The Baker Institute for Animal Health

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The Baker Institute for Animal Health

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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.

10/13/2026

Researchers at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and the Baker Institute for Animal Health have documented the first-ever molecular characterization of Marfan syndrome in domestic cats — published in the September 19 issue of Scientific Reports. 🔬

Meet Gary and Shaggy 🐾 feline siblings whose unusually long limbs as kittens, combined with later eye abnormalities and an enlarged aorta, led veterinarians to suspect Marfan syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder best known in humans (affecting ~1 in 4,000 people). This marks the first documented case in cats!

Through genetic sequencing, the team discovered that both brothers carried two altered copies of the FBN1 gene — which codes for fibrillin-1, a key building block of connective tissue found in blood vessels, bones, skin, and eyes. 🐈

This discovery brought together veterinary specialists and geneticists from Cornell, Ghent University (Belgium), the University of Pennsylvania, and The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center in NYC. 🌎

Read more: https://www.vet.cornell.edu/about-us/news/20260922/first-known-cases-feline-marfan-syndrome-discovered-cat-siblings

09/23/2026

The Havemeyer conference took place last month in Lexington, Kentucky.

The entire de Mestre Lab from the Baker Institute attended the conference, with every member presenting their research, an accomplishment that reflects the impact, and scientific excellence of the lab as a whole. 🏆

Dr. Douglas F. Antczak the Dorothy Havemeyer McConville Professor Emeritus of Equine Medicine received an award for his contributions to the equine genomics community. Donald Miller, lab manager for the de Mestre Lab and previously the Antczak Lab, announced his retirement and was recognized for more than 25 years of dedicated service to equine research.

Dr. Mandi de Mestre also gave a Keynote Lecture on Chromosomal chaos: Understanding aneuploidy associated with assisted reproductive technologies.

09/21/2026

As leaders and experts from around the world gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week, Baker Institute’s Dr. Laura Goodman will take part in an important global conversation on pandemic preparedness and laboratory readiness. 🔬🥼🥽

Dr. Goodman will serve as a panelist for “Crisis in Preparedness: Laboratories & Frontline Readiness in the Time of Ebola,” alongside leaders from Africa CDC, the Mérieux Foundation, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, Weill Cornell Medicine and the Centres GHESKIO. 🌎

The event will also feature senior leaders from the World Health Organization (WHO), Pan American Health Organization, World Organisation for Animal Health, CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations), Pandemic Fund and other global health organizations, including keynote speakers Dr. Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr., Director of PAHO, and Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

We’re proud to see Laura representing Cornell veterinary science and the OneHealth perspective on such an important international stage.

Watch live on UN Web TV: https://ungaguide.com/events/crisis-in-preparedness-laboratories-frontline-readiness-in-the-time-of-ebola/

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

Address

235 Hungerford Hill Road
Ithaca, NY
14853

Telephone

+16072565600

Website

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

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