Karen Meysick

Karen Meysick, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at The University of Oklahoma. Her primary responsibilities include teaching undergraduate courses such as Introductory Microbiology for nursing majors, Basic Immunology, and Pathogenic Microbiology Lab. She also coordinates the Fundamentals of Microbiology labs for departmental majors.

Education:

• BSc in Biology, University of Windsor (1987)
• MSc in Microbiology, University of Ottawa (1990)
• PhD in Microbiology, University of Ottawa (1996)
• Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Uniformed Services University (1996–2000)

Research Interests: Dr. Meysick focuses on understanding how pathogenic microbes evade immune defenses, identify causative agents of infectious diseases, and evaluate vaccine efficacy. Her work spans organisms like uropathogenic E. coli, Yersinia species (including plague-causing strains), and a eukaryotic protozoan linked to sexually transmitted diseases. She is particularly interested in the role of microbial virulence factors (toxins) in disease progression.

Prior Experience: Before joining OU, she worked at the FDA in Washington, DC, assessing vaccine efficacy against bacterial infections.