Texas Tech welcomes new assistant professor of epidemiology

The Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) in Amarillo welcomed a new assistant professor of epidemiology—Gizem Levent, DVM, PhD—to its faculty earlier this month. Before joining SVM, Levent served as a visiting scientist in 2014 at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Services, where she worked on alternatives to antibiotics to help reduce pathogen carriage in food animals.

“I am very excited to start my new academic journey in such a diverse and rapidly growing community at the SVM at Texas Tech,” Levent said, in the release, “I am fully committed to contributing to the core values-based, friendly, and stimulating academic environment with the faculty, staff, and first-generation RaiderVets.”

In 2012, Levent received her veterinary medical degree from Ankara University, Turkey, and went on to complete her Doctor of Philosophy in biomedical sciences from Texas A&M, with an emphasis on epidemiology, in 2019. During her career, Levent explored epidemiology while keeping One Health in mind. She wanted to dive deeper and study the interaction between foodborne pathogens and food animals with a concentration on applied and molecular epidemiology.

“Dr Levent is such a wonderful person and scholar,” said Guy Loneragan, BVSc, PhD, dean of SVM, in the release, “She will strengthen our community, enrich our school, and she will expand the breadth of our research activities. She is a fantastic addition to Texas Tech in general and our School in particular. I am looking forward to working with Dr Levent on a number of One Health projects.”

Through her new position, Levent is excited to continue her research and help mentor the next future generation of veterinarians.

Reference

Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine Welcomes Epidemiologist to Faculty. News release. Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. January 13, 2022. Accessed January 24, 2022. https://today.ttu.edu/posts/2022/01/Stories/Texas-Tech-School-of-Veterinary-Medicine-Welcomes-Epidemiologist-to-Faculty