Credit: Provided

The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) has recently welcomed many new faculty members to our academic departments, each one bringing a unique set of skills and experience that enriches our college every day. In this Q&A series, you'll get to know their interests, expertise and more.

Dr. Jacquelyn Evans is an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and at the Baker Institute for Animal Health. She is also the first faculty member supported by the new Cornell Margaret and Richard Riney Canine Health Center, where her research on canine genetics will play a key role in helping dogs live longer, healthier, happier lives.

What has been your path leading up to Cornell?

I studied genetics at Clemson University, where I had the opportunity to participate in undergraduate research in the canine genetics laboratory of Dr. Leigh Anne Clark. I was interested in hereditary disease and loved working with the dog model. I completed my Ph.D. dissertation in Dr. Clark’s lab, identifying three loci that increase risk for an autoimmune disease in collies and Shetland sheepdogs. My postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health in Dr. Elaine Ostrander’s lab focused on the genetic factors contributing to risk for histiocytic sarcoma, a lethal cancer common in Flat-coated retrievers and Bernese mountain dogs.

Read the full Q&A on the College of Veterinary Medicine website.