Danya Sankaranarayanan, BVSc, MS
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Dr. Danya 'Dany' Sankaranarayanan, BVSc, MS, is a veterinarian and PhD student at Oklahoma State University. Her background in microbiology and cellular biology eventually brought her back to a longstanding interest in parasitology— a field that appeals to both her curiosity about biology and her love of diagnostic problem-solving. She is fascinated by the diversity of parasites, the ways they adapt to their hosts, and how resistance to antiparasitic drugs evolves. Her current research focuses on heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, using molecular tools to study genetic markers associated with macrocyclic lactone resistance. Through her residency, she looks forward to gaining hands-on diagnostic experience and growing as a researcher. Dany aims to become a board-certified parasitologist, utilizing diagnostic work, research, and teaching to assist veterinarians and animal owners in better understanding and managing parasitic diseases.
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Five Questions with NCVP Elanco Resident Dr. Danya Sankaranarayanan
Tell us a little about your background. Where are you from, what are some of the defining experiences of your life?
I am from Chennai, India. I received my Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry (BVSc & AH)/DVM from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (RIVER), Puducherry, India in 2017. I completed my Master of Science in Biology with a concentration of medical microbiology from Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY in 2021. I then went on to work as a laboratory specialist in the University of Virginia in the Department of cell biology and contributing to the vascular biology research especially in lymphatic valve development. In 2023, I joined Oklahoma State University as a PhD Student and served as a large animal graduate teaching assistant for three consecutive years. I am currently pursuing my PhD and residency training in Parasitology through NCVP under the supervision of Dr. Ruth Scimeca. My ongoing PhD research is on establishing a diagnostic tool to determine the heartworm's resistance to macrocyclic lactone. Through the NCVP residency program, Danya hopes to strengthen her expertise in parasitic diseases while gaining experience across the broader field of parasitology.
How did you initially become interested in veterinary medicine?
My interest in the field of veterinary science began with my love for animals, my desire to help them and advocate for their well-being. Veterinary medicine appealed to me because it brings together multiple scientific disciplines while also requiring practical problem-solving, compassion, and responsibility toward both animals and the people who care for them.
As I progressed through my veterinary school, I was particularly drawn to the process of diagnosis, which involves gathering information, recognizing patterns, interpreting laboratory findings, and connecting them with the patient’s clinical presentation. I realized that effective treatment depends on understanding the underlying disease process rather than simply addressing its outward symptoms. Consequently, this realization has gradually directed me towards diagnostic medicine and research.
How did you become interested in parasitology? When did you know it would be your field?
My interest in parasitology developed from several aspects of the discipline. I am fascinated by the remarkable morphological diversity of parasites, the complexity of their life cycles, the sophisticated strategies they employ to survive within their hosts and adapt to environmental, immunological, and pharmacological pressures. Therefore, I believe parasitology is the intersection of ecology, epidemiology, pathology, immunology, molecular biology, and pharmacology. Consequently, understanding a parasitic disease often required compiling information across different areas, which I find intellectually stimulating. My veterinary training first introduced me to the substantial effects parasites can have on companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and human communities. My later training in microbiology, cellular biology, and molecular research gave me additional ways to investigate those effects. Since parasitology had been a longstanding interest, during the second year of my PhD, I got the opportunity to realign my PhD research and begin working on heartworms.
What focus have you chosen for your residency? Where will your research efforts be targeted?
The focus of my residency in general will be to strengthen my understanding and acquire in-depth knowledge on parasite biology, disease, treatment, and epidemiological risk affecting companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and humans. While my residency/PhD research is focused on Dirofilaria immitis, particularly the surveillance and molecular investigation of macrocyclic lactone resistance, my efforts will be directed towards: 1) evaluating resistance-associated genetic markers in heartworm populations in Oklahoma and nearby states by using molecular tools, 2) detection and characterization of novel markers that could help in the detection of ML resistance in heartworm, 3) prevalence of resistant heartworm in the intermediate host population in Oklahoma and nearby states, and 4) proteomics to detect the host immune mechanism associated with the phenotypically resistant heartworm infection. This work brings together several of my central interests: molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, drug resistance, and the clinical interpretation of laboratory findings.
What is your plan after your residency? What would you like to accomplish over the course of your career?
