The Baker Institute for Animal Health

Home
United States
Ithaca, NY
The Baker Institute for Animal Health

The Baker Institute for Animal Health has had a special relationship with animal lovers ever since its founding in 1950.

Dedicated to the study of veterinary infectious diseases, immunology, cancer, reproduction, genomics, and epigenomics to improve the lives of both animals & humans. Our faculty, staff, and trainees strive to build on the success of the past to become a leading center for basic research in animal health. We seeks to foster excellence and address real-world problems by focusing attention on a strategic selection of cutting-edge fields of research. We also seeks to be a leader in training scientists and veterinarian scientists in state-of-the-art methods in animal health research. By applying innovative and collaborative approaches in research and training, the Baker Institute strives every day to improve the lives of animals and humans alike. The advances and discoveries made at the Institute would not have been possible without help from supporters like you. Visit our website to read more about the research and the researchers that your donations go to support, helping our scientists achieve landmark discoveries that make a real difference in the lives of animals.

09/16/2026

🔬 Meet Dr. Yana Safonova, new faculty at the Baker Institute for Animal Health!

Her lab uses computational genomics to study antibodies & T-cell receptors across species — asking big questions like: why are black-footed ferrets so vulnerable to plague? Why do some animals respond better to vaccines than others?

Fun fact: her interest in HIV research traces back to being a Freddie Mercury fan. 🎸 That curiosity eventually led her back to CCR5 — a receptor that resurfaced years later in her ferret research studying antibodies that mimic it.
From comparative immunogenomics to conservation genetics, Dr. Safonova is bridging computational biology with real-world animal & human health challenges.

Welcome to Cornell! 🐾

Learn more: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/about-us/news/20260911/new-faculty-profile-dr-yana-safonova

09/14/2026

Welcoming Dr. Yun Deng to the Baker Institute for Animal Health! 🎉

We're excited to announce that Dr. Yun Deng will be joining the Baker Institute faculty in April 2027 as Assistant Professor in Veterinary Discovery, with a departmental home in Biomedical and Translational Sciences!

🎓 Academic Journey:
Yun earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, double-majoring in Biological Sciences and Mathematics. He then completed his PhD in Computational Biology at UC Berkeley, mentored by Professors Rasmus Nielsen and Yun Song, with a focus on computational population genomics.

🔬 Postdoctoral Research:
Yun continued his training as a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Jonathan Pritchard's lab at Stanford University, where he expanded his work—moving from developing innovative computational methods to applying them to broader biological questions.

🐾 What This Means for Veterinary Discovery:
By bringing his expertise in computational population genomics to the Baker Institute for Animal Health, Yun will add powerful new tools for understanding how genetic variation shapes health, disease susceptibility, and adaptation across animal populations.

Welcome to the team, Dr. Deng! 🐶🐱🔬

09/10/2026

What a beautiful day for hands-on learning! ☀️

Dr. Laura Goodman, Assistant Professor at Cornell University Baker Institute for Animal Health and Department of Public and Ecosystem Health and her Cornell Public Health Food Safety students traded the classroom for the field, conducting a mock outbreak investigation centered on E. coli in leafy greens—based on the real 2018 outbreak traced to contaminated canal water on an Arizona farm.

Students got to interview farm manager Rick Randolph, sharpening their investigative and critical-thinking skills in a real-world setting. 🕵️‍♀️🥬

And of course, we had an unexpected guest join the interview a curious little frog hopped by to supervise! 🐸

Nothing beats learning by doing. Great work students! 👏

09/03/2026

We're excited to announce that Yingshan Fang, a graduate student in Dr. Jacquelyn Evans' lab, has been named the recipient of the 2027 Liz Hanson Graduate Fellowship! 🏆

This prestigious grant, awarded by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine supports graduate students dedicated to advancing research in feline disease and injury. 🐈🐈‍⬛

Learn more about research at the Baker Institute: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/baker-institute-animal-health/research-baker-institute

08/28/2026

🐾 As ticks spread and new disease threats emerge, hear directly from the experts about how to identify, prevent, and manage tick-borne diseases.

