Dr. Duncan Russell is an associate professor of anatomic pathology at the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the Oregon State University Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine.
What is your role within the Oregon Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory?
I am an anatomic pathologist, diagnostician, educator for vet students and anatomic pathology residents and I do collaborative research with basic researchers and clinicians. My research includes animal models of human disease, musculoskeletal disease and novel disease syndrome. We use material that comes through service to publish, especially if it’s a disease that is poorly recognized or poorly described. I am actively involved in detecting and describing different manifestations of HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza). For example, we are seeing this in marine mammals, foxes, other wildlife, cats and dairy cattle. I am also involved in surveillance for diseases of public health importance, such as rabies, plague, anthrax and tularemia.
What drew you to this field?
I wanted to learn more about how disease happens and how it manifests in different species. I wanted to get answers to problems facing our different veterinary species. I saw pathology as a way towards getting some of those answers. Pathology excites me because pathologists work at the intersection of a lot of different disciplines that include clinical medicine and surgery, clinical research, basic biomedical research and state and federal animal health initiatives. In short, I get the opportunity to work with a lot of extraordinary and talented experts in a lot of different fields.
What is your favorite part about your job, and why?
I enjoy the variety of the material in terms of all kinds of different species ranging from fish to elephants, different disease processes (infectious diseases, nutritional diseases, cancer, experimental disease). I get to work with a remarkable range of people including animal owners, producers, specialist veterinarians, researchers and amazing lab support staff!
What’s one thing you wish people knew about your job?
Pathologists have a really important job to play in terms of protecting the food chain, ensuring animal and human health and advancing our understanding of veterinary medicine. Pathologists can also make rich contributions towards our understanding of One Health in which animal health, human health and the environment are all related.
What's the most interesting case you've worked on and why?
I have helped the Oregon Zoo with lots of interesting cases. I enjoy difficult cases where we don’t know what’s going on and often require input from a lot of different disciples (clinician, owner, farmer).
Do you have any hidden talents or unique hobbies? Share them with us!
I sang opera semi-professionally for 10 years. I am an avid cyclist, outdoor enthusiast and yoga practitioner. I love to go to Europe and cycle, especially in the Alps and Pyrenees mountain ranges. I'm a pianist of 35 years, and I also dabble in home construction.
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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