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Laura Goodman, PhD

Faculty member

Department of Public & Ecosystem Health

Assistant Professor
Infectious Disease Epidemiology Concentration Chief, Cornell Public Health
Baker Institute for Animal Health

Goodman Pathogen Genomics Lab

Cornell Public Health


Department of Public & Ecosystem Health
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Ithaca, NY 14853

Email: laura.goodman@cornell.edu

Research Interest

Dr. Goodman’s research is on pathogen genomics, with focus areas on antimicrobial resistance, tick-borne disease, and virus discovery. Working at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health, the lab’s mission is to inform public policy around infectious disease management. To achieve this goal, they study how pathogens from multiple hosts adapt to their environments in order to identify predictors of zoonotic potential. Dr. Goodman is also actively engaged in surveillance and training efforts to increase accessibility to pathogen genomics and make data open and accessible to all stakeholders.

Education

Ph.D. - Comparative Biomedical Sciences: Infectious Disease-Virology; minors in epidemiology and microbiology, Cornell University, 2007

B.S. - Microbiology and Global Change, University of Michigan- Ann Arbor, 2002

Biography

My training spanned basic science questions surrounding infectious disease emergence, and resulted in a number of innovations that made me realize there were areas where improvement in diagnostics could fill important gaps in our fundamental understanding of how to assess emergence risk. After my postdoctoral training, I worked in diagnostics for 8 years, with a focus on designing and validating new approaches to molecular pathogen profiling. I was able to work with multiple federal agencies to fill critical gaps in genomic pathogen surveillance. My new research laboratory specializes in pathogen genomics with focus areas on antimicrobial resistance, tickborne disease, and viral discovery. I strive to have a diverse and welcoming lab environment and take advantage of opportunities to learn how to advocate for members of marginalized communities.

Publications

Dr. Goodman’s full list of publications is available here.

Awards and Honors

  • 2021 - FDA Honor Award, One Health COVID-19 Incident Response, US Food & Drug Administration

  • 2019 - FDA Honor Award, Vet-LIRN AMR and WGS Pilot Project Collaboration Group, US Food & Drug Administration

  • 2017 - Innovation Award, American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians

  • 2009 - Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (F32), NIH NIAID

Professional/Academic Affiliations

  • American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

  • American Society for Virology (ASV)

  • US Animal Health Association (USAHA)

  • International Society for Human and Animal Mycology (ISHAM)