Dr. Kyle Taylor selected as new Caroline Engle Distinguished Professor in Research on Infectious Diseases

Washington State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has named Dr. Kyle Taylor as the new Caroline Engle Distinguished Professor in Research on Infectious Diseases, recognizing his work in wildlife disease research and his commitment to student training.

Taylor, an associate professor and veterinary pathologist, was selected by the college's faculty and will assume the professorship July 1, succeeding Dr. Dana Shaw, who has held the role for the past four years. The position is awarded on a four-year cycle and includes additional annual funding to support research and mentorship.

The professorship was established through a gift from alumna Dr. Caroline Engle, who earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from WSU in 1967. Her gift provides support to a faculty member leading an established research program focused on the causes and treatments of infectious diseases in animals, work that remains critical to animal and public health.

"Wildlife disease research is often underfunded, but there's a lot of interest from students who want to be part of that work," Taylor said. "This support gives us a chance to expand those opportunities and pursue projects we wouldn't otherwise be able to take on."

Taylor has built a highly collaborative program focused on infectious diseases in wildlife, working closely with partners at WSU, other universities, state wildlife agencies and tribal agencies. His work frequently relies on diagnostic samples and partnerships to investigate disease patterns, and his program incorporates training for residents, veterinary students and undergraduate Honors students.

He oversees the Master of Veterinary Anatomic Pathology program and anatomic pathology residency training at the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, where he also serves as a pathologist. As a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists, Taylor holds a joint appointment between the College of Veterinary Medicine and WADDL, splitting his time between teaching, research and diagnostic work.

In the classroom, Taylor teaches in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine curriculum while mentoring students across multiple levels. In the lab and field, his research has focused on diseases affecting wildlife, including hoof disease in elk, elaeophorosis in moose and toxoplasmosis in bighorn sheep.

His collaborations and diagnostic work have also contributed to identifying emerging or previously undocumented conditions, including the first reported cases of deer ocular plague in Idaho and deerpox in Washington. He and students under his direction are currently working with collaborators to describe a pair of novel viruses discovered in elk.

The flexibility of the Engle Professorship funding will allow Taylor to support smaller, student-led projects that might otherwise go unfunded. He plans to expand hands-on training opportunities in techniques such as immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, PCR, next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics and digital slide analysis.

"This is going to give us the opportunity to learn more about wildlife diseases while giving students vital experience in research," Taylor said.