Lab News
Khale Lucero selected for Top 10 presentation at AAVMC Veterinary Scholars Symposium (VRSP)
August 6, 2026
Congratulations to Khale Lucero, a Veterinary Research Scholar, who was selected for a Top 10 lightning presentation at the 2026 AAVMC Veterinary Scholars Symposium at NC State University. Khale presented his summer research on early-life microbiome development and its relationship with diarrhea and respiratory health in beef-on-dairy and Holstein calves.
Monet Hunt presents summer research at AAVMC Veterinary Scholars Symposium (VRSP)
August 6, 2026
Congratulations to Monet Hunt, a Veterinary Research Scholar, who presented her summer research at the 2026 AAVMC Veterinary Scholars Symposium at NC State University. Monet’s research focused on swine health, PEDV, and environmental microbiomes, with an emphasis on pathogen persistence and environmental surveillance in swine production systems.
Dr. Gaire invited to speak at the 11th Annual COCR Meeting
May 2026
Dr. Gaire was invited to speak at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Center of Excellence in Obesity and Cardiometabolic Research (COCR) at the TTUHSC Academic Event Center. The meeting theme, “Advancing Chronic Disease Prevention: From Translational Solutions to Community Impact,” highlights innovative research spanning basic science, clinical applications, and population health.
Gaire Lab awarded multi-year USDA NIFA grant
May 2026
Dr. Gaire was awarded a multi-year, multi-institutional USDA NIFA grant to study Streptococcus suis disease in swine, with a focus on respiratory microbiome ecology, pathogen genomics, and improved disease prevention.
Dr. Gaire presents research at CRWAD
January 2026
Dr. Gaire presented two research abstracts at the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD), highlighting ongoing work in infectious disease epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbiome science, and food safety.
Gaire Lab welcomes Ranjita Bastola
January 2026
The Gaire Lab is thrilled to welcome Ranjita Bastola, DVM, who joined the lab in Spring 2026 as our first graduate student. Ranjita’s research will focus on microbial ecology and pathogen genomics of bovine liver abscess disease, leveraging metagenomic sequencing and whole-genome sequencing approaches. Welcome to the team, Ranjita!
Dr. Gaire selected for NIH Grant Development Group
December 2025
Dr. Gaire was selected by TTU Research Development & Communications to participate in the Bouvier NIH Grant Development Group, a university-wide grant development initiative supporting competitive NIH proposal preparation.
Dr. Gaire’s poster accepted for the Allen D. Leman Swine Conference
September 2025
Dr. Gaire’s poster was accepted for presentation at the 2025 Allen D. Leman Swine Conference at the University of Minnesota.
The Gaire Lab opens at Texas Tech University
August 2025
The Gaire Lab officially opened its doors at the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo, Texas. The lab focuses on One Health, infectious disease epidemiology, antimicrobial resistance, microbiome science, pathogen genomics, and food safety.