Faculty Mentors & Research Interests
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Dr. Raghu Amachawadi’s research interests are in antimicrobial resistance among gut commensals and foodborne pathogens of swine and cattle production systems. Specifically, on understanding the mechanisms involved in the propagation and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and on the role of non-antibiotic alternatives in contribution and mitigation of antimicrobial resistance in gut bacteria, and on microbiome and metagenomics analyses of the gut of cattle and swine. His research interests also include both aerobic and or anaerobic bacterial flora of liver abscesses and its prevention in feedlot cattle. |
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Dr. Mike Apley's research is focused on food animal pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of veterinary drugs. |
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Dr. Katsura Asano studies regulation of protein biosynthesis, yeast genetics and biochemistry, and molecular and cell biology of insects and cancer. |
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Dr. Chieko Azuma's research is focused on investigating the biological effects of radiation therapy and evaluation of treatment response in veterinary patients. She also has interests in palliative care and pain management, and research ethics and compliance. |
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Dr. Matt Basel’s research is focused on cancer therapy, especially hyperthermia and nanomedicine, and on designing better models for cancer research. |
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Dr. Eduarda Bortoluzzi's research focuses on animal welfare and applied ethology of domestic animals. Her previous research aimed to demonstrate the relationship between neonatal behaviors and the health of piglets and calves. Dr. Bortoluzzi also researched novel technologies to identify pulmonary pathologies in necropsied feedlot cattle. Her future lab projects include using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to develop new animal welfare metrics. |
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Dr. Mary Cain studies the neurobiological basis of drug use using a rodent model. |
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Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro's research focus is on veterinary epidemiology, food safety, zoonoses and production medicine. Research interests include the application of epidemiological concepts and methods, including multi-level modeling and knowledge synthesis and translation techniques to design, implement and interpret observational and experimental studies pertaining to food safety, zoonoses, arthropod-borne diseases and production medicine. Current research projects include understanding the distribution and determinants of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli non-O157, Salmonella and respiratory disease organisms in cattle and cattle production systems. |
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Dr. Lee Cohnstaedt’s research focuses on mosquito-borne zoonotic pathogens such as Rift Valley fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. He also studies methods to reduce biting midge (culicoides) transmitted epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue virus transmission on cervid farms. The lab uses both field and lab projects to determine the best methods to reduce disease transmission by mosquito and biting midge disease vectors. |
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Dr. Steven Copp’s research interest is autonomic control of circulation during exercise in health and cardiovascular disease. |
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The primary focus of Dr. Elizabeth Davis' research has involved mechanisms of innate immunity in horses. The current series of investigations involves examining the mechanism of immune activation with specific DNA sequences called CpG DNA. She is examining how bacterial DNA induces these responses and which sequences are the most effective at inducing immune activation. The ultimate goal of such investigations will be to use CpG DNA in combination with vaccine antigens so that she can safely and effectively make vaccines more powerful. Investigations will utilize cellular proliferation, cytokine gene expression and molecular cloning and sequencing assays. |
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Dr. Santosh Dhakal's lab works on viral pathogens of animal and human health importance, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. His research focuses on understanding the effect of host-associated factors, including age, biological sex, preexisting immunity, and different comorbidities on viral pathogenesis and immune responses to vaccines. He is also interested in the development of safe, effective and optimized mucosal vaccines against animal and human viral pathogens. |
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Dr. Diehl's research program focuses on the understanding of how social stimuli can alter the neural circuits of fear and avoidance to reduce anxiety-like behaviors and subsequently promote resilient behaviors in rats. She uses a several techniques including single unit recordings and optogenetic manipulations in behaving rats. Research in the Diehl laboratory seeks to understand why some individuals can overcome trauma and develop behavioral resilience, while other individuals go on to develop a neuropsychiatric disease, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. |
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Dr. Peying Fong studies the regulation of sodium, chloride and iodide transport by epithelial cells. |
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Dr. Scott Fritz studies issues relating to toxicology as it pertains to animals. His research interest is applied veterinary toxicology and he teaches VAP 871Veterinary Toxicology. |
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Dr. Brian Geisbrecht studies Staphylococcus aureus with a multidisciplinary approach including innate immunity, molecular basis of infectious diseases and host-pathogen interactions, and structural biology and molecular recognition. |
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Dr. Erica Geisbrecht studies formation and maintenance of muscle and heart tissue, biochemistry and molecular genetics of Drosophila, and cell signaling in development. |
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Dr. Todd Gunderson studies beef production medicine, dairy production medicine, equine medicine, epidemiology, disease outbreak investigation and small animal emergency medicine. |
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Dr. Lindsey Hulbert's research is focused on the development and validation of automated technologies to monitor health and welfare of domestic animals, understanding the effects of early-life stressors on nutritive and non-nutritive oral behaviors and immunity in calves, improving resilience to stressors and immunocomptence through housing, management, and feeding strategies in calves and pigs, and determining biomarkers of stress and inflammation for predicting and identifying disease. |
