Mostafa Ghanem

Mostafa Ghanem is an Assistant Professor in the Veterinary Medicine Department at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland. He holds affiliations with the Center for Public and Corporate Veterinary Medicine and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN). Dr. Ghanem is a veterinarian and molecular epidemiologist specializing in advanced molecular diagnostics and next-generation sequencing for infectious disease investigation, particularly in poultry. His work bridges clinical, academic, and policy sectors to improve animal and human health through One Health initiatives.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., The Ohio State University
  • MVSC and BVSC, Alexandria University, Egypt
• Research Focus: Molecular epidemiology of avian pathogens (e.g., Mycoplasma species), foodborne pathogens, and development of diagnostic tools for disease control.
• Teaching: Courses include Avian Medicine and Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, with global training in Kenya and Ethiopia.

His research emphasizes leveraging molecular techniques for surveillance and prevention of economically impactful and zoonotic diseases. He has contributed to projects in Eastern Africa through The Ohio State University’s Global One Health Initiative. Dr. Ghanem’s extension work focuses on translating research into practical solutions for poultry growers and policymakers.

• Awards:
  • 2017 Reed Rumsey Award (AAAP)
  • Best Paper in Avian Diseases Journal 2017 (P.P. Levine Award)

Prior to his current role, Dr. Ghanem served as Associate Director of the Infectious Diseases Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory (IDMEL) at The Ohio State University and held a postdoctoral position there. He previously practiced as a poultry veterinarian in Egypt and taught at Alexandria University.