2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP - St. George's University

2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Victor Amadi, MSc
Position: Demonstrator, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: vamadi@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175
Country of origin: Uganda
Research interests: My research interest is mainly focused on commensal bacteria in human and
animals as well as the environment. I am further interested in determining the presence of and isolating
pathogenic/zoonotic bacteria from the guts of humans, animals and the environment. I am also interested
in determining the resistance of the gut flora to antibiotics and identification of the antibiotic resistance
genes. As part of my research, I am very open to learning and developing new techniques.
Mentor: Projects #3 and 4
A study of potential human pathogenic bacteria and their antibiotic resistance pattern in the intestine of
mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) in Grenada, West Indies
Effect of prolonged administration of a low dose of doxycycline on the development of resistance in
bacterial indicators in the intestinal flora of healthy dogs
Extracurricular activity: Laboratory techniques workshop: Bacterial isolation
Name/Degree(s): Satesh Bidaisee, DVM, MSPH, FRSPH
Position: Associate Professor and Deputy Chair
Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
St. George’s University, School of Medicine
Contact information:
E-mail: sbidaisee@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3527
Country of origin: Trinidad and Tobago
Research interests: As a research investigator, I support community-based participatory activities in
zoonotic disease prevention and control, emerging infectious diseases, food safety and food security and
the pursuit of the One Health One Medicine concept. Research projects in which I am involved currently
include Chagas disease prevention and control programs in South America, stray dog control practices
for the Eastern Caribbean and meat and food hygiene projects in Grenada.
Mentor: Project #5
Does legislation serve as an effective mitigation towards the control of animal pest species in Grenada?
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Richard “Bill” J. S. Blunt, MEd, DEd
Position: Deputy Director and Director of Faculty Development
Department of Educational Services (DES)
Contact information:
E-mail: bblunt@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 2156
Country of origin: United Kingdom/South Africa
Extracurricular activity: Ongoing DES evaluation of the mentor/scholar program
Name/Degree(s): Alfred Chikweto, BVetMed, MSc
Position: Instructor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: achikweto@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3345
Country of origin: Zambia
Research interests: General zoonotic infections, toxoplasmosis, cryptosposporidiosis in small ruminants,
animal neoplasms and honey bee diseases
Mentor: Project #2
Which Leptospira serovar(s) are responsible for clinical cases of canine leptospirosis in Grenada?
Extracurricular activity: Laboratory techniques workshop: Clinical pathology
Country of origin: Grenada
Name/Degree(s): Claude A. DeAllie, DVM, MPhil (Vet. Sci.)
Position: Veterinary Officer, Grenada Ministry of Agriculture
Assistant Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: cdeallie@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175
Research interests: I am a veterinarian with keen interest in animal health and diagnostic veterinary
pathology. I have been involved in several research projects at the SVM, including foodborne diseases of
bacterial origin in poultry, toxoplasmosis in rats and free ranging chickens, gastrointestinal parasites of
swine, bacterial isolates from table eggs in Grenada and others. I have also been involved in publications
and short communications in Veterinary Pathology, in areas such as tumors of domestic animals and
parasitic isolates from animals in Grenada.
Extracurricular activity: Partners in Research session
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Kathryn E. Gibson, DVM, MS, PhD
Position: Associate Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: kgibson@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3674
Country of origin: United States
Research interests: I have a great interest in obligate intracellular bacteria, including Neorickettsia
(which causes multiple animal and human diseases), Wolbachia (involved in heartworm disease), and
Ehrlichia/Anaplasma (again causing multiple animal and human diseases). I also enjoy researching
zoonotic diseases and have a soft spot for parasitic worms, like trematodes and nematodes. My research
mainly involves molecular techniques, such as DNA and protein work, although I am always up for
learning and trying something new.
