Graduate Program Director(s) : Andrea Green (Graduate Cordinator),
Audrey Ruple (Graduate Program Director)
Emeriti Faculty:
Marion Ehrich
Professors:
S Ahmed;
Virginia Buechner-Maxwell;
Gregory Daniel;
Jennifer Hodgson;
Laura Hungerford;
Kylene Kehn-Hall;
Otto Lanz;
Martha Larson;
Tanya LeRoith;
Margie Lee;
Xiang-Jin Meng;
Kevin Pelzer;
Kerry Redican;
John Rossmeisl;
Mohamed Seleem;
Stephen Smith;
Dan Sponenberg;
William Swecker;
Lijuan Yuan;
Kurt Zimmerman
Associate Professors:
Irving Allen;
Orsolya Balogh;
Jennifer Barrett;
Michele Borgarelli;
Christopher Byron;
Clayton Caswell;
Thomas Cecere;
Sherrie Clark-Deener;
Rebecca Funk;
Julia Gohlke;
Jia-Qiang He;
Piedad Henao Guerrero;
Ian Herring;
William Huckle;
Kevin Lahmers;
Sunshine Lahmers;
Xin Luo;
Harold McKenzie;
Albert Pan;
Patrick Pithua;
Audrey Ruple;
Bonnie Smith;
Michelle Theus;
Sharon Witonsky;
Hehuang Xie
Assistant Professors:
Ilektra Athanasiadi;
Charlotte Baker;
Andrea Bertke;
Sophie Bogers;
Timothy Bolton;
Ryan Calder;
Julie Cecere;
Alasdair Cohen;
Natalie Cook;
Lisa Corcoran;
Jennifer Davis;
Nikolaos Dervisis;
Nisha Duggal;
Kristin Eden;
Shannon Farris;
Mark Freeman;
Rajshekhar Gaji;
Erin Gloag;
Shawna Klahn;
Tessa LeCuyer;
Giulio Menciotti;
Paul Morton;
Kathleen Mulvaney (CNRIC);
Vaidehi Paranjape;
Rell Parker;
Jacquelyn Pelzer;
Roxanne Rodriguez Galarza;
Nick Ruktanonchai;
Yassine Sassi;
Megan Shepherd;
Richard Shinn;
Jamie Stewart;
Sharon Swanger;
Joanne Tuohy;
Renata Velloso Ramos;
James Weger;
Ashley Wilkinson;
Jia-Ray Yu (CNRIC)
Adjunct Faculty:
Blaise Costa;
Sheryl Coutermarsh-Ott;
Stephen Eubank;
Theresa Hrubec;
Christopher Reilly
Associate Professor of Practice:
Travis Burns;
Valerie Ragan
Assistant Professor of Practice:
Cassidy Rist
Clinical:
Rebecca Funk;
Sunshine Lahmers;
Roxanne Rodriguez Galarza;
Megan Shepherd
Research Assistant Professors:
Priscila Beatriz da Silva Serpa
Research Associate Professors:
Aloka Bandara
Clinical Associate Professors:
Francisco Carvallo;
Bobbi Conner;
Michael Nappier;
Roger Ramirez Barrios;
Katherine Wilson
Clinical Assistant Professors:
Brittany Ciepluch;
Audrey Keebaugh;
Marcela Lemos Machado
Collegiate Assistant Professors:
Corrine Ruktanonchai
Clinical Professors:
Lauren Burns
Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences Introduction
The Department of Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences (BMVS) is an integral part of the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Graduate School of Virginia Tech. The graduate program was initiated in 1986. In contrast to many departments and colleges on this campus, there is a single multidisciplinary graduate program for our college which is recognized by the Graduate School as a graduate department.
The goal of this program is to train students to be creative and sophisticated research scientists in fields associated with biomedical research. The association with the College of Veterinary Medicine allows students the unique opportunity to explore both basic research, advanced pre-clinical animal model studies, natural clinical disease in animals, and translational research impacting both veterinary and human patients and populations. Our graduate program encourages collaborative, multidisciplinary research to achieve optimal health outcomes for people, animals, and the environment. To this end, we emphasize acquisition of a foundation of knowledge, research skills, and wet or dry laboratory experience required to implement independent research projects and develop the ability to formulate experimental and observational approaches to solve contemporary problems in the biomedical sciences.
