Mark Robinson

Dr. Mark Robinson serves as a Lecturer in the Department of Rural Resilience and Innovation at Appalachian State University, a role he commenced in 2018. With a career spanning over forty years, he is a distinguished research scientist and veterinarian specializing in infectious diseases. His professional journey includes pivotal positions at the USDA National Institute for Food and Agriculture as National Program Leader for Animal Agrosecurity and at the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine as Director of Human Food Safety.

His educational qualifications are as follows:

• DVM, College of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University (1994)
• PhD in Biological Structure, School of Medicine, University of Washington (1984)
• BS Cum Laude in Biology/Genetics, Washington State University (1977)

Dr. Robinson's research expertise centers on the genesis, detection, epidemiology, prevention, and control of infectious diseases. His primary focus includes transmissible encephalopathies (scrapie, transmissible mink encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy) and diseases caused by herpes viruses and lentiviruses. He has extensive international experience with the IAEA and FAO in managing epidemics of foot and mouth disease, African swine fever, rinderpest, and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in developing countries. Furthermore, his work in regulatory science and animal agrosecurity has significantly contributed to national and global health security.

At Appalachian State University, Dr. Robinson instructs courses such as General Biology, Microbiology, Bacterial Pathogenesis, Microbial Diversity, Regulatory Science in Biology and Biomedical Research, Infectious Diseases and Public Health, History of Pandemics, Human Physiology, and Animal Physiology. During his tenure at the USDA, he built and managed the National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN), provided organizational support to the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN), and administered research funding for animal disease issues at Land Grant Universities.