Mentor: Project #7
Ehrlichia prevention study (EPS): Detection of Anaplasma platys in canine blood and ticks
Extracurricular activities: Poster creation seminar, Laboratory techniques workshop: Molecular
techniques
Name/Degree(s): Harry Hariharan, BVSc, DVSM, MSc, PhD
Position: Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: hhariharan@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3677
Country of origin: India/Canada
Research interests: One of my main interests is studying antimicrobial resistance problems in bacteria
and the identification of rare and emerging pathogens, particularly zoonoses. I have been an international
microbiologist, working in varied locations including Switzerland, Italy, Zambia and the United States.
Mentor: Projects #3 and 4
A study of potential human pathogenic bacteria and their antibiotic resistance pattern in the intestine of
mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) in Grenada, West Indies
Effect of prolonged administration of a low dose of doxycycline on the development of resistance in
bacterial indicators in the intestinal flora of healthy dogs
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Richard Kabuusu, BVM, MPH
Position: Assistant Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: rkabuusu@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3672
Country of origin: Uganda
Research interests: Disease mapping, injury epidemiology, molecular epidemiology, historical research,
zoonotic Infections
Extracurricular activities: Dual-degree seminar, Laboratory techniques workshop: Clinical pathology
Name/Degree(s): Sachin M. Kumthekar, BVSc, MVSc
Position: Associate Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: skumthekar@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3673
Country of origin: India
Research interests: Oncology, infectious diseases, paratuberculosis, canine Ehrlichia, toxicopathology
studies
Activity: Laboratory techniques workshop: Clinical pathology
Name/Degree(s): Bowen Louison, DVM
Position: Chief Veterinary Officer/Head of the Livestock Division
Grenada Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Contact information:
E-mail: bowen.louison88@gmail.com, blouison@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 407-0298, (473) 440-2708
Country of Origin: Grenada
Research interests: My interest is research in (1) Diseases of economic/public health importance; (2)
Rabies which is endemic and poses a continuous threat to human and livestock populations; (3)
Emerging diseases like Avian and Swine influenza; and (4) Reemerging diseases like tuberculosis and
brucellosis. We collaborate with the rest on the region on Salmonella and leptospirosis prevalence,
spread and economic impact.
Extracurricular activity: Partners in Research session
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Cheryl Macpherson, PhD
Position: Professor and Chair, SOM Department of Bioethics
Contact information:
E-mail: ccox@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3789
Country of origin: United States
Research interests: Bioethics, professionalism, human rights and medicine, gender and culture in
medicine, health care ethics
Extracurricular activity: Ethics in Research seminar
Country of origin: United States
Name/Degree(s): Theresa McCann, PhD, MPH
Position: Associate Dean of Basic and Allied Health Sciences
St. George’s University, School of Medicine
Contact information:
E-mail: tmccann@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3264
Research interests:
Epidemiology, public health/community health, emerging infectious diseases, trauma management,
medical response to disasters
Mentor: Project #6
Evaluation of the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) simulation training in veterinary
students
Name/Degree(s): Dwayne Mitchell, Associate Science (Agri. Sci.)
