The University of Minnesota (UMN) College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is proud to present the 2026 Distinguished Research Alum Award to Srinand Sreevatsan, an internationally recognized expert in infectious diseases whose work in molecular epidemiology has provided critical insights into pathogens that affect both animals and humans.

Currently the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri, Sreevatsan’s career is a testament to the power of One Health—the idea that the health of animals (including people) and the environment are connected. He earned both his MPH (1991) and his PhD (1995) from the University of Minnesota, specializing in epidemiology and veterinary medicine.

After completing postdoctoral training at the Baylor College of Medicine and holding a faculty position at The Ohio State University, Sreevatsan returned to the UMN CVM in 2005. During his tenure as a professor and director of graduate studies, he was a driving force behind the college’s research programs in comparative medicine, emerging and zoonotic disease, and population and ecosystem health.

Sreevatsan has spent his career investigating the invisible threads that connect animal and human health. He is globally recognized for his work on tuberculosis (TB) and related bacteria, using high-tech genetic tools to map out how these dangerous germs evolve and move through the world. Rather than keeping his findings in the lab, he has translated this complex data into practical tools that help public health officials track disease outbreaks more accurately. By pinpointing exactly how illnesses like the flu or bovine TB jump between species, his research has paved the way for more effective vaccines and faster diagnostic tests, ultimately making the world safer for both livestock and the communities that depend on them.

“Dr. Sreevatsan is one of our own,” says Maxim Cheeran, the CVM professor who nominated Sreevatsan for the award. “His innovative use of molecular tools has revealed key mechanisms of pathogen evolution—insights that have reshaped diagnostic development and international public health policy.”

Beyond the lab, Sreevatsan has become a titan of academic leadership. Before his current deanship at Missouri, he served as the associate dean for research and graduate studies at Michigan State University. Throughout these roles, he has remained a dedicated mentor to junior faculty and graduate students, championing the idea that scientific achievement is a team effort.

With 195 peer-reviewed publications, four patents (including two related to novel tools for TB diagnosis and treatment), and a history of sustained federal funding from the NIH and USDA, his influence is felt across academic, governmental, and international spheres.

Sreevatsan will be formally recognized at the 2026 Research, Innovation, Discovery, and Education (RIDE) Summit on June 17, where he will also deliver the keynote RIDE Seminar.