To celebrate Women’s History Month, Purdue University’s Office of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships (EVPRP) is honoring the achievements of female faculty, staff, and students through a social media campaign that includes three Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty members. Each day during the month of March, the EVPRP has been sharing posts on its social media account reflecting the scholarly research, scientific achievements, and historic milestones accomplished by Purdue women.
The posts have appeared each morning, noted with the hashtag #31PurdueWomen. The following Purdue Veterinary Medicine faculty members are among those 31:
Dr. Ourania Andrisani
Dr. Ourania Andrisani, Distinguished Professor of Basic Medical Sciences and an active mentor of the Purdue University Interdisciplinary Life Science Program, is regarded as an international expert on the molecular biology of the hepatitis B virus, a leading cause of liver disease including cirrhosis and highly malignant liver cancer. Her research has identified aspects of the mechanisms by which proteins expressed by the hepatitis B virus contribute to cell transformation and development of the hepatocellular carcinoma, or cancer that starts in the liver. She also has served on National Institutes of Health study sections for nearly 20 years and has obtained major federal funding in support of her research. Dr. Andrisani has consistently published her research in high-impact journals and has been generous with her time in mentoring postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. She also has participated in the campus scientific community with particularly long-standing service and contributions to the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research.
Dr. Hsin-Yi Weng
Associate Professor of Clinical and Analytical Epidemiology Hsin-Yi Weng in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology earned her BVM degree from National Chung Hsing University, her MPH from Tulane University, and a PhD from the University of California, Davis. Her research interests include human-animal interactions, application of epidemiology to studies promoting animal health and welfare, and public health. The National Library of Medicine includes over 70 of her publications on a myriad of subjects including dog overpopulation in Taiwan and histopathologic findings in canine pituitary glands.
Dr. Rebecca Wilkes
Assistant Professor of Molecular Diagnostics Rebecca Wilkes serves as section head for the Molecular, Virology, and Serology sections of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. She earned her DVM and PhD degrees from The University of Tennessee in Knoxville and is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists. Dr. Wilke’s research involves the creation of new molecular tests which include next-generation sequencing panels used to locate infectious diseases. She also supervises the COVID-19 diagnostic testing for the campus.
The collection of posts about these faculty members and the others celebrated as part of the #31PurdueWomen social media campaign can be viewed on the EVPRP website or on “Research at Purdue,” the social media account for EVPRP.
“This is the eighth year we’ve run this campaign, and we haven’t featured anyone twice,” said Sarah Anderson, the writer/graphic designer who oversees social media in Research Communications within the EVPRP. “All recipients have been nominated by their peers, and we encourage you to celebrate with us by sharing and retweeting the posts.”