February 21, 2025
Dr. Jodi McGill, associate dean of research and graduate studies and the John G. Salsbury Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine, has been named the 2026 Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist by the American Association of Veterinary Immunologists (AAVI).
A faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine since 2018, McGill earned her Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Iowa.
Prior to joining Iowa State’s faculty, McGill was an assistant professor at Kansas State University and served as a post-doctoral fellow at the National Animal Disease Center in Ames.
Since coming to Iowa State, McGill has quickly established herself and her lab as one of the most productive on campus. Her lab has identified important roles for IL-17 in bovine respiratory disease and the importance of Vitamin A in the mucosal immune response to respiratory syncytial virus in calves. She is quickly becoming a world expert in regulation of the immune response to infection and vaccination against respiratory diseases in cattle.
In 2020, McGill was named the recipient of the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence at Iowa State University. She was appointed the John G. Salsbury Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine in 2021 and was named the assistant dean of research and graduate studies the following year. She was named the associate dean of research and graduate studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine earlier this month.
The Distinguished Veterinary Immunologist award honors an immunologist for outstanding contribution to veterinary immunology which has enhanced the understanding of immunology of domestic and/or wild animals.
McGill will be presented the award and deliver an invited lecture at the 2026 Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases.