Granit is from Kosovo, where he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Prishtina in 2021. He also completed a semester abroad as an exchange student at the University of Milan through the Erasmus+ program. In 2023, he was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship, through which he completed a Master’s degree in Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology in 2025. His academic and research experience focuses on zoonotic diseases and foodborne pathogens, including Trichinella, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli, with a strong emphasis on the One Health approach. He is excited to join the Verocai Lab, where he is particularly interested in parasitology and parasite life cycles. Outside of academics, Granit enjoys spending time with family and friends, working, smoking meat, and sharing a beer in good company.

The Verocai Lab is pleased to welcome Brian Reiber as a Ph.D. student. Brian is originally from New York and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Binghamton University in 2022, followed by a Master of Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston in 2025. His experience spans both industry and academia, including conducting third-party microbial testing and contributing to public health research focused on avian influenza among dairy farm workers in Texas. Brian is excited to join the Verocai Lab as a PhD student! In his free time, he enjoys spending time with friends and family, staying active through weight training and running, along with cooking.

We are looking forward to seeing Brian grow as a parasitologist, researcher, and student!

Howdy! 

My name is Anna Schmieding, and I am a student in the Texas A&M University DVM Class of 2028. I was a fellow in the Veterinary Medical Scientist Research Training Program (VMSRTP) during the summer of 2025 and had the opportunity to study the seasonal prevalence of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, commonly known as the Rat Lungworm, in rats from a zoo in Houston.  

A. cantonensis is a zoonotic, parasitic nematode that is the most common cause of eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in humans worldwide. This parasite has historically been found in Asia and the Pacific Islands but within the last 30 years has been identified in North America. In fact, the Gulf Coast region is now considered endemic for A. cantonensis! Rats are the definitive host of this nematode and can be dissected to isolate adult worms from their cardiopulmonary systems. Nonetheless, a variety of accidental hosts can experience mild to severe neurologic symptoms and even death due to this parasite. 

My work was a continuation of the project that Dani Sierra, a 2026 DVM candidate, began last year through the VMSRTP.  I necropsied approximately 100 rats this summer to determine infection status of the rodents that were sent to us. Most of my work was on the rats from Houston, but I had the opportunity to necropsy rats from a few other zoos across the United States as well. By researching the seasonal prevalence of the parasite, we hope to better understand the epidemiology of A. cantonensis and contribute to future research on preventive strategies which will save human and animal lives in the future! 

We hope to submit my findings from this project for publication in the next few months. Though the VMSRTP has concluded, I am going to continue my research and have officially joined the Verocai Parasitology Lab team as a student worker!  

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