Jessie Richards, DVM, PhD
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Dr. Jessie Richards grew up in Cross Plains, Tennessee, before enrolling in the University of Tennessee for her undergraduate degree in Animal Science with a concentration in Pre-veterinary medicine and a minor in Biology. She was accepted into the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s class of 2021. She received her Master’s in Comparative & Experimental Medicine from the University of Tennessee the summer following her first year of veterinary school, after which she entered UTCVM’s dual DVM/PhD program. She received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in May 2021, and during her PhD studies, she instructed UTCVM’s Pollinator Health Elective and a portion of the Immunology course for veterinary students. She also took a semester to teach Immunology at the undergraduate level in the Microbiology department on UT’s main campus. She successfully defended her dissertation, “Wild Cervid Immunoparasitology: Methods and Development of Serological Assays for the Detection of Parelaphostrongylus tenuis,” and received her PhD the Fall of 2024. She has since been working in UT’s Diagnostic Parasitology lab and assisting with the Parasitology course for veterinary students. Her research involves molecular method parasitology and developing serological assays using transcriptomic and genomic data to help identify novel antigens. She is interested in researching the interplay between parasites and the host’s immune system to find novel approaches to diagnostics, treatment, and prevention of parasitic diseases. Jessie looks forward to deepening her understanding of parasitic diseases as well as broadening her scope of knowledge within parasitology during her NCVP residency training.
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Five Questions with NCVP Zoetis Resident Dr. Jessie Richards
How did you initially become interested in veterinary medicine?
I've loved animals and science as far back as elementary and high school. The veterinary field was a very natural choice for me since it was at the interface of those two interests. I loved the idea of being able to help animals and strengthen that bond in a career someday.
How did you become interested in parasitology? When did you know it would be your field?
Of the diseases, parasites have always been the most interesting. But I first became interested in the research and pathology side of veterinary medicine during an immunology undergrad course. This led me to pursue undergraduate research in an immunology lab that was involved in multiple projects to develop serological assays. One of the projects was for a parasitic disease, while the other was for a bacterial pathogen. When given the choice between the two projects, I immediately jumped on the parasite project and have never looked back. Parasitic disease processes are very nuanced and present unique challenges for research. I always enjoy a challenging question and couldn't imagine finding much interest in anything too straightforward.
What focus have you chosen for your residency? Where will your research efforts be targeted?
I chose to focus on the interface between the immune system and parasites, specifically studying how to develop serological assays and vaccines against parasites of veterinary importance. Parasites have unique ways of suppressing and avoiding immune responses. In some cases, they even provide an advantage to the host species. The way we go about studying them from an immunological perspective is completely different than how we would approach the more traditional and well-studied bacterial or viral pathogen.
What is your plan after your residency? What would you like to accomplish over the course of your career?
I've always really enjoyed research, learning, and teaching, and so I plan to stay in academia where I think I'd find the most fulfillment and satisfaction in applying my talents. I'd love to be able to continue studying parasite immunology and use emerging technologies to discover novel ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent parasitic infections in animals.
I've loved animals and science as far back as elementary and high school. The veterinary field was a very natural choice for me since it was at the interface of those two interests. I loved the idea of being able to help animals and strengthen that bond in a career someday.
How did you become interested in parasitology? When did you know it would be your field?
Of the diseases, parasites have always been the most interesting. But I first became interested in the research and pathology side of veterinary medicine during an immunology undergrad course. This led me to pursue undergraduate research in an immunology lab that was involved in multiple projects to develop serological assays. One of the projects was for a parasitic disease, while the other was for a bacterial pathogen. When given the choice between the two projects, I immediately jumped on the parasite project and have never looked back. Parasitic disease processes are very nuanced and present unique challenges for research. I always enjoy a challenging question and couldn't imagine finding much interest in anything too straightforward.
What focus have you chosen for your residency? Where will your research efforts be targeted?
I chose to focus on the interface between the immune system and parasites, specifically studying how to develop serological assays and vaccines against parasites of veterinary importance. Parasites have unique ways of suppressing and avoiding immune responses. In some cases, they even provide an advantage to the host species. The way we go about studying them from an immunological perspective is completely different than how we would approach the more traditional and well-studied bacterial or viral pathogen.
What is your plan after your residency? What would you like to accomplish over the course of your career?
I've always really enjoyed research, learning, and teaching, and so I plan to stay in academia where I think I'd find the most fulfillment and satisfaction in applying my talents. I'd love to be able to continue studying parasite immunology and use emerging technologies to discover novel ways to treat, diagnose, and prevent parasitic infections in animals.