Kelly S. Harrison

Dr. Kelly S. Harrison is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. She earned her MS at Oklahoma State University in Immunology in 2014 designing protein subunit vaccines against Gram-negative pathogens Shigella and Salmonella. Kelly completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Biosciences from the University of Kansas in 2017, where she studied the pathogenesis of Chlamydia species. Following her doctoral training, she pursued postdoctoral research with Dr. Richard Eberle and Dr. Clinton Jones at OSU, focusing on α-herpesvirus infections, including HSV-1, BoHV-1, and Monkey B virus.  

Dr. Harrison’s research explores sex-specific differences in STI pathogenesis, with a particular emphasis on the role hormones play during infectivity. Her work integrates multiple disciplines, investigating key cell signaling pathways in neurology, immunology, and cellular biology. With extensive expertise in microbiology, laboratory animal models, and drug/vaccine development, she is committed to advancing our understanding of host-pathogen interactions for development of innovative patient-centric therapeutic interventions.