A basic philosophy of graduate education in biomedical and veterinary sciences is flexibility. Programs of study - courses, laboratory and field research, clinical experiences, and teaching opportunities - are tailored to meet the individual student's needs, depending on academic background, professional experience and career goals. The college prides itself on the high quality of faculty mentoring/advising, and support services.
T 32 Animal Model Research for Veterinarians (AMRV)
Veterinarians are uniquely qualified to conduct biomedical research in the field of comparative medicine using animal models, which have been instrumental in understanding the pathogenesis and mechanism of human diseases. Unfortunately, the majority of veterinarians do not pursue research careers, in part due to the lack of research training opportunities. Consequently, there is a critical shortage of veterinarians with research backgrounds in academic institutions, government and corporate settings across the nation.
The National Institutes of Health has funded a post-DVM "Animal Model Research for Veterinarians (AMRV)" training program at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (VMRCVM). This program will train veterinarians to acquire cutting-edge skills of a researcher, and help them launch a successful research career in the areas of animal models of infectious diseases (virology, bacteriology, and parasitology), immunology (immune-mediated inflammatory diseases), neuropathobiology, regenerative medicine, and environmental medicine. Mentors participating in this training program are conducting cutting-edge research in the areas of animal models for human diseases, and their research projects are well funded by the National Institutes of Health. Our college has advanced sophisticated equipment, resources, animal facilities and expertise to tackle contemporary and potentially anticipated problems in biomedical sciences.
Trainees will be required to enter a Ph.D. graduate program that will expose them to state-of-the-art research skills and challenge them to become independent problem-solvers. At the end of the training program, trainees are expected to launch an independent biomedical research career, and assume leadership roles related to the nation's biomedical research agenda in academia, government, and industry.
Website: http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/research/amrv.asp
DVM/PhD Dual Degree Program
Major medical and biomedical breakthroughs generally involve multidisciplinary investigative teams with knowledge of basic and clinical sciences. Veterinarians have a well-grounded understanding and knowledge of disease processes; however the majority of veterinarians are not adequately trained, in a focused, purposeful fashion, to perform hypothesis-driven biomedical research. Consequently, there is a critical shortage of veterinarians with a biomedical research background in academic, government, and corporate settings to assume leadership roles.
In recognition of the critical need for veterinarians trained in both basic and clinical sciences, the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine offers an opportunity for DVM students to purse a dual PhD program. This is a highly competitive program where students are selected throughout the nation. In this concurrent dual degree program, students first work for their PhD in a laboratory (generally for 3 years) with experienced and productive researcher, and then students join the DVM program, and continue to work on PhD during the summers. The DVM/PhD Dual Degree Program provides veterinary students with training in the skills of a researcher, and encourage them to pursue academic, government or corporate careers.
Website:
https://bmvs.vetmed.vt.edu/Academics/DegreePrograms/DVMPhD.html
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases:
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Virology
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Bacteriology and Mycology
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Parasitology
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Immunity to Infections
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Vaccine development and delivery
Immunology and Immune-mediated Inflammatory Diseases:
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Immunology (basic and applied)
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Autoimmune and Inflammatory Diseases
Neuropathobiology:
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Neurodevelopment and traumatic brain injury
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Neurooncology
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Neurovascularization and neuroinflammation
Integrative Oncology:
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Cancer biology and genomics
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Comparative cancer therapeutics
Comparative Medicine and Regenerative Medicine:
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Large and small animals clinical research including clinical trials, theriogenology, nutrition, and human- animal bond/interactions
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Stem cell biology, regenerative medicine and its clinical application
Population Health Sciences:
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Public health - infectious diseases epidemiology and public health education.
Combined graduate/residency programs
Our college offers a combined MS and clinical residency program.
Our college also offers a combined Ph.D. and clinical residency program (especially in clinical pathology, anatomic pathology, neurology, clinical pharmacology among other disciplines). The Ph.D. portion of the training program is intended to provide training in a research area so that the graduate may perform effective, independent research. The program will also provide for experiences and training in teaching. Completion of the program requirements will prepare graduates for positions in academia, industry and/or governmental agencies.
http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/departments/dbsp/resprogs/pathology.asp
