TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Ph.D. Program
The Doctor of Philosophy degree program is for graduate veterinarians seeking to impact the livestock industry through more than just clinical care. The program focuses on continued research in infectious disease, bioinformatics, pathobiology, epidemiology, and similar subjects. The program’s goal is to produce graduates who can use their skills to improve the health of livestock on-farm and not just in the laboratory. This program is a full-time graduate student position that melds clinical experiences with your area of interest in production medicine to solve real-world health problems.
To learn more and apply to the PhD program of the Applied Epi Lab, please contact us and visit the UIUC College of Veterinary Medicine Pathobiology website. https://vetmed.illinois.edu/college-organization/pathobiology/
Online Master of Veterinary Science
The Master of Veterinary Science degree is a flexible graduate program for livestock professionals interested in livestock systems health. This program is available online or on campus. For more information, please visit the MVS website. https://online.vetmed.illinois.edu/MVS-Overview
Graduate Students
Suzanna Storms
Dr. Storms, a 2022 PhD student in Veterinary Pathobiology focusing on infectious disease in swine. She is also a 2019 graduate from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. After receiving her DVM, Dr. Storms decided to continue her studies here at the college of veterinary medicine to focus on research and make an impact on how the industry manages infectious diseases. Dr. Storms helps manage the Applied Livestock Epidemiology Lab, and oversees veterinary student research in the summers. After completing two years of her PhD program, Dr. Storms moved into an instructor role based on her demonstrated ability and passion for leading learners through new content relative to food animal medicine.
storms1@illinois.edu
Benjamin Blair
DVM, 2016
Current PhD student
bblair2@illinois.edu
Jehadi Osei-Bonsu
Jehadi obtained his DVM in 2016 from the University of Ghana and is currently enrolled UIUC to pursue his PhD in Veterinary Pathology and Pathobiology. Before working with the ALE, Jehadi worked as a state veterinarian in the Volta Region of Ghana. He also serves as a consultant veterinarian and director of Akosombo Lakeview Farms and BuyPork Ghan. He has served on the Public Health Emergency Management Committee implementing and evaluating control measures for Covid-19 and other diseases of public health importance in the Volta Region of Ghana. He is a USDA Cochran fellow and FAO Trainer of Trainers in GEMP in Africa. He was trained as a field epidemiologist by the Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program and his training was sponsored by the US CDC. Currently, Jehadi has ongoing collaborations with scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Services on their ASF vaccine development programs and is an access to market program with the USLGE and National Swine Registry to improve Ghana’s livestock breeds.
jehadio2@illinois.edu
Tara Prezioso
Dr. Prezioso is a PhD student in the Department of Pathobiology. She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2008 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and has been practicing small animal emergency medicine and general practice since graduation. She has completed internships at Rochester Zoo in New York, Wye Angus in Maryland, John’s Hopkins University Summer Pathology Fellow, and a Small Animal Rotating Internship in Washington D.C. Dr. Prezioso completed her Master’s of Public Health from University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas in 2020 with a focus in Epidemiology, where she also received a Certificate in Data Science.
tarap3@illinois.edu
Antonio Leonardi-Cattolica
DVM
Current PhD Student
aal7@illinois.edu
Mohamed Abulazm Mohamed Donia
DVM
Current PhD Student
mdonia2@illinois.edu