Randall Singer, DVM, PhD

Randall Singer

Contact Info

[email protected]

Mailing Address:
300A Veterinary Science Building
1971 Commonwealth Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55108

Professor

Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences


PhD, University of California, Davis

DVM, University of California, Davis

MPVM, University of California, Davis

BA, University of California, San Diego

Microbiome and Antibiotic Resistance cluster

Summary

We study the complex and diverse array of conditions that influence the emergence, evolution, persistence and spread of bacterial and viral pathogens at the interface between humans, animals and the environment. Specific questions that we address include:

  • How do we mitigate antimicrobial resistance in agricultural systems so that risks to human and animal health are minimized?
  • Will an improved understanding of food production systems at multiple scales enable us to significantly reduce the risk of Salmonella, Campylobacter and other foodborne pathogens using currently available technology?
  • How can we predict the spread of diseases over extended geographical distances, including those diseases that are transmitted by insects and arthropods?

Our work on these questions combines approaches in the fields of epidemiology, microbiology, molecular biology, mathematical and statistical modeling, public health, animal agriculture and systems thinking.

Expertise

Professor of Epidemiology.

Awards & Recognition

Recipient of Global Engagement Award by the Global Programs and Strategy (GPS) Alliance

Languages

  • Spanish

Research

Research Summary/Interests

Research in my lab seeks to understand the factors that influence the emergence, evolution, spread and persistence of microbes within different ecosystems. We use this information to design strategies for reducing the negative impacts that these pathogens have on human and animal health. These studies emphasize epidemiologic methods, specifically the development and validation include...

Antibiotic Use and Resistance: For almost 20 years I have been studying antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. These studies have included analyses of spatial distributions of resistant microbes and resistance genes, mathematical models of resistance development and spread, quantitative risk assessments related to the use of specific antibiotics and the subsequent augmentation of resistance, molecular analyses of resistance genes and their spread, and public health analyses estimating the excess burden of illness caused by these resistant microbes.

Food Safety: I actively investigate the ecology of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Campylobacter in agricultural environments. The goal of these projects is to develop interventions on the farm and in the processing plant that reduce the risk to humans of being exposed to these pathogens.

Ecology of Infectious Disease: In addition to studying the ecological factors affecting antimicrobial resistant pathogens and foodborne pathogens, I have studied other bacterial and viral pathogens. These studies have focused on the spread of these pathogens at the interface of humans, animals and the environment and on the assessment of interventions for minimizing the risk of transmission among these populations.

Publications