The Duke Human Vaccine Institute (DHVI) is pleased to announce that Rebecca Bacon, DVM, DACP, is joining DHVI as an affiliate faculty member, effective February 1, 2024.
Dr. Bacon earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015. Following several years in private practice, she completed a veterinary pathology diagnostic internship at Kansas State University (2018-2019) and joined the combined veterinary anatomic pathology residency/PhD program at Texas A&M University in 2019. In 2022, she completed the residency and earned board certification in veterinary anatomic pathology and graduates from the PhD program in May 2024.
In December 2023, Dr. Bacon joined Duke with a dual appointment as a veterinary pathologist for the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources (DLAR) and assistant professor of pathology in the Department of Pathology. Her dissertation research took place at both TAMU and the MD Anderson Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research. She studied chronic enterocolitis in rhesus macaques as a potential model for post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome in humans, with particular focus on the involvement of a bacteria, Campylobacter sp., to the development of these diseases.
“I am passionate about the One Health concept of medicine and further investigation into chronic enterocolitis in rhesus macaques, which has significant impacts on the health and availability of rhesus macaques for research, has the potential to improve both animal welfare and human health,” said Dr. Bacon. She assumed direction of the Research Animal Pathology Service from Jeff Everitt in January. “I look forward to continuing to build on the research relationships he has developed. I provide diagnostic pathology support to the laboratory animal colonies on campus as well as research support to investigators utilizing animal models. I particularly enjoy the study of infectious diseases and, as such, greatly look forward to collaborations with DHVI.”