Graduate Student Directory

Veterinary graduate and masters holder in the field of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology

Vinicius was awarded a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil in 2016. Vinicius’ expertise encompasses broad aspects of avian pathology and microbiology, including diagnostics, disease pathogenesis, and treatment. Current research interests focus upon evaluating the efficacy of live recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccines against priority poultry pathogens. Specifically, Vinicius’ aims to control Campylobacter jejuni, avian pathogenic E. coli, Clostridium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.

I completed my DVM degree in 2018 at the University of La Plata College of Veterinary Medicine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After graduation, I worked for one year as a beef and dairy cattle veterinary practitioner, mostly doing reproductive and nutrition related activities. Then, in June 2019, I had the privilege of being accepted as a Research Scholar in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Florida under the supervision of Dr. Klibs Galvão. After completing a year as a Research Scholar, I was accepted into the Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology Master of Science graduate program, also under the supervision of Dr. Galvão. I graduated from the master’s program in July 2021. Right upon graduation I was granted the admission to the PhD program in Veterinary Medical Sciences through the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine for Fall term 2021 under the guidance of Dr. Klibs Galvão. Since my arrival at the University of Florida as a Research Scholar, and currently during the PhD program I am working closely with Dr. Galvão aiming to develop a statistical model capable of predicting metritis in dairy cows

Bachelors of Science-University of Florida During my undergraduate career, I worked at the UF Large Animal Hospital as a treatment technician and research assistant for the UF Equine Performance Laboratory. Masters of Public Health-University of Florida I moved on to complete a masters degree where I focused on One Health, to thoroughly discover the interconnections between animals, people, and the environment. I participated in toxicology research at the UF Honey Bee Laboratory.

Now I am continuing my education as a PhD student at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine where I will be focusing on pathophysiology caused by ischemia and endotoxemia during equine colic.

Francesca was born and raised in Marin County, CA. She attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for her undergraduate degree, where she received her B.Sc in Animal Science with a minor in Biology in 2016. After obtaining her degree, Francesca left San Luis Obispo to continue her veterinary education at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She graduated from UC Davis in May 2020 with her DVM. Francesca completed a small animal rotating internship at Iowa State University in June 2021. She is now a Master’s Student in the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida, and will be starting as a small animal surgical resident at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine in July 2022. Her particular interests include surgical oncology, minimally invasive surgery, interventional radiology, and academia.