Christie Mayo

Dr. Mayo is the head of the virology and sample receiving sections at Colorado State University’s Diagnostic Medicine Center where she is actively involved in diagnostic test development. She received her DVM from the University of Georgia in 2006, completed a microbiology residency at CSU in 2008 and wrapped up her PhD and post-doctoral work at UC Davis in 2012. The Colorado State University (CSU) Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory System (VDL) is the backbone of Colorado’s warning system and helps to protect the health of Colorado’s livestock and poultry industries as well as patients treated at the veterinary teaching hospital (VTH). As the diagnostic virologist, she is uniquely positioned to support the interface of application and development in both conventional and novel (next generation) diagnostic technologies. Currently, the main thrust of her research has led to characterizing the ecology and genetic diversity of an economically important arbovirus that affects livestock, bluetongue virus. Additionally, her research has focused on developing novel diagnostics for the veterinary diagnostic community and utilizing next generation sequencing to monitor and characterize infectious agents. The goals are to allow tracking of microbial or viral adaptation over short periods of time, both in the laboratory and environment, pushing the boundaries of veterinary diagnostic technologies. In addition to diagnostic development and research, Dr. Mayo mentors and teaches students in the classroom, laboratory, and field settings. Productive momentum in her mentoring was recognized by CSU in 2021 when she received one of the University’s Career Impact Award.  One of the quotes selected from the nomination summarizes her mentorship style and ethos: “As a mentor, she embodies the most fundamental values of transparency, trust, vulnerability, enthusiasm and selfless commitment to impacting not only the careers of students, but also of her faculty peers, staff and leadership.