Biao He, a renowned veterinary virologist and vaccine developer, has been appointed to the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine.
He, a Georgia Research Alliance Distinguished Investigator and professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s infectious diseases department, is known for his research on host-viral pathogen interactions and anti-viral vaccine development. His laboratory focuses on defining viral pathogenesis at the molecular level and asking how viral proteins overcome host defense.
He also collaborates with a large number of infectious disease researchers at UGA to examine the efficacy of using a nonpathogenic parainfluenza virus as a vaccine against a variety of viral and other disease agents including HIV, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and as a novel anti-cancer therapy.
“Dr. He actively collaborates with many other investigators in the college and university, which is the fundamental objective for this endowed chair position,” said Sheila W. Allen, dean of the college. “Dr. He works with faculty in the basic and clinical sciences to help them better understand the nature of disease processes so that novel therapies can be developed.”
He earned a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in 1996. He served as an assistant and then associate professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences at Pennsylvania State University before coming to UGA in 2009.
“Dr. He is the perfect choice for the Davison Chair. His collaborative nature and research programs are the essence of what this position was designed for,” said Fred Quinn, head of the college’s infectious diseases department. “Dr. He is an extraordinary scientist and entrepreneur. His work, particularly in the area of vaccine development against emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases, will enhance our research reputation and provide a translational platform for the control of numerous problematic human and animal disease agents.”