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Dr. Maria Jugan’s research interests are in feline and canine gastrointestinal disease, nutrient malabsorption in feline IBD, alterations in enteroendocrine responses in IBD, and therapeutic manipulations (e.g. fecal transplantation, probiotics) of the GI microbiome and metabolome in both acute and chronic small animal enteropathies. |
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Dr. Nate Kapaldo's research interests are in urine partial pressure of oxygen as a marker for acute kidney injury; comparative regional analgesia techniques and pain physiology; sustainability in anesthesia practice; and perioperative teaching environment and methods of veterinary student/nurse instruction. |
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Dr. Yunjeong Kim is interested in the development of therapeutic agents for small animal viral diseases including feline infectious peritonitis and feline calicivirus infection as well as understanding the role of host cellular proteases in viral pathogenesis. |
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Dr. Butch KuKanich studies the evaluation and design of rational drug dosages through the use of pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic studies. |
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Dr. Kate KuKanich focuses on One Health research including antimicrobial stewardship, hand hygiene, zoonotic diseases, fungal disease, UTIs, and opioids. |
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Dr. Phillip Lancaster studies sustainable beef cattle production; identification of energy efficient cattle; nutritional strategies to reduce methane emissions; and development of sustainable beef production systems. |
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Dr. Robert Larson studies the investigation of the role of disease in beef cattle on production efficiency, evaluation of disease intervention strategies. |
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Dr. Bethany McGregor's research focuses on understanding aspects of the biology and ecology of insect vectors of animal pathogens, primarily Culicoides biting midges. The ultimate goal of Bethany’s research program is to use data on biology and ecology to improve surveillance and control of biting midge species that transmit diseases. |
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Dr. Stacy McHaney’s research focuses on novel imaging techniques, especially those utilizing MRI technology. She also researches CT contrast and radiation dose reduction. |
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Dr. Kristen Michel studies host-pathogen interactions important for malaria and arboviral disease transmission. |
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Dr. Laura Miller investigates how viruses infect and manipulate host cells, particularly focusing on the mechanisms that allow viruses to evade the immune response and cause disease. By employing advanced techniques, she aims to identify novel targets for gene-editing, diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccine development. |
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Dr. Tim Musch studies mechanisms associated with the large degree of exercise intolerance that develops in the chronic heart failure. |
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Dr. T.G. Nagaraja's research interest is in the field of gut microbiology of cattle and swine, particularly on the role of microbes in gut function and dysfunction. Currently, his laboratory is involved in the following research areas: Foodborne pathogens, such as Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter, and antimicrobial resistance of gut bacteria in cattle and swine; bacterial flora of liver abscesses, virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms of Fusobacterium necrophorum, with the long term goal of developing an efficacious vaccine. |
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Dr. Cassandra Olds' research focuses on understanding vector-pathogen-host interactions, specifically how these can be managed to reduce the negative impact of arthropod pests and their associated pathogens on animal health and well-being. |
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![]() Email Dr. Ron Orchard is a clinical instructor of community outreach in the Kansas State University Clinical Sciences department. His research interests include: Shelter Medicine, HQHVSN Techniques, Resource Limited Medicine, Spectrum of Care, Access to Care, Community Engagement, Qualitative Methods, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. |
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Dr. Pierre Picavet is a small animal orthopedic surgery specialist. |
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Dr. David Poole studies pulmonary gas exchange, O2 transport and muscle microcirculation in health and determining the mechanistic bases for dysfunction in chronic disease (i.e., emphysema, heart failure, diabetes) and also aging. |
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Dr. David Renter’s research emphasizes the application and extension of epidemiologic principles and methods to enhance health and disease management. His outcomes-based research enables valid data-driven decisions to improve animal health/well-being, food safety, production efficiency, and economic viability of health systems. |
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The broad focus of Dr. Michael Sanderson's research is the application of epidemiologic principles, analytical methods, risk assessment and simulation modeling to disease risk and facilitate decision making in beef production systems. Much of this research has focused on the epidemiology and ecology of beef safety and security particularly related to E. coli O157 and other shiga-toxin producing E. coli. His lab also studies Bovine Respiratory Disease and Foot and Mouth Disease. |
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Dr. Stacey Scroggs studies the evolution, emergence, and control of arthropod-transmitted viruses that infect livestock, such as vesicular stomatitis virus, bluetongue virus, epizootic hemorrhagic fever virus, and West Nile virus. |
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Dr. Phillip Shults studies insects, primarily biting midges, that transmit disease-causing pathogens in wildlife and livestock systems. His lab applies a broad range of next-generation molecular approaches to better understand the interactions between host, vector, and pathogen. |
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Dr. Kris Silver researches the physiological and molecular interactions between insects and insecticides. |
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Dr. Mark Weiss' research focus is on stem cell biotechnology. His lab successfully produced various stem cell lines such as rat embryonic stem cells and cells derived from umbilical chord or other tissues with the intent of using this technology to advance cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. His lab is focused upon producing promising cellular therapeutics for regenerative medicine. |
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