Timothy Wu, MS, DVM
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Timothy Wu, MS, DVM, a graduate student at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, is the IDEXX Resident in Veterinary Parasitology. Dr. Wu earned his veterinary degree from Cornell University in 2017, and completed an anatomic pathology residency at Cornell University in 2020. He is currently completing his PhD and parasitology residency training under the direction of Dr. Dwight Bowman, PhD, and Dr. Manigandan Lejeune Virapin, PhD, DipACVM.
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Five Questions with NCVP IDEXX Resident Dr. Timothy Wu
Tell us a little about your background. Where are you from, what are some of the defining experiences in your life?
I was born and raised in Plano, Texas, a little city north of Dallas, where I grew up with my older sister and our westie named Buddy. I was interested in science from a young age, often collecting insects during recess and placing them in little gardens I made for them out in the field. I moved to New York City for my undergraduate and Master’s degrees, where I attended NYU as a biology major. On finishing my Master’s degree, I moved on to Cornell University, where I earned my DVM and completed a residency in anatomic pathology.
Tell us how you initially became interested in veterinary medicine.
My first experience with anatomy is what sparked my interest in veterinary medicine. I remember we performed a series of dissections in my senior year of high school, culminating in a fetal pig dissection. All the other students found it a little disturbing, but I was fascinated by everything I saw, and at that moment, knew I wanted to be able to study more about animals. In college, I gained a greater knowledge of anatomy and physiology, as well as the molecular pathways driving biology, and grew even more interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.
Tell us how you became interested in parasitology and how you knew it would be your field.
It was Dr. Bowman’s course in parasitology at Cornell that initially got me interested in the subject. I remember he spoke so passionately about each parasite, and was full of interesting stories and factoids. For me, it was something I gravitated to instantly, and I knew I wanted to have something to do with parasitology from that moment on. Throughout my studies in veterinary school, and continuing into my residency in anatomic pathology, I continued to interact with the parasitology department, whether it be through consulting on interesting cases, delivering presentations on interesting necropsy cases, or discussing common parasites with students on the necropsy rotation.
Tell us about the focus you have chosen for your residency. Where will your research efforts be focused?
Having recently completed a pathology residency, my goal is to combine everything I have learned in pathology with everything I will learn in parasitology. I would like to be able to link parasites noted grossly on necropsy and in histologic sections with the host’s response, and to incorporate my understanding of general pathology and mechanisms of cellular injury with the pathogenesis behind parasitic infections. My research will focus on the host response to toxocariasis, specifically focusing on the alterations in the canine immune system due to exosome elaboration by Toxocara canis.
What is your plan after your residency? What would you like to accomplish over the course of your career?
Following my residency, I will sit for the ACVM board certification, and will work to integrate the fields of pathology and parasitology, likely working in an academic setting. I hope that over the course of my career, I will be able to hone my skills in parasite identification in histologic sections, and to serve as an aid to any parasitologist or pathologist that may need support in this respect. Over time, I hope to publish a guide in this subject, and thereby help to propel both fields forward. I also hope to inspire the next generation of pathologists and parasitologists through teaching and mentoring opportunities.
I was born and raised in Plano, Texas, a little city north of Dallas, where I grew up with my older sister and our westie named Buddy. I was interested in science from a young age, often collecting insects during recess and placing them in little gardens I made for them out in the field. I moved to New York City for my undergraduate and Master’s degrees, where I attended NYU as a biology major. On finishing my Master’s degree, I moved on to Cornell University, where I earned my DVM and completed a residency in anatomic pathology.
Tell us how you initially became interested in veterinary medicine.
My first experience with anatomy is what sparked my interest in veterinary medicine. I remember we performed a series of dissections in my senior year of high school, culminating in a fetal pig dissection. All the other students found it a little disturbing, but I was fascinated by everything I saw, and at that moment, knew I wanted to be able to study more about animals. In college, I gained a greater knowledge of anatomy and physiology, as well as the molecular pathways driving biology, and grew even more interested in pursuing a career in veterinary medicine.
Tell us how you became interested in parasitology and how you knew it would be your field.
It was Dr. Bowman’s course in parasitology at Cornell that initially got me interested in the subject. I remember he spoke so passionately about each parasite, and was full of interesting stories and factoids. For me, it was something I gravitated to instantly, and I knew I wanted to have something to do with parasitology from that moment on. Throughout my studies in veterinary school, and continuing into my residency in anatomic pathology, I continued to interact with the parasitology department, whether it be through consulting on interesting cases, delivering presentations on interesting necropsy cases, or discussing common parasites with students on the necropsy rotation.
Tell us about the focus you have chosen for your residency. Where will your research efforts be focused?
Having recently completed a pathology residency, my goal is to combine everything I have learned in pathology with everything I will learn in parasitology. I would like to be able to link parasites noted grossly on necropsy and in histologic sections with the host’s response, and to incorporate my understanding of general pathology and mechanisms of cellular injury with the pathogenesis behind parasitic infections. My research will focus on the host response to toxocariasis, specifically focusing on the alterations in the canine immune system due to exosome elaboration by Toxocara canis.
What is your plan after your residency? What would you like to accomplish over the course of your career?
Following my residency, I will sit for the ACVM board certification, and will work to integrate the fields of pathology and parasitology, likely working in an academic setting. I hope that over the course of my career, I will be able to hone my skills in parasite identification in histologic sections, and to serve as an aid to any parasitologist or pathologist that may need support in this respect. Over time, I hope to publish a guide in this subject, and thereby help to propel both fields forward. I also hope to inspire the next generation of pathologists and parasitologists through teaching and mentoring opportunities.
Recent Publications by Dr. Wu
Wu TK, Bowman DD. (2020). Visceral larval migrans of Toxocara canis and Toxocara cati in non-canid and non-felid hosts In Bowman DD (Ed.) Advances in Parasitology: Toxocara and Toxocariasis(pp. 63-88). London, United Kingdom: Elsevier.
Wu TK, Kirejczyk SGM, & Howerth EW. (2020). Pathology in practice: Gastric lymphoma in a cat. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 256(3), 319-321.
Wu TK, Miller AD, Jager M, Southard T. (2020). Glioneuronal hamartomas in the central nervous system of two goats, Journal of Comparative Pathology. 128, 10-15).