Master of Science in Veterinary Science – Immunology and Infectious Diseases
- Fall Rolling Deadline Priority status is given to applicants that apply before December 15.
- Spring Rolling Deadline
- Pullman: Yes
- 7.0 IELTS Minimum score
- 550 TOEFL Minimum score
- 80 TOEFLI Minimum score
- GRE
- Letters of recommendation
Degree Description:
The MS program in Immunology and Infectious Diseases provides education and training in immunology and host-pathogen interactions of bacterial, parasitic, and viral infections of animals and humans. The academic research environment is enriched by integration of the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, the Paul G. Allen School for Global Animal Health, the School of Molecular Biosciences, and the USDA-ARS Animal Disease Research Unit. Dissertation research is carried out under the direction of highly collaborative research faculty who are internationally recognized for their research in infectious diseases.
Graduate programs are tailored to the individual’s background and career goals, and include core formal course work as well as more specialized courses in a primarily literature review format. Laboratory research is the most critical part of the training and the strength of our program. The major advisor and student work in cooperation with the advisory committee to develop a directed course of research. All departmental faculty and students attend weekly research seminars given either by students, program faculty, and visiting scientists. Through these seminars, students are exposed to critical analysis of data, experimental design and discussion of research significance. Students also may participate in the activities sponsored by the Integrative Programs in Biomedical Sciences (iPBS, graduate.vetmed.wsu.edu). Trainees are expected to conduct original research that will lend a significant contribution to knowledge in the area of emphasis and that will culminate in publication in peer-reviewed journals. Publication is required for and constitutes the PhD dissertation. The final examination consists of a public research seminar followed by an oral examination.
Student Learning Outcomes:
All graduates will be able to:
1. Apply sound research methods to problems in their discipline and describe the methods effectively.
2. Communicate their research clearly and professionally in both written and oral forms appropriate to the field.
Student Opportunities:
Collaborative research, presentations at national/international conferences, student meetings with prominent visiting scientists.
Career Opportunities:
Academic research, state and national laboratories, biotechnology companies.
Career Placements:
Research technologist, Senior Scientist
Faculty Members:
Bankhead, Troy, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Mechanisms of persistence and virulence associated with the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi.
Baszler, Timothy V, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Immunology of neosporosis, improved diagnosis of infectious diseases in domestic animals spongiform encephalopathies.
Besser, Thomas Eugene, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Safety microbiology, E. coli O157:H7, neonatal enteric disease.
Bose, Santanu, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Inflammation and innate immunity; Influenza A virus and RSV pathogenesis
Brayton, Kelly A, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Functional genomics of vector-borne pathogens.
Broschat, Shira Lynn, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair or co-chair of graduate committee
Research Interests
Bioinformatics, machine learning, data analysis, data mining for microbiology applications
Burbick, Claire, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Clinical microbiology diagnostics, investigation of novel pathogens, antimicrobial susceptibility
Call, Douglas Ruben, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Mechanisms that lead to the emergence, amplification, persistence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance in food animal production systems.
Celli, Jean, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Molecular mechanisms of Brucella abortus modulation of host cell functions.
Charles, Lauren, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Biosurveillance, epidemiology, data science, data fusion (text/laboratory/spacial/imagery), One Health
Cunha, Cristina, USDA
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Fry, Lindsay, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Immunopathogenesis of tick-transmitted diseases of cattle and horses; Theileriosis; Vaccinology
Haldorson, Gary, DVM, Ph.D.
Serves as: co-chair or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Veterinary anatomic pathology
Hines, Stephen A, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Islam, Mohammed, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Antimicrobial resistance; One Health; Molecular epidemiology
Jasmer, Douglas Philip, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Molecular and cellular aspects of host/parasite interactions and parasite biology
Knodler, Leigh, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Salmonella-intestinal epithelial cell interactions.
Knowles, Donald Patrick, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Research is primarily collaborative and focused on testing hypotheses which define parameters of tick-borne disease transmission and pathogenesis.
Kopper, Jamie, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Gastointestinal barrier function in veterinary patients
Lankester, Felix, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Epidemiology and economic impact of infectious diseases in East Africa
Lofgren, Eric, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Computational epidemiology; healthcare-associated infections; emerging pathogens; mathematical modeling
Mealey, Robert Hamilton, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Mousel, Michelle, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Animal genetics
Nicola, Anthony, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Cell biology of virus-host interactions, herpesviruses, viral entry, membrane fusion, envelope glycoproteins, viral pathogenesis
Njenga, Kariuki M., PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Epidemiology and virology
Noh, Susan Marite, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Vector-borne disease; tick-pathogen-host interaction; vaccine development
O'Connor, Roberta
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Marine natural product drug discovery for parasitic diseases
Omsland, Anders, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Biology of bacterial obligate intracellular parasites, virulence, metabolic capabilities, and regulation of bacterial morphological transitions
Palmer, Guy Hughes, DVM, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Prieur, David J, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Genetic diseases of animals, especially those that are spontaneous models of similar human genetic diseases.
Sanz, Macarena, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Equine immunology and infectious diseases; innate immunity; Rhodococcus equi infection
Schneider, David, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Schwartz, Elissa, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
– Experimental and theoretical techniques to investigate mechanisms in virology, immunology, and infectious disease epidemiology
– Control of lentiviral infection, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV).
– Mathematical and computational models of viral dynamics with clinical and experimental data to elucidate the determinants of virus control and escape.
Shah, Devendra Hansraj, BVSc, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Food and water-borne bacterial diseases; avian infectious diseases.
Shaw, Dana, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Tick-borne pathogens; innate immunity; vector competence; molecular microbiology
Snekvik, Kevin Roy, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Suarez, Carlos Esteban, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Ueti, Massaro Wilson, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Vadyvaloo, Viveka, Ph.D.
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Arthropod-borne zoonotic infectious diseases, including the etiological agent of the bubonic plague, Yersinia pestis.
White, Stephen
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
My research group uses both molecular and quantitative approaches in investigating host genetics of infectious disease susceptibility
Wild, Margaret, DVM, PhD
Serves as: chair, co-chair, or member of graduate committee
Research Interests
Wildlife health; elk hoof disease; chronic wasting disease