health- Epidemiology (thesis option) 2023
Cassandra Durden
MS Veterinary Public Health- Epidemiology (thesis option) 2023
Italo Zecca, MPH, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
ibzecca@cvm.tamu.edu
Currently ORISE Fellow at the CDC–One Health Group
Alyssa Meyers, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
ameyers@cvm.tamu.edu
Currently Data Manager, University of Michigan School of Public Health
Edward Davila, MPH PhD
PhD (Biomedical Sciences: Infection, Immunity, & Epidemiology)
Amanda Beckman, PhD
PhD Student (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
Co-advised by Dr. Gil Rosenthal
2022 Senator Phill Gramm Award Winner
See Amanda’s website here.
Rachel Busselman, DVM, PhD
PhD / DVM Student (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
TAMU Merit Fellow 2018 – 2022
PEO Scholar 2023/2024
Juan Pablo Fimbres Macias, BSc Vet Med, MSc, PhD
PhD Student (Biomedical Sciences: Infection, Immunity, & Epidemiology)
jfimbres@cvm.tamu.edu
VMBS Diversity Fellow 2019–2023
Previous Non-Thesis Graduate Students
Lowell Pigott, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public
Health & Epidemiology, 2014
Currently DVM Student
at Western University of Health Sciences
Bailee Ethridge, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2018
Katlyn Rosenbaum, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2015
Currently DVM student
at Texas A&M University
Chelsea Young, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2016
Currently DVM student
at Texas A&M University
Daniel Obregon
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology 2022
Michelle Dembrosky, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2019
Cyrena Peterson, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2019
Lauren Cole, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2024
Luis Quintanilla, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2024
Brian Okosun, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2024
Brailee Whetstone, MS
Non-thesis MS in Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology, 2024
Previous Veterinary & Public Health Students
Trevor Tenney
VMSRTP, 2013
Research project: Shelter dogs & vector-borne pathogens
Katlin Johnson
VMSRTP, 2013
Research project: Molecular diagnostics of Trypanosoma cruzi infections
Juliette Comeaux
DVM Student Researcher, 2014–2015
Research project: Trypanosoma cruzi in feral swine
Alan Mai
MPH Student Researcher, 2014–2015
Practicum topic: Blood meal analysis of kissing bugs
Nicole Bertolini
VMSRTP, 2015
Research project: Rattus rattus in the ecology of Chagas disease
Chloe Goodwin
VMSRTP, 2015
Research project: Bat reservoirs of diverse trypanosomes
Jessica Noll
Visiting Brazilian DVM Student, 2015
Brazil Scientific Mobility Program
Usman Ghumman, MD
MPH Student Researcher, Spring 2016
Practicum topic: Analysis of medical records of working dogs
Rosa Banuelos
VMSRTP, 2016
Research project: Cardiac pathology in wild coyotes
Elise Birkner
VMSRTP, 2016
Research project: Wildlife reservoirs of Trypanosoma cruzi at a nonhuman primate facility
Bhagath Chirra, MPH
PhD Student Researcher
(From Texas A&M Health Science Center)
Practicum project: Next generation sequence analysis of triatomine bloodmeals
Valery Roman-Cruz, MPH
Research Assistant
VRoman-Cruz@cvm.tamu.edu
Megan Ellis
VMSRTP, 2017 (From CSU)
Research project: Cardiac ECG abnormalities in canine Chagas disease
Sarah Slack
VMSRTP, 2017
Research project: Feral cats and urban opossums in the ecology of Trypanosoma cruzi
Julia Purnell
VMSRTP, 2017
Research project: Genetic strain variation of Trypanosoma cruzi
Erin Edwards, DVM, MS, DACVP
Pathology Resident Research, 2016–2017
Andres Castro
VMSRTP, 2018
Becky Dowd
VMSRTP, Summer 2019
Skye Sneed
VMSRTP, 2019
Ty Tortella
VMSRTP, 2021 (Schubot Center for Avian Health)
Olivia Ashbaugh
VMSRTP, 2023
Alyssa Hartman
VMSRTP, 2023
Previous Undergraduate Students
| Adrian Castellanos Wildlife & Fisheries Science, 2012–2013 | Frida Cano Entomology, 2013–2014 | Mathew Olcha Biomedical Sciences, 2013 |
| Tyler Smith Forensics, 2013 | Michael Sanders Entomology, 2013–2014 | Taylor Hollmann Biomedical Sciences, 2014 |
| Katelyn Wagner Wildlife & Fisheries, MSU, 2013–2014 | Erica Holcomb Biomedical Sciences, 2013–2014 | Zeb Thomas Entomology, 2013–2014 |
| Sarah Noe Biomedical Sciences, 2014 | Ryan Pugh Business, 2014 | Faith Weeks Biomedical Sciences, 2014 |
| Connor Grantham Biomedical Sciences, 2014 | Lauren Russell Genetics, 2014 | Chris Beck Biomedical Sciences, 2014–2015 |
| Chelsea Lindsay Biomedical Sciences, 2015 | Angela Atkins Biomedical Sciences, 2014–2015 | Amani Bourji Tick Research Assistant, 2015–2016 |
| Adam Curtis Engineering, 2013–2017 | Jose Silva Biomedical Sciences, 2017 | Roukaya Mabizari Biomedical Sciences, 2017-2018 |
| Nidhi Patel Biomedical Sciences, 2018 | Hannah Meyers Chemistry, Visiting Undergrad Research Fellow from Kalamazoo College, Summer 2018 | Cassidy Gillum Biomedical Sciences, 2017-2019 |
| Ashley Cubb Biomedical Sciences, 2018-2019 | Allyson Koger Biomedical Sciences, 2018–2019 | Kaitlyn Perez Biomedical Sciences, 2019–2021 |
| Cassandra Durden Biomedical Sciences 2020-2021 | Lauren Cole Biomedical Sciences 2020-2021 | Diego Torrez Biomedical Sciences 2020-2021 |
| Grant Arrington Biomedical Sciences | Kimia Samiee | Andres Alamia |
| Presley Griffin Zoology 2023-2024 |
