Meet the New 2021 MPH-VPH Residents!

Andrea Bessler, DVM

I am excited to embark on this journey as a Veterinary Public Health Resident with the Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. My interest in the field of public health began during my undergraduate studies at University of California, Santa Cruz where I studied Politics. It was during my study abroad program in Ghana that I saw One Health in action and became interested in the field of public health in general. This interest developed into a passion during veterinary school here at The Ohio State University, where I was fortunate to be able to participate in GOHi’s rabies surveillance training program in Ethiopia and became a dual-degree DVM/MPH-VPH student. I have enjoyed developing my interests in various public health topics, such as, emerging/re-emerging infectious zoonotic diseases, food systems, antimicrobial resistance, and epidemiology. However, prior to graduating with my DVM in May 2021, I felt like my career aspirations would be better served with further knowledge, skills, and experiences that the program and mentorship by some of my favorite faculty could provide. Following the VPH Residency, I plan to pursue a career in global health, tackling One Health problems in an interdisciplinary setting at the international level.

Andreas Eleftheriou, DVM, MS

My fascination and amazement with the natural world, particularly animals, motivated me to complete a B.A. in Biology at Boston University and an M.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. As I became interested in wildlife and conservation medicine, I completed a D.V.M. from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. During this time, I participated in research that investigated Herring gulls as environmental sentinels of antibacterial resistance. After a clinical internship at the University of Pennsylvania, where I largely worked with small animals and exotics, I decided to pursue a Ph.D. in fish and wildlife biology at the University of Montana-Missoula to expand on my research skillset while drawing from my veterinary expertise. During my Ph.D. I examined the mechanistic links between biodiversity and infectious disease using rodent-hantavirus systems as models. Wanting to become better equipped and more knowledgeable about veterinary public health and its connections to conservation medicine, I joined the VPH residency program at the Ohio State University. My professional goal is to join academia as faculty where I can perform research, educate, and mentor using a One Health approach.

To learn more about the MPH-VPH Residency program, contact Dr. Amanda Berrian.