Janice Telfer

Janice Telfer is a Professor in the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She serves as Undergraduate Program Director and UMass Pre-Veterinary Medicine Advisor. Her research focuses on the role of RUNX family transcription factors in immune system development, particularly their influence on hematopoietic stem cells and leukemogenesis. She also investigates WC1 co-receptor function in bovine gamma delta T cells and the structural biology of SRCR domains. Telfer holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1995) and completed postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology. Her lab explores mechanisms linking transcriptional regulation to immune cell differentiation and cancer predisposition. She teaches courses in cellular/molecular biology, veterinary terminology, and immunology.

• Education: Ph.D., Harvard University, 1995
• Postdoctoral Training: California Institute of Technology
• Affiliations: Director of Undergraduate Programs, Pre-Vet Advisor

Research Interests: Her work integrates molecular, cellular, and structural approaches to study immune system regulation. Key areas include RUNX1's role in myeloid leukemogenesis, WC1 receptor signaling in bovine immunity, and structural characterization of SRCR domains involved in microbial recognition. Her lab uses retroviral expression systems and molecular modeling to investigate transcription factor networks and receptor-ligand interactions.

Publications: Recent work includes studies on CD163 family evolution, WC1-mediated T-cell proliferation, and SRCR domain structure-function relationships. These investigations bridge basic immunology with veterinary medicine applications.