Dr. Shawn Zimmerman

Dr. Shawn Zimmerman, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP

Shawn Zimmerman is a proud Arkansan with a doctorate in infectious diseases from the University of Georgia and a DVM from Louisiana State University. When she’s not teaching or rooting for the LSU Tigers, she’s stopping the spread of diseases that harm animals and humans alike.

How did you decide to specialize in infectious diseases? Dr. Zimmerman: My first exposure to microbiology was when my mom was going to college. Sometimes I would go to campus with her, and her professors were always showing me cool things. When I went to college myself, I was focused on getting into veterinary school and being a wildlife or zoo vet, but I also did microbiology research on the side. At the time, I just thought of it as a fun hobby and never really considered it as a career. Once I got further into vet school, I realized what really excited me about medicine was understanding the “how” behind each case, and the infectious disease cases always interested me the most. I was also really annoyed by the cases that seemed preventable or when there wasn’t a good test for confirming a diagnosis. At some point, I just remember thinking, “Well, then maybe I should just figure out how to do THAT.” From there, I naturally gravitated toward research and pathology. I specialized in clinical pathology so I could get better at recognizing subtle indicators of disease. Once I felt confident about how to study things on the host side, I went on to get my doctorate and did postdoctoral training in infectious diseases to tackle the pathogen side. It was a lot more education than I initially planned, but it’s led to a very fulfilling career. Now I get to teach students about the things I love, and I get to do research that could make a real difference one day.

What research topics are you pursuing now? Dr. Zimmerman: Right now, my lab is studying how enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) causes disease in order to find new drug and vaccine targets. We’re also working to see if we can make a better laboratory animal model of human ETEC infection.

ETEC is the causative agent of traveler’s diarrhea and the second leading cause of infectious diarrhea in the world, especially among children. Not only does it cause significant illness and mortality in children, but it’s also very problematic for piglets. This bacterium is just one of several types of pathogenic E. coli, and despite everything we know about commensal E. coli, we still don’t have vaccines against any of them. I find it frustrating that despite all our advances, children and animals are still dying from something preventable like diarrhea.

Has living through a pandemic changed how you think about your work? Dr. Zimmerman: If anything, this pandemic has just reinvigorated my research program and made it timely. When you study infectious diseases, one of the first things you

"Pandemics and antimicrobial resistance are constant threats, and without an equally constant supply of effective vaccines and medications, large numbers of people and animals will succumb to otherwise preventable diseases."

learn about pandemics is that it’s not “if” there will be one but “when.” Research in infectious diseases has and always will be funded, but in developed nations like ours, it does tend to fall in and out of fashion. While the circumstances of this pandemic are very unfortunate, it does remind us that we must remain vigilant in our efforts.

My hope is that we don’t lose this sense of urgency. Pandemics and antimicrobial resistance are constant threats, and without an equally constant supply of effective vaccines and medications, large numbers of people and animals will succumb to otherwise preventable diseases.

With teaching, research and more, how do you balance work and personal life? Dr. Zimmerman: I feel like everyone asks each other this question but no one ever figures out the secret to doing it well. It’s like parenting: You have an idea of what you think you should do, and then there’s what actually happens. In my case, I just keep a revolving prioritized to-do list and try to complete something off that list every day. Some days, I can get lots of things off that list, and other days, I don’t get anything checked off. Over time, I’ve learned that it’s more important to be patient and forgive yourself. Each day, I just fight to do my best at work and home, and each night, I try to give myself grace and rest, so that I have the energy to do it again. • By: Ethan Brightbill Photos by: Bronson Teichert