Following the residency, I intend to pursue board certification in veterinary parasitology through the American College of Microbiologists and establish a career as a veterinary clinical and diagnostic parasitologist. I envision my work combining diagnostic service, applied research, teaching, and outreach. Over the course of my career, I hope to help improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of parasitic diseases. I would like to contribute to the development and validation of diagnostic tools that are both scientifically rigorous and clinically meaningful, particularly for emerging infections and drug-resistant parasite populations. I also hope to conduct research that clarifies parasite transmission, host-parasite interactions, and the biological mechanisms of underlying treatment failure.
I am from Chennai, India. I received my Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry (BVSc & AH)/DVM from Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (RIVER), Puducherry, India in 2017. I completed my Master of Science in Biology with a concentration of medical microbiology from Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY in 2021. I then went on to work as a laboratory specialist in the University of Virginia in the Department of cell biology and contributing to the vascular biology research especially in lymphatic valve development. In 2023, I joined Oklahoma State University as a PhD Student and served as a large animal graduate teaching assistant for three consecutive years. I am currently pursuing my PhD and residency training in Parasitology through NCVP under the supervision of Dr. Ruth Scimeca. My ongoing PhD research is on establishing a diagnostic tool to determine the heartworm's resistance to macrocyclic lactone. Through the NCVP residency program, Danya hopes to strengthen her expertise in parasitic diseases while gaining experience across the broader field of parasitology.
How did you initially become interested in veterinary medicine?
My interest in the field of veterinary science began with my love for animals, my desire to help them and advocate for their well-being. Veterinary medicine appealed to me because it brings together multiple scientific disciplines while also requiring practical problem-solving, compassion, and responsibility toward both animals and the people who care for them.
As I progressed through my veterinary school, I was particularly drawn to the process of diagnosis, which involves gathering information, recognizing patterns, interpreting laboratory findings, and connecting them with the patient’s clinical presentation. I realized that effective treatment depends on understanding the underlying disease process rather than simply addressing its outward symptoms. Consequently, this realization has gradually directed me towards diagnostic medicine and research.
How did you become interested in parasitology? When did you know it would be your field?
My interest in parasitology developed from several aspects of the discipline. I am fascinated by the remarkable morphological diversity of parasites, the complexity of their life cycles, the sophisticated strategies they employ to survive within their hosts and adapt to environmental, immunological, and pharmacological pressures. Therefore, I believe parasitology is the intersection of ecology, epidemiology, pathology, immunology, molecular biology, and pharmacology. Consequently, understanding a parasitic disease often required compiling information across different areas, which I find intellectually stimulating. My veterinary training first introduced me to the substantial effects parasites can have on companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and human communities. My later training in microbiology, cellular biology, and molecular research gave me additional ways to investigate those effects. Since parasitology had been a longstanding interest, during the second year of my PhD, I got the opportunity to realign my PhD research and begin working on heartworms.
What focus have you chosen for your residency? Where will your research efforts be targeted?
The focus of my residency in general will be to strengthen my understanding and acquire in-depth knowledge on parasite biology, disease, treatment, and epidemiological risk affecting companion animals, livestock, wildlife, and humans. While my residency/PhD research is focused on Dirofilaria immitis, particularly the surveillance and molecular investigation of macrocyclic lactone resistance, my efforts will be directed towards: 1) evaluating resistance-associated genetic markers in heartworm populations in Oklahoma and nearby states by using molecular tools, 2) detection and characterization of novel markers that could help in the detection of ML resistance in heartworm, 3) prevalence of resistant heartworm in the intermediate host population in Oklahoma and nearby states, and 4) proteomics to detect the host immune mechanism associated with the phenotypically resistant heartworm infection. This work brings together several of my central interests: molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, drug resistance, and the clinical interpretation of laboratory findings.
What is your plan after your residency? What would you like to accomplish over the course of your career?
Following the residency, I intend to pursue board certification in veterinary parasitology through the American College of Microbiologists and establish a career as a veterinary clinical and diagnostic parasitologist. I envision my work combining diagnostic service, applied research, teaching, and outreach. Over the course of my career, I hope to help improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of parasitic diseases. I would like to contribute to the development and validation of diagnostic tools that are both scientifically rigorous and clinically meaningful, particularly for emerging infections and drug-resistant parasite populations. I also hope to conduct research that clarifies parasite transmission, host-parasite interactions, and the biological mechanisms of underlying treatment failure.