Mentors

The Veterinary Scholars Summer Research Program provides students with the opportunity to work directly on a faculty mentor's research project.

Mentors guide veterinary and undergraduate students in contributing to ongoing research, offering hands-on experience and insight into the scientific process. By participating in established projects, students gain a deeper understanding of veterinary medicine's role in research and explore career paths beyond clinical practice.

Learn more about the faculty mentors and the impactful research projects they lead.

Available Mentors List
Faculty Mentor	Title	Email	Research Project Title
Wendy Beauvais, BVetMed, MSc (VetEpi), PhD, DipECVPH	Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Public Health, President of Phi Zeta	wbeauvai@purdue.edu	Evaluating Interventions to Improve Biosecurity for the Control of Avian Influenza in Backyard Poultry
Amanda Darbyshire, DVM, DACLAM	Assistant Director of Clinical Medicine, Office of the Executive Vice President for Research, Clinical Assistant Professor	adarbysh@purdue.edu	Lab Animal Medicine
Meaghan Broman, DVM, PhD, DACVP	Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Pathology, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory	mbroman@purdue.edu	Histologic Characterization of Tertiary Lymphoid Structures and the Immune Landscape of Canine Urothelial Carcinoma
Kari Ekenstedt, DVM, PhD	Associate Professor, Anatomy and Genetics, Department of Basic Medical Sciences	kje0003@purdue.edu	Genetic Investigations of Inherited Disease in Dogs (2 Positions)
Ahmed Hassan, BSPharm, PhD	Research Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Pathobiology	ahmed@purdue.edu	Research in Antimicrobial Resistance
Sun Young Kim, DVM, MS, DACVS-SA	Associate Professor, Small Animal Surgery Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences	kim3315@purdue.edu	Validation of Two-Dimensional Kinematic Analysis using a Mobile App and Smartphone in Dogs
Leanne Nieforth, MS, PhD	Assistant Professor, Human-Animal Interaction, Center for the Human-Animal Bond	lniefort@purdue.edu	Evaluating the Psychosocial Impacts of an Equine-assisted Learning Program for Military Veterans, Emergency Responders and Their Family Members
Shin Ae Park, DVM, PhD, DACVO	Associate Professor, Ophthalmology	park1222@purdue.edu	Effect of Biomechanical Properties of Ocular Tissues on Glaucoma Progression
Andrea Pires dos Santos, DVM, MSc, PhD, DACVP (Clinical)	Associate Professor, Veterinary Clinical Pathology, Director of the Cytology Resource Center	santos1@purdue.edu	MicroRNA as Biomarkers of Disease or Infections Diseases
Christopher Rice, BSc, PhD	Assistant Professor, Parasitology Section Head, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Department of Comparative Pathobiology	carice@purdue.edu	Exploration and Elucidation of Balamuthia Mandrillaris Pathogenicity Factors in Vivo Using a Mouse Model Identification of Steroids Which Help Pathogens Induce More Damage During Microbial Keratitis Infection
Ilya Slizvoskiy, DVM, PhD, MPH	Assistant Professor, Antimicrobial Resistance & Infectious Diseases, Purdue Veterinary Hospital Infectious Disease Epidemiologist	islizovs@purdue.edu	Big Data Integration and Interrogation of Human and Animal Metagenomes to Characterize Risks of Antimicrobial Resistance A Decade of Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Across >50,000 Culture Submissions in a University Tertiary Veterinary Hospital
Rachel Soltys, DVM, PhD, DACVM	Clinical Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Microbiology Section Head, Bacteriology	rsoltys@purdue.edu	In-house Validation of Anaerobic Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (AST)
Sandra Taylor, DVM, PhD, DACVM-LAIM	Professor, Large Animal Internal Medicine, Chief of Staff, Equine and Farm Animal Hospitals	taylo248@purdue.edu	Management of Equine Sepsis
Michelle L. Tucker, DVM, PhD, DACVS (LA)	Assistant Professor, Large Animal Surgery, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences	mltucker@purdue.edu	Effect of Trazodone on Lameness in Horses The Three-dimensional Effect of Laryngoplasty on the Equine Upper Airway
William Whitehouse, DVM	Assistant Professor, Small Animal Internal Medicine, Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences	wwhiteho@purdue.edu	Investigating the Optimal Location for Blood Pressure Measurement in Dogs