David Edache, MSc, PhD
Research Manager
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David received his Animal Science undergraduate degree from the University of Agriculture Makurdi in Nigeria, where he was born and raised. He later moved to the UK to pursue a MSc degree. While there, he continued his study on ruminant nutrition with a particular focus on mineral supplementation for lambs raised on pasture. After completing his MSc degree in 2019, he accepted a PhD position in Italy where his research was on developmental programming in dairy heifers, specifically looking at the impact of maternal dietary challenge during pregnancy on the development of the gastrointestinal system in the offspring. David has a strong interest for research involving animal models, and his long-term goal is to keep pushing the limits of research in both academic settings and R&D-related enterprises.
Under the supervision of Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro, David is presently a postdoctoral research fellow. As part of his job, David will look into the antiviral activities of polyphenols isolated from sorghum against the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV).
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Vanessa Horton, DVM, MS, PhD
Research and Innovation Associate
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Dr. Vanessa Horton received her DVM from Federal Fluminense University, Brazil, in 2017, followed by an M.S. in Beef Cattle Nutrition (2020) and a Ph.D. in Veterinary Epidemiology (2025) from Kansas State University.
Currently, Dr. Horton is a Research and Innovation Associate with Heritage Veterinary Partners and the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology (CORE), where her work integrates
epidemiologic methods, field data, and stakeholder perspectives to support evidence-based
decision-making in livestock systems. Her research interests include animal health and disease
risk mitigation, production efficiency, antimicrobial stewardship, food safety, sustainability, and
economics, with an emphasis on translating research findings into practical solutions for
veterinary and production stakeholders.
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David Kiiza, DVM, MS, PhD
Research Associate
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David received his PhD in Veterinary Medical Sciences from the University of Florida with a strong focus in epidemiology, infectious disease modeling and economic assessment. He also earned a Master's degree in Veterinary Epidemiology from Murdoch University in Australia and a degree in Veterinary Medicine from Makerere University, Uganda. His research goal focuses on the epidemiology, disease surveillance, one health, infectious disease modeling, risk analysis and animal health economics of zoonotic diseases and transboundary animal diseases. David’s research interests focus on epidemiological studies aimed at understanding the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases, estimating their burden and identifying factors associated with exposure to infectious diseases and quantifying the risk of introduction of transboundary animal diseases in disease-free herds.
David worked in both government institutions and international non-government organizations (USAID, IFAD, UN FAO, FCDO, Global Fund, ENABEL, African Development Bank, European Commission and Heifer International) serving as a team leader, project manager, researcher, development specialist or lead consultant on various projects and programs. David possesses a strong enthusiasm and passion for evidence-based research, aiming to better inform policymakers and facilitate informed decision-making. David is currently working with the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology under direct supervision of Dr. Michael Sanderson.
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Karla I. Moreno-Torres, DVM, MSc, PhD
Research Associate
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Karla received her PhD from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Ohio State University, where she focused on the dynamics of infectious diseases at the wildlife-livestock interface. She worked as a post-doctoral researcher and an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education fellow at the Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health and at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. She used experimental data to parameterize national models for epidemiological preparedness. Her research interests include modeling infectious diseases, emergency preparedness, applied epidemiology and ecology of infectious diseases.
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Golam Shakil, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Golam received his Ph.D. in Economics from Washington State University. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Paul G. Allen School for Global Health, where he worked on the Global Burden of Animal Diseases and USDA-APHIS–funded analyses of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza control strategies. He is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology (CORE), focusing on modeling foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in cattle and evaluating their economic impacts. His research interests include economic modeling of animal health systems, econometrics, and the integration of epidemiological data into economic frameworks.
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Stephen Edache, DVM, MSc
Deana Hardee, DVM
Taylor McAtee
MaRyka Smith, DVM