Irving Coy Allen has joined the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech as an assistant professor of inflammatory disease in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology.

Prior to joining the college, Allen was a research associate and postdoctoral fellow at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was previously a research analyst for the Duke University Center for Human Genetics in Durham, N.C., and a laboratory technologist for the Laboratory Corporation of America in Burlington, N.C.

“Dr. Allen’s considerable research experience will make him an invaluable asset to our college’s growing research team in this field,” said Dr. S. Ansar Ahmed, head of the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology. “In particular, Dr. Allen has research interests in inflammatory diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract that could lead to cancer, animal models of innate immunity and autoimmune inflammatory disease, and host-pathogen interactions. We welcome him to the college and to our department.”

The Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology has made several strategic hires in inflammatory diseases and immune-mediated diseases. In his new role, Allen will join the college’s growing team of inflammatory disease researchers and contribute to the department’s teaching efforts.

Allen has a bachelor’s degree in biology from East Carolina University, a master’s degree in biology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a doctorate in genetics and molecular biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master of business administration in bioscience management from North Carolina State University.

This article was written by Michael Sutphin.

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