BASSETERRE, St. Kitts.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Michel Vandenplas, PhD, an accomplished biologist and equine medicine specialist, has joined Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) as a senior scientist in the research department. He assumes overall responsibility for establishing an enhanced research facility to support high-quality and impactful research activities at RUSVM.
“I share the vision of our Dean, faculty, staff and students to increase research efforts at our university focusing on tropical veterinary medicine and zoonosis. I will contribute to this vision through discussions with my fellow researchers and students interested in investigating veterinary research as a potential career path,” said Vandenplas. “Together we will form a team focused on strengthening our research program, an essential requirement for our current and future graduates.”
Vandenplas comes to RUSVM from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where he led research efforts focused on the role and regulation of innate immune responses in equine colic and lameness, the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in horses. He served as a molecular and cellular biology technical advisor to clinician researchers in the Departments of Large and Small Animal Medicine.
In addition to overseeing the operations of the research facilities, Vandenplas will continue his work with equine-specific innate immune responses, as compared to those of humans and other animals. His research interests also include developing a rapid and affordable whole-blood assessment of stress and using it to monitor the progression of disease and therapy in animals.
Vandenplas grew up near Cape Town, South Africa, and received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in medical biochemistry from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He also worked with the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) Center for Molecular and Cellular Biology at the university, where he was involved in research to determine the role of gene mutations that alter the metabolism of the primary drug used to treat human tuberculosis.
About Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM), founded in 1982, is committed to providing a learning environment focused on preparing students to become members and leaders of the worldwide public and professional healthcare team and to advance human and animal health (One Health) through research and knowledge exchange.
RUSVM has focused research programs in public health and epidemiology with an emphasis on zoonotic and infectious diseases, conservation medicine, and environmental health. RUSVM is accredited by the St. Christopher & Nevis Accreditation Board (www.ab.gov.kn) and has limited accreditation status by the American Veterinary Medical Association (www.avma.org) to offer the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program. The RUSVM Veterinary Teaching Hospital is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (www.aahanet.org).
RUSVM is a part of DeVry Education Group Inc. (NYSE: DV; member S&P MidCap 400 Index). For more information about RUSVM, visit http://www.rossu.edu/veterinary-school.
