Veterinary medicine can start with a love of biology, but it doesn’t have to end in the exam room. In a recent interview with Dr. Gustavo Hernandez-Vidal, he reflected on how his path from the Universidad Autόnoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) Mexico to Cambridge and Harvard University reshaped his views of the veterinary impact on the prevention, risk management, and leadership across the animal-human-environment interface.

The gap between laboratory research and real-world application is a common concern among researchers and the communities they aim to serve. While scientific breakthroughs often start in carefully controlled laboratory settings, the real challenge is whether they can withstand the unpredictability of the real world. For intestinal infections, the gap between the lab and everyday reality can mean the difference between early treatment and ongoing outbreaks. Dr. Castellanos is working to close this divide by working backwards, beginning with an assessment of the resources accessible to the community and then tailoring his resource strategy to meet the community's needs where they are.

“If you look at the healthcare system, everything starts with one diagnostic…”. This is the mantra Assistant Professor Hui Chen, of the Department of Chemistry at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX uses to explain the importance of his research efforts. I recently interviewed UTMB One Health collaborator, Dr. Chen and his laboratory team members and was impressed with the breadth and diversity of their innovative diagnostic inventions.