Adam obtained his Doctorate of Veterinarian Medicine in 2011 and his Master’s degree in Veterinary Sciences in 2013 from the Universidade Estadual do Ceará (Fortaleza, CE, Brazil).  His research interest is concentrated on the immunology of canine visceral leishmaniasis and coinfection with vector-borne pathogens.

As a master’s student, Adam’s dissertation work addressed clinical signs of natural coinfection with Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia spp. as well as corresponding changes in cytokines and other hematological parameters. Upon completing his Master’s degree, Adam worked in the clinical setting. Many of the animals that he saw as a veterinarian in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil were co-infected with multiple causative agents of vector-borne diseases! This period of clinical experience reinforced Adam’s research interest as he gained familiarity with immunization against canine visceral leishmaniasis and immunotherapy.

Adam also represented Alere® Veterinary Diagnostics as a veterinarian demonstrating the use of diagnostic tools from Alere® to his colleagues working in local animal clinics. Adam is in pursuit of a Ph.D. in immunology at the University of Iowa. Currently, Adam is a research assistant in Dr. Christine Petersen’s laboratory where he performs clinical exams of the dogs in the studies, runs laboratory diagnostics, updates the laboratory Canine Leishmania database, and provides the dogs’ owners with real-time information about the studies as their contact person. His work on laboratory projects involves dogs, epidemiology, and immunology.