Centered on Innovative Pedagogical Tools and New Curricula Approaches
Facilitating the application of acquired basic veterinary science knowledge to clinical professional training and helping to fulfill the veterinarian’s role of an educator and policymaker.
Our Center views the contemporary roles of the veterinarian as critical to thriving and sustainable communities. To this end our research aims to enhance veterinary student clinical outcomes through robust teaching and learning innovations, as well as to produce scholarly veterinarians that can offer options for complex societal problems involving animals in ecosystems and economies.
Meet Our Center Director, Christa Gallagher, DVM, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM (Epi), PhD
Center Director, Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology
Dr. Christa A. Gallagher earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from RUSVM. She joined the university in 2011 and is a Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology.
Prior to her public health career in academia, Dr. Gallagher spent 24 years in both large and small animal private practice in upstate New York and North Carolina; 18 of those years as a veterinary practice owner in North Carolina. During her years in clinical practice she became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner (CCRP) and expanded her veterinary hospital to include a physical rehabilitation referral practice. She also became involved with the NC State Veterinary Response Corps and developed a strong passion for public health and disaster management, earning a certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She later earned a Master of Public Health from the University of Iowa and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (ACVPM). Dr. Gallagher completed a PhD in Population Health in 2024 and went on to gain Epidemiology Specialty board certification from ACVPM in 2025.
Currently Dr. Gallagher teaches veterinary public health and epidemiology, and disaster management in the DVM and Master of Science in One Health programs at RUSVM. She founded and leads the RUSVM Disaster Research Working Group, which focuses on veterinary contributions to increase understanding, knowledge, and capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters regionally and globally. Administratively, she serves as Head of Division for the Microbiology, Parasitology and Epidemiology Division within the Biomedical Sciences Department.
Dr. Gallagher’s scientific interest in research includes the ecology and epidemiology of infectious disease involving wildlife and livestock, the incorporation of health promotion and harm reduction in population health, and veterinary/One Health disaster management and medicine.
Center for Veterinary Education and Societal Resilience Focus Areas
We’re focused on veterinary research programs that develop and evaluate innovative and interactive DVM teaching technologies and strategies, including communication, simulation and mobile gaming, faculty development, and student and learning outcomes.
Research in these areas include:
- Veterinary student-centered teaching and learning approaches
- Simulations and emerging technologies
- Human-animal interactions and wellness
- Disaster research
Animals, domestic and wild, are interwoven into every society. As such, veterinarians play key roles to protect and promote ecosystems and their biodiversity. Our research focus is to develop veterinary leaders who advocate for healthy animals and ecosystems, thus positively contributing to the mental and physical health of people.
Research in these areas include:
- Human-animal interactions and shared population health
- Human-animal bond
- Animal welfare
- Environmental stewardship and sustainable veterinary practices
Hazards and disasters are continual risks in modern societies. Our center meets these threats through the work of the RUSVM Disaster Research Working Group—multi-disciplinary veterinary professionals who research disaster preparedness and response using a One Health approach.
