ADDL and CPB Department welcome new pathology residents and intern

Four portraits side by side of people wearing business formal attire

A trio of veterinary graduates started their pathology residencies at Purdue Veterinary Medicine this summer while a fourth veterinarian began a pathology internship in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology. This newest class of students pursuing post-DVM training in pathology includes Purdue veterinary alumni and graduates of universities abroad.

The three-year residency programs in anatomic pathology and clinical pathology provide advanced training and fulfill the requirements for earning certification as specialists, while also offering research and teaching opportunities. A graduate degree also is earned concurrent with the residency programs. The one year clinical pathology internship provides training and experiences that enhance the DVM graduate’s veterinary education.

Anatomic Pathology Residents – ADDL & Comparative Pathobiology Department

Margaret Mulligan, DVM

Dr. Maggie Mulligan grew up in northwest Indiana on her family’s grain farm. She came to Purdue to pursue her Bachelor of Science degree in animal sciences and became heavily involved in the department’s Pasternak Reproductive Physiology Laboratory, studying Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV). After graduating in 2022, she enrolled as a Purdue veterinary student, earning her DVM degree in May of this year. Her research experiences, combined with her DVM training, fostered a passion for anatomic pathology, with particular interests in female reproductive pathology, neoplasia, and infectious disease. Dr. Mulligan received the American College of Veterinary Pathologists Award for Excellence in Veterinary Pathology this year. She is excited to continue developing her diagnostic skills while exploring opportunities in teaching and research.

Brandon Bardin, DVM

Dr. Brandon Bardin, also of the Purdue DVM Class of 2026, joins Dr. Mulligan as a new Purdue anatomic pathology resident, specializing in diagnosing animal diseases across numerous species with the aim of becoming board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP). His professional interests include veterinary curriculum instruction, toxicologic pathology, diagnostics, and computational pathology.

Clinical Pathology Resident – Comparative Pathobiology Department

Laura Ribas, DVM, PhD

Dr. Laura Ribas is from Porto Alegre, Brazil. She earned her DVM degree at Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis in Brazil in 2020 before completing her PhD in Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Purdue, where she studied microRNAs as biomarkers for hemangiosarcoma in dogs. Her main interests include cancer biology, molecular biology, molecular diagnostics, and clinical pathology.

Clinical Pathology Intern – Comparative Pathobiology Department

Vidura Gajanayaka, BVSc

Dr. Vidura Gajanayaka earned his veterinary degree (BVSc) from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka and served for five years as a large animal clinician and temporary lecturer at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Sri Lanka. He then completed a clinical pathology internship at Tuskegee University before coming to Purdue to continue his clinical pathology training. His professional interests include hematology and cytology.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” for Jennifer Danaher – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

This week we express our gratitude to Jennifer Danaher, who is department secretary for Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

‘Purdue Pursuits’: A PVM angle on Purdue’s teaching and learning reading groups

Crafting meaningful and engaging course experiences has been at the top of Dielson Vieira’s mind ever since he joined the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s faculty in 2024. As a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Vieira is already adept at applying innovative teaching practices to classroom environments, but that doesn’t stop him from seeking out new ideas, approaches and perspectives — insights he gains through outlets like Purdue’s teaching and learning reading groups.

Top tier biology journal publishes PVM study that unlocks secrets of a drug-resistant fungal pathogen, which causes serious infections in humans

Though the name “Candida auris” is far from a household term, public health experts know it well because the multi-drug-resistant fungal pathogen, which causes serious human infections, has been classified as an urgent threat by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Antibiotic Threats Report (2019). Dr. Shankar Thangamani, Associate Professor of Microbiology and University Faculty Scholar in the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Comparative Pathobiology, is researching C. auris, aided by a 2.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). New research findings, just published in Nature Microbiology, show how C. auris adapts and evades the immune system.

In Print: ‘Translational Research Methods for Tauopathies’

A just-published 300-page volume edited by Jessica Fortin, Purdue assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Basic Medical Sciences, provides a significant new resource for researchers studying a group of neurodegenerative diseases known as tauopathies. “Translational Research Methods for Tauopathies” provides detailed protocols intentionally selected to serve as a basis for research laboratories seeking to further treatments for such debilitating neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

It’s Almost Here!

Though the annual Purdue Veterinary Conference is almost upon us, there’s still time to register and take advantage of this time-honored College of Veterinary Medicine fall tradition that combines excellent continuing education with fun opportunities for reconnecting with colleagues and classmates, networking, and learning about the latest veterinary trends and products. The 2026 Purdue Veterinary Conference takes place September 23–26 on the Purdue University campus. The annual event has something for everyone, from veterinarians to veterinary technicians, faculty, staff and students.