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available
Position: Demonstrator, SVM Pathobiology Program
Research Associate, East Caribbean Bee Research & Extension Centre
Contact information:
E-mail: dmitchell@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175
Country of origin: Grenada
Research interests: Research conducted by members of the ECBREC occurs within five general
categories: 1) Honey Bee Husbandry, 2) Effects of Pesticides on Bees, 3) Native Pollinator Conservation
and Ecology, 4) Africanized Honey Bees and 5) Honey Bee Ecology
Extracurricular activity: Bees in Research field trip
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Ross Peterson, DVM
Position: Instructor, Veterinary Microbiology and Aquatic Animal Medicine
SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: rpeterson@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3447
Country of origin: United States
Research interest: Bacterial zoonotic pathogens in land crabs, goat subclinical mastitis
Extracurricular activity: Marine center field trip and workshop
Name/Degree(s): Brian Pilcher, MS
Position: Instructor of Educational Services, DES
Contact information:
E-mail: bpilcher@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3165
Country of origin: United States
Extracurricular activity: Ongoing DES evaluation of the mentor/scholar program
Name/Degree(s): Rhonda D. Pinckney, DVM, MS, PhD
Position: Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: rpinckney@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3671
Country of origin: United States
Research interests: Zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases, parasites of public health significance,
parasitic diseases, parasitology and tropical medicine, community outreach programs
Mentor: Project #1
Is it Anisakis? Morphologic and molecular identification of nematode parasites in jack fish in Grenada
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Rohini Roopnarine, BVSc, MRCVS, M.Phil
Position: Associate Professor, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
Contact information:
E-mail: rroopnarine@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3678
Country of origin: Trinidad and Tobago
Research interests: Public health, epidemiology, food safety
Extracurricular activity: Safety and Compliance session: Public health seminar
Name/Degree(s): Diana M. Stone, DVM, MPH, PhD
Position: Professor, SVM Pathobiology Program
Contact information:
E-mail: dstone@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3681
Country of origin: United States
Research interests: I am very interested in zoonotic diseases, particularly those with relevance to the
Caribbean. The Grenada-based research projects I have worked on include Leptospira seroprevalence in
rats and dogs; Hantavirus seroprevalence in rats; and most recently genotyping of Campylobacter spp.
isolates from poultry, swine and small ruminants. Results will contribute to our understanding of probable
transmission patterns between the animal reservoir and humans. Because food animal production in
Grenada and in much of the developing world involves small-scale units, minimal biosecurity and frequent
intermixing of species, results from our studies will have implications beyond Grenada.
Mentor: Project #2
Which Leptospira serovar(s) are responsible for clinical cases of canine leptospirosis in Grenada?
Extracurricular activities: Hypothesis-based research seminars, Laboratory techniques workshop:
ELISA
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Name/Degree(s): Adrea Tidwell, MSc (Forensic Sciences)
Position: Assistant Professor, SVM Medical Records
Contact information:
E-mail: atidwell@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3599
Country of origin: United States
Extracurricular activities: Overseeing and organization of IVSP field trips

2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Arend Werners, DVM, PhD, DECVPT
Position: Professor, Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology
SGU IACUC chair
Contact information:
E-mail: awerners@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3336
Country of origin: Netherlands
Research interests: Innate immunity, equine clinical pharmacology
Extracurricular activity: Safety and Compliance session: IACUC seminar
Name/Degree(s): Naudia Worme, MIB, Grad. Dip. BSc.
Position: Demonstrator 1, SGUSVM
Contact information:
E-mail: ndundas@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175
Country of origin: Guyana
Research interests: I am interested in veterinary public health, parasites of zoonotic importance as well
as environmental education and awareness. At present, I am conducting research on parasites of
commercially-important species of fish in Grenada and the use of morphological and molecular
techniques to identify these parasites.
Mentor: Project #1
Is it Anisakis? Morphologic and molecular identification of nematode parasites in jack fish in Grenada
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2013 Program Faculty for the IVSP:
In alphabetical order
Name/Degree(s): Greg Wybern, DVM
Position: SVM Director of Continuing Education
Contact information:
E-mail: gwybern@sgu.edu
Phone: (473) 444-4175, Ext. 3789
Country of origin: United States
Research interests: I am currently the Chairman of the SVM Health and Safety Committee having
served in that capacity for the past 6 years. I was also a member of the SVM accreditation team prior to
obtaining AVMA accreditation in 2011, and was instrumental in making sure all safety standards were
adhered to. During that time safety protocols were created and installed in the various veterinary labs and
at the Small Animal Clinic. I ordered many safety signs and equipment for installation as well as ensuring
the physically challenged persons were not left out. I understand the importance of creating a safe
environment in the workplace as that was a key component when I operated my business. Working in a
safe place can help to eliminated many unwanted costs which may not occur if protocols were in place or
signs were installed. Safety compliance should be a priority to every employer who wants to have an
active workforce, thereby creating higher production and retention rates.
Extracurricular activity: Safety and Compliance session: Safety in Research seminar
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