In Pathobiology, a diverse complement of disciplines takes an integrated systems approach encompassing all aspects of disease emergence, mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions, and novel approaches to disease prevention.
Expertise in the Department of Pathobiology spans epidemiology, microbiology, immunology, parasitology, virology, 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.
In the veterinary professional degree program, the department teaches courses in both the basic science and clinical portions of the curriculum, fostering students’ ability to apply the fundamental tenets of disease mechanisms in the practice of clinical and diagnostic medicine.
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Dongwan Yoo’s research uses reverse genetics to understand viral evasion strategies against host immune surveillance, using the Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus as a model.
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.
![[rebecca smith, bill brown, marilyn o'hara ruiz]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/res-smith-brown-ruiz-260x157.jpg)
In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers analyzed chikungunya and dengue outbreak data from 76 countries over a period of 50 years, focusing on regions across the Indian Ocean that are hard hit by these and other mosquito-borne infectious diseases. The analysis of 1959-2009 data revealed that population density and proximity to...
![[Dr. William Witola]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/news-witola-grant-260x157.jpg)
Unique molecules hold promise for anti-parasitic drugs Parasitic nematodes, such as roundworms, pose a big problem for the livestock industry globally. Medicines that used to control these parasites are no longer effective, but Dr. William Witola at the College of Veterinary Medicine recently received a grant to investigate a molecular pathway that would kill these...
![[one health symposium]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/news-one-health-symposium-260x157.jpg)
Solving complex, multidimensional, interdisciplinary problems How should research at a 21st century university advance the public good? That question lies at the center of a three-day conference at the culmination of the University of Illinois sesquicentennial year. One crucial answer—which links scholars across multiple disciplines—is to address urgent and critical threats to human, animal, and...