The Pathobiology graduate program produces leaders in biomedical research and education. The program accepts students from a variety of backgrounds, who have completed undergraduate or professional degrees, into programs leading to master’s and doctoral degrees. Graduate degrees are also offered in conjunction with the campus MD degree (Medical Scholars Program) and the college DVM degree (Veterinary Medical Scholars Program).

The department is home to a nationally recognized residency program in anatomic, clinical, or zoologic pathology, leading to board eligibility with the American College of Veterinary Pathology. The residency program can be combined with a PhD program. Virtually all graduate students receive tuition waivers and competitive stipends while participating in the teaching and research functions of the department.

Professional service, ranging from interpreting submissions to the college’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory to developing continuing education courses in molecular biology and industrial toxicology and pathology, comprises a significant proportion of departmental activity.

Expertise in the Department of Pathobiology spans epidemiology, immunology, parasitology, virology, bacteriology and comparative pathology. Through its multidisciplinary approach, the department addresses complex problems in biomedical and veterinary sciences. Research emphasizes multi-host disease systems, with the goal of improving human and animal health at the individual and population levels in a broad social and environmental context. Specific areas of research interest include:

  • Molecular mechanisms of infection, host-pathogen interactions, and immunity
  • Strategies for vaccine design and disease control
  • Experimental pathology
  • Molecular virology
  • Bacteriology
  • Cancer biology
  • Spatial and contextual aspects of health and illness, combining human, animal, and ecosystem health
  • Mathematical modeling of infectious diseases to promote disease control
  • Foreign animal disease prevention, preparedness, and response