LSU Vet Med conferred six degrees at summer commencement

On August 14, 2023, the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine conferred six degrees: four PhD degrees and two Master’s degrees.

"We are incredibly proud of the accomplishments of our graduates,” said Tammy Dugas, PhD, associate dean for research and graduate education. “Their dedication to advancing knowledge and making meaningful contributions to the fields of veterinary medicine and biomedical sciences is inspiring. As they embark on the next stages of their careers, we have no doubt that they will continue to excel and bring about positive change in their respective areas of expertise."

PHD DEGREES

Therese Collantes, DVM, MS, from Quezon City, Philippines, received her PhD from the Department of Pathobiological Sciences. Her dissertation was entitled “Predicted Structure and Functional Roles of Alphaherpesvirus Tegument Protein UL37 in Virion Morphogenesis and Innate Immunity,” and her mentor was Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas, PhD, professor and head of PBS. Dr. Collantes will teach and conduct research at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

Wenzhi Gong, MS, from Jianli, China, received his PhD from the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences. His dissertation was entitled “Regulation of Nucleotide Excision Repair,” and his mentor was Shisheng Li, PhD, professor. Dr. Gong will begin a post-doctoral fellowship.

Michael McGee, MS, from Livermore, Calif., received his PhD from the Department of Pathobiological Sciences. His dissertation was entitled “Tissue Resident Regulatory T Cells and Immunopathology During Influenza Infections,” and his mentor was Weishan Haung, PhD, associate professor. Dr. McGee is now a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Huang’s lab at LSU Vet Med.

Takashi Taguchi, DVM, MSc, MApStat, from Sapporo, Japan, received his PhD from the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. His dissertation was entitled “Regenerative Medicine for Tendon/Ligament Injuries: De Novo Equine Tendon/Ligament Neotissue Generation and Application,” and his mentor was Mandi Lopez, DVM, PhD, DACVS, professor.

MS DEGREES

Liana Baconguis, from Los Baños, Philippines, received her MS from the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences. Her thesis was entitled “An Observed Increase in Cardiovascular and Respiratory-Disease Related Hospitalizations and Mortality in an Area Surrounding a Hazardous Waste Thermal Treatment Plant,” and her faculty mentor was Stephania Cormier, PhD, adjunct professor in CBS and professor of biological sciences in the LSU College of Sciences. She is pursuing a position in research with a pharmaceutical company with an eye to transition into the clinical trials field.

Brandy Malbrough, from Houma, La., received her MS from the Department of Pathobiological Sciences. Her thesis was entitled “Evaluating Vaccine Management Strategies For Edwardsiella ictaluri infections in Zebrafish (Danio rerio),” and her mentor was John Hawke, PhD (1996), professor emeritus of veterinary microbiology and parasitology. 

About LSU Vet Med: Bettering lives through education, public service, and discovery

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine is one of only 33 veterinary schools in the U.S. and the only one in Louisiana. LSU Vet Med is dedicated to improving and protecting the lives of animals and people through superior education, transformational research, and compassionate care. We teach. We heal. We discover. We protect.