Dr. Burkhard's research focuses on several areas of immunology and clinical pathology. Current studies include (1) the evaluation of hemolymph from freshwater mussels as an indicator of health and environmental status, (2) immunologic changes in the placenta associated with HIV infection and mother to child transmission, and (3) the immunology of canine cancer. Additional areas of interest include immunophenotyping of canine and feline lymphoid malignancies and investigation in the immunologic predictors of infectious disease outbreaks.