Gary R. Whittaker, PhD
Gary Whittaker is a Professor of Virology in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the College of Veterinary Medicine. He is Section Chief of the Infectious Disease Epidemiology MPH Program and a member of the Feline Health Center. The Whittaker Lab studies the structure and function of viral envelope proteins. The lab focuses on how genomic mutations lead to changes in the envelope proteins and control viral pathogenesis in influenza viruses and coronaviruses including SARS-CoV, SARS-CoV2, MERS-CoV and feline coronaviruses. Research also extends into therapeutics, vaccines, and diagnostic test development. Funding is provided by research grants from the Cornell Feline Health Center, EveryCat Health Foundation, Morris Animal Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Dr Whittaker’s CVM site is here
Ximena Andrea Olarte-Castillo, Dr. rer. nat
Ximena Olarte-Castillo is a microbiologist and virologist specializing in genomics. She has her doctorate degree from Humbolt University in Berlin. Her research focuses on the genetic changes associated with the development of FIP in cats and discovery and characterization on novel viruses in animal species.
Laura Frazier
Laura is a
4th year PhD candidate in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, focusing on feline coronavirus type 1 (FCoV-1). Her research examines how mutations at the S1/S2 site affect disease progression and transmissibility. She is also exploring potential antiviral treatments for FCoV.
Beth Licitra, DVM, PhD
Beth Licitra is a staff veterinarian in the Cornell University Hospital for Animals (CUHA). She earned her PhD degree in the Whittaker lab in 2015 researching feline and canine coronaviruses. Her clinical focus is in small animal urgent care and her research interests are in infectious disease. Her current work for the lab is focused on new antemortem tests for FIP.
Carolina Menchaca
Carolina Menchaca is a 4th year PhD Candidate in the Microbiology department. She has worked on FCoV-1 in various projects but has transitioned to currently working on feline coronavirus type 2 (FCoV-2). Her focus is on the zero domain of the spike protein and how mutations in this domain may be an indicator of potential FCoV-2 outbreaks.
Wendy Wingate
Wendy Wingate is the Whittaker Lab Manager. She also manages communication for the FCoV Study.
Graduated Members:
Alyssa Morse, MPH
Master’s of public health with a focus on the epidemiology of infectious diseases. She has a Bachelors of Science (B.S) in Interdisciplinary Studies from Michicgan State University.
Annette Choi, PhD
Annette recieved her PhD in the field of Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology at Cornell University. She was awarded the Liz Hanson Studentship in Feline Medicine from the College of Veterinary Medicine, to investigate FIP antivirals, and worked on the structure and function of FCoV-23 spike protein.
Logan Watkins, MPH
Logan received her masters of public health program, with a focus on the epidemiology of infectious disease at Cornell University. She has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Biology and Sociology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Logan’s research focused on the conjunctiva as a potential feline coronavirus transmission route.
Ambika Pachaury, PHD
Ambika received her PhD in the biomedical engineering department and is from the Daniel Lab. She collaborated with the Whittaker lab to understand the role of the highly conserved amino acids of the SARS CoV-2 fusion peptide and its interaction with the host cell membrane.
Bailey Lubinski, PHD
Bailey received her PhD in the Biomedical and Biological Sciences Program, and she mainly focused on the proteolytic cleavage of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. In her research, she examined the impact of mutations near the S1/S2 site on cleavage level, fusogenicity, and cell entry. She is currently doing a post-doc in the lab of Dr. Rafael Kroon-Campos at Cornell University.