Join us for the inaugural Fireside Chat from the Baker Institute for Animal Health and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine on September 1st. Host, Dr. Mandi de Mestre will lead an engaging discussion with researchers Dr. Laura Goodman and Dr. Patrick Carney, exploring the latest the latest science in diagnosis, prevention, and care.

Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for a live Q&A segment with panelists.

Register today: https://ecornell.cornell.edu/keynotes/overview/K090126/

08/18/2026

Meet a second-year Ph.D., Alexis Smrekar, candidate in the Molecular and Cellular Medicine concentration, working in the de Mestre Lab.

Smrekar's current work aims to understand how endometrial natural killer cells develop in the equine uterus to support maternal and fetal health during early pregnancy.

She chose Cornell's BBS program for its comparative approach to immunology. After studying Francisella tularensis and host-pathogen interactions, she became fascinated by how organisms adapt to stress, leading her toward comparative physiology. She wanted a program where she could explore how diverse species use unique strategies to address immunological challenges and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Baker Institute for Animal Health made that possible.

Learn more: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/about-us/news/20260807/bbs-student-qa-alexis-smrekar

08/14/2026

At last week's 2026 Veterinary Scholars Symposium Isha Chauhan, a D.V.M./Ph.D. student at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, was awarded the 2026 Boehringer Ingelheim Research Award for Veterinary Students for her research on early equine pregnancy loss. ✨

Working in Dr. Mandi de Mestre's lab at The Baker Institute for Animal Health, Isha used a genome-wide association study on 400+ samples to identify genetic mutations linked to pregnancy failure in horses, work that could shape future screening tools for equine reproduction and offer insights into human pregnancy loss as well.

Congratulations, Isha!

Learn more: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/about-us/news/20260812/isha-chauhan-dvmphd-student-receives-2026-boehringer-ingelheim-research-award

08/13/2026

August is National Immunization Awareness Month! 💉

At the Baker Institute for Animal Health, researchers have been at the forefront of understanding and combating canine parvovirus (CPV), a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus affecting dogs worldwide. The Baker Institute played a key role in the original discovery and characterization of parvovirus, work that helped lead to the development of vaccines that protect millions of dogs today. 🐾

🔬 Learn more about the Baker Institute’s groundbreaking work on canine parvovirus: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/baker-institute-animal-health/research-baker-institute/canine-parvovirus

08/07/2026

We're hiring! ✨

The Baker Institute for Animal Health is seeking a distinguished scientist for the prestigious Judy Wilpon Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology at the Associate or Full Professor level.

This role offers the opportunity to advance cancer biology research with access to cutting-edge facilities and collaborative networks spanning veterinary medicine, biomedical engineering, and computational biology.

Interested in driving transformative advances in human and animal health?

Apply today: https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/32133

07/28/2026

🐴 Baker Institute's very own Dr. Sarah Caddy was invited to present at the 7th International Rhodococcus equi Workshop in Hokkaido, Japan! 🇯🇵

R. equi is a soil-dwelling bacterium that causes severe, life-threatening pneumonia in young foals, often requiring intensive antibiotic treatment. Sarah's lab is tackling this problem from a different angle: understanding how maternal antibodies protect foals from infection.

The impact doesn't stop with horses. R. equi is also a zoonotic pathogen, capable of causing serious illness in immunocompromised people. Insights from this research could ultimately help protect vulnerable human populations too. 🌏

🔗 Learn more about the workshop: https://7th-rhodococcus-equi.com/

Address

235 Hungerford Hill Road
Ithaca, NY
14853

Telephone

+16072565600

Website

https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/baker-institute

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Baker Institute for Animal Health posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to The Baker Institute for Animal Health:

Want your school to be the top-listed School/college in Ithaca?