Parrish

Colin Parrish, the John M. Olin Professor of Virology, has been named the director of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine's Baker Institute for Animal Health and the Feline Health Center, effective Dec. 1. Judith Appleton, the Alfred H. Caspary Professor of Immunology, stepped in as the interim director in July 2009 and led the national search for this position.

As the director, Parrish will be committed to maintaining a strong focus on research, in his own laboratory and across the institute and center, particularly strengthening basic research while focusing on practical outcomes that make it easier for veterinarians to provide the best medical care possible and for pet owners to be active participants in the process.

"Research is at the center of a strong Baker Institute, an internationally recognized Feline Health Center, and our goals are to lead to improvements in our basic and applied medical knowledge, leading to improved health of our pets, as well as potentially improving human health," said Parrish, adding that outreach programs will share the results of the research.

A member of the Cornell faculty since 1988, Parrish's research efforts have focused on improving the understanding of viruses: how viruses function and how viruses stay in their particular hosts and do not (usually) infect other animals. In some cases viruses gain the ability to infect and spread widely in new hosts, leading to epidemics or pandemics of new diseases. The Parrish laboratory has set its sights on understanding the underlying processes leading to the evolution of host range changes, particularly in parvoviruses.