Professor and Head of Pathobiology

Research interests in the Rowland lab center on addressing fundamental problems in the detection and control of infectious diseases of livestock caused by emerging and foreign animal diseases, such as porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcine circovirus (PCV), porcine coronaviruses, and African swine fever virus (ASFV). For 15 years Dr. Rowland was director of the national/international swine conference, the PRRS Symposium, an annual meeting on emerging viral diseases of swine. Since 2008, the Rowland lab has been actively involved in understanding the role of host genetics in the response of pigs to virus infection, along with the application of genetic modification techniques for conferring disease resistance. A spinoff of the genetics work is the first discovery of pigs possessing a naturally occurring severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). Rowland is actively involved in the training of undergraduate/graduate and DVM students. He has authored/coauthored more than 160 publications on animal health.

Fireside Chat on technology-related university initiatives

In this discussion, we explore the role of genetic improvement in resistance to infectious disease