Top Researchers
Top Medicine Researchers at Iowa State University for 2026
Iowa State University’s recent medicine-related research spans animal health, public health, and molecular approaches to disease. Looking across the last year, the work highlighted here shows how researchers are connecting field studies, clinical questions, and data-driven analysis to better understand health outcomes.
Below, you’ll find a snapshot of scholars whose recent publications reflect that range, from infectious disease surveillance and livestock health to sleep, activity, and chronic illness research.
Featured Researchers
Daniel Linhares
Daniel Linhares focuses on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, influenza detection in porcine samples, and the economic impact of swine disease.
Activity over the last year: 19 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Economic impact of productivity losses attributable to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in United States pork production, 2016–2020 (Jul 2025)
- PRRSV-2 variant classification: a dynamic nomenclature for enhanced monitoring and surveillance (Jan 2025)
- Macroepidemiological trends of Influenza A virus detection through reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-rtPCR) in porcine samples in the United States over the last 20 years (Apr 2025)
Dipak Kumar Sahoo
Dipak Kumar Sahoo’s recent work spans oxidative stress in critically ill neonatal foals, gut dysbiosis in dogs, and calorie restriction mimetics in aging and inflammation.
Activity over the last year: 18 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
Jianqiang Zhang
Jianqiang Zhang is working on PRRSV classification, avian metapneumovirus outbreaks in poultry, and the geographic and temporal spread of viral lineages.
Activity over the last year: 15 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Refining genetic classification of global porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus type 1 (PRRSV-1) and investigating their geographic and temporal distributions (Jan 2025)
- PRRSV-2 variant classification: a dynamic nomenclature for enhanced monitoring and surveillance (Jan 2025)
- Isolation and characterization of avian metapneumovirus subtypes A and B associated with the 2024 disease outbreaks among poultry in the USA (Jul 2025)
Gregory J. Welk
Gregory J. Welk has recently examined adolescent physical activity, rural children’s participation in organized activities, and sleep prediction using actigraphy and heart rate data.
Activity over the last year: 13 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Adolescent physical activity during school days: a comparative study before and after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (Mar 2025)
- Sociodemographic influences on children’s out-of-school time organized activity participation and physical activity in rural communities: A cross-sectional study (May 2025)
- Predicting Sleep and Sleep Stage in Children Using Actigraphy and Heartrate via a Long Short‐Term Memory Deep Learning Algorithm: A Performance Evaluation (Jul 2025)
Giovani Trevisan
Giovani Trevisan’s recent publications center on PRRSV surveillance, influenza A detection in porcine samples, and sequencing-based tracking of viral evolution in swine systems.
Activity over the last year: 14 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- PRRSV-2 variant classification: a dynamic nomenclature for enhanced monitoring and surveillance (Jan 2025)
- Macroepidemiological trends of Influenza A virus detection through reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-rtPCR) in porcine samples in the United States over the last 20 years (Apr 2025)
- Harnessing sequencing data for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV): tracking genetic evolution dynamics and emerging sequences in US swine industry (Mar 2025)
Phillip C. Gauger
Phillip C. Gauger’s work includes PRRSV-1 classification, avian metapneumovirus outbreaks in poultry, and macroepidemiological trends in influenza A detection.
Activity over the last year: 15 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Refining genetic classification of global porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus type 1 (PRRSV-1) and investigating their geographic and temporal distributions (Jan 2025)
- Isolation and characterization of avian metapneumovirus subtypes A and B associated with the 2024 disease outbreaks among poultry in the USA (Jul 2025)
- Macroepidemiological trends of Influenza A virus detection through reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-rtPCR) in porcine samples in the United States over the last 20 years (Apr 2025)
Gustavo S. Silva
Gustavo S. Silva has published on the economic burden of PRRSV, influenza A detection in porcine samples, and sequencing approaches for tracking PRRSV evolution.
Activity over the last year: 13 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Economic impact of productivity losses attributable to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in United States pork production, 2016–2020 (Jul 2025)
- Macroepidemiological trends of Influenza A virus detection through reverse transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-rtPCR) in porcine samples in the United States over the last 20 years (Apr 2025)
- Harnessing sequencing data for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV): tracking genetic evolution dynamics and emerging sequences in US swine industry (Mar 2025)
Zoe Sirotiak
Zoe Sirotiak’s recent research explores ME/CFS through intersectional analysis, mortality patterns in memorial records, and complementary approaches to pain management.
Activity over the last year: 9 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Beyond fatigue: an intersectional analysis of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and social identities (Jul 2025)
- Mortality in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS): an updated analysis of memorial records (Aug 2025)
- Complementary and integrative health approaches used for pain management by U.S. adults with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis: Findings from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey (Mar 2025)
What Iowa State University's Medicine Community Is Working On
The strongest activity across Iowa State University’s medicine-related research is concentrated in Animal Science and Zoology, Infectious Diseases, and Agronomy and Crop Science, pointing to a community deeply engaged with livestock health, viral surveillance, and the systems that shape animal production. Alongside that core, smaller but notable threads in Molecular Biology, Materials Chemistry, public health, neurology, and mental health suggest a broader effort to link mechanisms, behavior, and lived health outcomes across species and settings.- Animal Science and Zoology - seen across 5 of the featured researchers
- Infectious Diseases - seen across 5 of the featured researchers
- Agronomy and Crop Science - seen across 4 of the featured researchers
- Molecular Biology - seen across 1 of the featured researchers
- Materials Chemistry - seen across 1 of the featured researchers
Taken together, these projects show a research community moving between practical animal-health challenges and broader questions in human health, behavior, and biology. If you’re exploring similar topics, this is a useful place to discover active collaborators and follow emerging themes. For researchers organizing their own workflow, tools like Resub can help streamline citation discovery, manuscript formatting, and submission preparation.
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