Joy Tomlinson's Research

I first ventured into veterinary research in high school, when my horse, Linny, developed "headshaking,"" a potentially painful syndrome that results in a horse flipping its head uncontrollably. I read all about the disease, hoping to find a treatment, but at the time little was known about its cause. The experience motivated me to become a veterinarian and to complete a clinical research fellowship, both at Cornell University, so that I could conduct research in equine disease. When the opportunity arose, I joined Dr. Gerlinde Van de Walle and her collaborators to search for the cause of Theiler's disease, a presumed viral infection that causes hepatitis and liver failure in horses. After evaluating several candidates, our team identified an equine parvovirus as the most likely culprit. I am continuing this work by characterizing the tropism, transmission, and pathogenicity of this novel pathogenic virus. Additionally, I am evaluating another equine hepatotropic virus, non-primate hepacivirus, as a model for hepatitis C virus infection in humans. This research is beneficial to both humans and horses. I was recently awarded an NIH K08 Mentored Career Development Award to pursue my studies with Dr. Van de Walle as my primary mentor.