Companion Animal Studies

The People Serving You

Michael Lappin

Faculty

Contact Information

Office: 970-297-0313

Biography

Dr. Lappin is a Professor of Infectious Disease in the Department of Clinical Sciences. His laboratory studies immune responses to vaccination against respiratory viruses in cats, as well as immune responses to feline vaccines. He also oversees a large diagnostic service for feline infectious agents, including Toxoplasma gondii, Bartonella, Ehrlichia and others. Current areas of investigation include mechanisms of transmission of Hemoplasma spp, therapies for rickettsial diseases, and companion animals as carriers of drug-resistant staphylococci. Lappin is also Director of Shelter Medicine and investigates disease outbreaks and management in shelter settings.

Catriona MacPhail

Faculty

Contact Information

Office: 970-297-1251

Email: catriona.macphail@colostate.edu

Biography

Dr. MacPhail is an Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery and the Small Animal Chief Medical Officer at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Dr. MacPhail received her undergraduate degree from Rice University and went on to receive her veterinary degree from Texas A&M University in 1996. Dr. MacPhail completed a rotating internship, surgery residency, soft tissue/surgical oncology fellowship, and PhD, all at Colorado State University (CSU). Dr. MacPhail is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings, has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters, and is a contributing author for the 4th and 5th editions of Fossum’s textbook, Small Animal Surgery. Dr. MacPhail is also the surgical laboratories coordinator for the third-year CSU veterinary students.

Valeria Scorza

Faculty

Contact Information

Office: 970-297-4132

Office: 970-297-5388

Email: andrea.scorza@colostate.edu

Stacie Summers

Postdoctoral Fellow

Contact Information

Office: 970-297-4430

Email: stacie.summers@colostate.edu

Biography

Dr. Summers is a board-certified specialist in small animal internal medicine and currently a PhD candidate. She received her undergraduate degree in zoology from Idaho State University and graduated with a DVM from Washington State University in 2013. Dr. Summers completed a rotating internship at Wheat Ridge Veterinary Specialists in Colorado in 2014 and continued her education in a research fellowship at Colorado State University with the Center of Companion Animal Studies with a focus on feline upper respiratory disease prevention. After her fellowship, she stayed at CSU and completed a 3-year residency in small animal internal medicine. Dr. Summers currently is focusing her research on feline chronic kidney disease. Current areas of investigation include characterization and manipulation of the fecal microbiome and gut-derived uremic toxins as well as evaluation of a potential link between CKD, infectious agents, in particular Bartonella henselae, and over-vaccination.