The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new incoming postdoctoral researcher Pabasara and our new lab manager Likun! We are very excited to have each of them joining our lab.

Pabasara is from Badulla, Sri Lanka, and earned her Bachelor of Science in Zoology (2014) and Master of Science in Food Science and Technology (2017) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. She then joined Oklahoma State University in 2018 to pursue her PhD, where she became a part of the CATS lab in the College of Veterinary Medicine, working on Cytauxzoonosis. During this time, she developed a strong passion for studying host-parasite interactions and molecular diagnostic techniques. Upon completing her PhD in 2023, she accepted a postdoc position in the Verocai lab to work on a project that focuses on Dracunculus medinensis diagnostic markers. In her free time, Pabasara enjoys traveling and cooking.

Likun is from Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India and earned her doctoral degree in the field of food science and technology from University Laval, Quebec, Canada. She also worked as a research associate in the food science department of University Laval. After moving to college station, she got an opportunity to work for the same post with the Verocai Lab. In her spare time enjoys listening to music, dancing and spending time and playing with her little munchkin Nivaan.

We are thrilled to welcome two industrious and committed members to our team!

The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new incoming PhD graduate student Tiana Sanders! Tiana is from Catoosa, Oklahoma and earned her BSAG in Natural Resource Ecology and Management in 2019 and her DVM in 2023 from Oklahoma State University. During veterinary school Tiana found a passion for parasitology and decided her next step would be a residency/PhD with the Verocai lab! Tiana is being funded by the Merck Animal Health Residency Program with a focus on Dirofilaria immitis, the canine heartworm. Tiana is an active member of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitology and in her spare time enjoys kayaking, watching scary movies, and playing with her three cats, Tuffy, Winnie, and Ellie. 

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Please welcome our new 2023 summer veterinary students for VMSRTP (Veterinary Medical Scientist Research Training Program): Kelsey O’Hara, Carmen Volz, Diane Briceno, and Mary Schech (Left to Right). Check out their individual biographies on the team webpage to find out more about their individual research interests! We are excited for they are joining the Verocai lab!

If you are first or second year veterinary student and interested in joining our team through the VMSRTP, you can fill out a application at: https://vetmed.tamu.edu/vmsrtp/.

The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new incoming PhD graduate student Kaylee Kipp! Born and raised in Texas, Kaylee earned her BS in Animal Science in 2018 and a MS in Agricultural Sciences in 2020 at Texas A&M University–Commerce. During her Masters, Kaylee found her passion for ruminant parasites and decided to do her Master’s thesis on the effectiveness of anthelmintics in weaned beef calves. Kaylee is eager to learn more about all types of parasites in the Verocai Lab and hopes to continue educating farmers and producers on the importance of controlling parasite populations. Kaylee is an active member of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Association of Veterinary Parasitology. In her spare time, Kaylee enjoys spending time with her husband Matthew and their dog Luna and cat Abby. Kaylee also enjoys doing outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking, and playing tennis. 

We would like to welcome our new veterinary research students for the summer: Andrew Brown, Hannah Danks, and Veronica Negron. Click on our current team link to view their research projects and interests.

The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new postdoctoral researcher Dr. Meriam Saleh. Prior to joining the lab she served as a lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Oklahoma State University and project leader for the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology. Dr. Saleh completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship focused on ticks, their geographic disruption, and tick-borne diseases at Oklahoma State University. Originally from east Tennessee, she earned a BS in Animal Science from the University of Tennessee in 2011 and a PhD in Veterinary Parasitology from Virginia Tech in 2017. Dr. Saleh is fascinated by zoonotic parasites and loves teaching students in the laboratory. She is also an active member of the American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists. In her spare time Meriam enjoys spending time with her husband Chris and their two dogs Blue and Bella. They frequently are on the search for rare birds and enjoy traveling and exploring natural parks. Although while Chris is bird watching Meriam keeps an eye out for ticks.

The Verocai Lab would like to welcome new PhD student Matthew Kulpa to the research team! Matt recently graduated from veterinary school at Michigan State University and his research interests align at the intersection of wildlife disease, parasitology, and public health. In particular, he will be focusing on filarial parasite diversity and distribution and their effect on wildlife/human populations in North America. More information about his research interests and personal adventures can be found at his personal website: https://kulpamat.wixsite.com/matthewkulpa

Caroline Sobotyk de Oliveira DVM, MSc, PhD, the Merck Resident in Veterinary Parasitology, will be completing research and clinical training toward board certification in parasitology under the direction of Dr. Gui Verocai (DACVM-Parasit.) at Texas A&M University where he serves as Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Parasitology Diagnostic Laboratory.  Dr. Sobotyk completed her DVM in 2013 at the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) and then earned both an MSc (2015) and PhD (2019) working on vector-borne infections, including spotted fever Rickettsia and Leishmania, in Brazil. 

To learn more about Dr. Caroline Sobotyk de Oliveira, click on the following link:

https://www.ncvetp.org/merck-resident.html