Jack Harkema , DVM PhD DACVP ATSF

Biography

I am a board-certified veterinary pathologist with extensive experience in pulmonary pathology of laboratory animals. I have been an academic biomedical researcher and mentor of graduate/medical/veterinary students, pathology residents, and postdoctoral fellows for over 30 years in the areas of respiratory toxicology and pathology. My personal research focuses on the elucidation of biological mechanisms underlying airway epithelial cell injury, repair, and disrepair to xenobiotics (e.g., air pollutants, allergens, viruses, microbial toxins). Much of my recent research has focused on developing animal models of human respiratory, cardiovascular, metabolic, and autoimmune diseases (e.g., asthma, metabolic syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus) used to investigate how pre-existing disease may affect an individual’s susceptibility to air pollutants (e.g., particulate matter, ozone). My career has been fostered by a network of extensive and highly productive collaborations reflected in over 290 publications with coauthors from 20+ units at Michigan State University (MSU) and more than 100 national and international laboratories. More recent collaborative activities with others at MSU and elsewhere are based on my experience with animal studies designed to better understand the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases caused by inhaled toxic agents, e.g., air pollutants, as well as interventions to prevent/treat environmental triggers of chronic human diseases, such as diabetes, lupus, and asthma.