VMCVM Faculty Spotlight: Lijuan Yuan
Lijuan Yuan
Professor of virology and immunology
When did you join the veterinary college?
July 1, 2007
The best part of being a faculty is?
To conduct research work that I consider most meaningful.
To mentor next generation of researchers.
To enjoy a research leave (aka sabbatical) in every 7 years or so, doing new research work in a university overseas.
Best advice I've gotten...
Stay focused in one area and develop your own niche in research.
How would you capture the essence of your work in a newspaper headline?
"Dr. Lijuan Yuan and her team have studied human rotavirus and norovirus in gnotobiotic pigs for over 17 years at Virginia Tech"
My hidden talent...
Nature photography. My work can be seen here. and on the world’s biggest curated photo online gallery 1x.com. Each photo is selected by professional curators.
A person who has inspired me...
Dr. Richard L. Ward who developed the RIX4414 rotavirus vaccine which has been licensed as Rotarix since 2004, now in over 100 countries and has saved millions of lives from rotavirus diarrhea associated deaths in infants and young children.
Words of encouragement to a current veterinary college student...
As you navigate your journey in veterinary college, diving into the complexities of human diseases through animal models, know that you are standing at the intersection of two worlds—where animal health and human well-being converge. The research you are conducting is not just a stepping stone in your career but a vital contribution to the global quest for knowledge and healing. You are not just a student; you are a scientist in the making, a pioneer in a field that bridges the gap between species. The work you do today will ripple out into the world, bringing us closer to a future where diseases are better understood and more effectively prevented and treated.
If I had a superpower, it would be...
Make a human norovirus vaccine available immediately to prevent suffering and deaths from norovirus disease.
A cause I'm most passionate about...
Develop effective vaccines to save humans from diseases and deaths caused by rotavirus and norovirus.
Favorite way to end the day...
Working on adjusting a photography image file on my computer.
Top of my bucket list...
I have traveled to 50 different countries, including the Arctic and Antarctic (not counting stop overs). The top of my bucket list is to travel to 100 countries.
My favorite quote...
"Talent and drive are not nearly such good indicators of success as the simple act of doing work that matches and expresses one's own personality." by wilderness photographer, photojournalist and mountaineer Galen Rowell
