Welcome to Sam Workenhe who joined the Ontario Veterinary College’s (OVC) Department of Pathobiology in September 2020 as an assistant professor.
A trained veterinarian and veterinary virologist, Sam completed his veterinary education in Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia. Prior to joining OVC, Sam completed molecular virology and cancer immunology training in Norway and Canada.
Sam has diverse research experience spanning from innate immunology of viral infections in Atlantic salmon to cancer immunotherapy and oncolytic virology.
His most recent research aims to understand the fundamental aspects of programmed cell death and how it elicits immunity against infectious diseases and growing tumors. The findings of these studies are crucial to design antivirals to control livestock diseases and immune-based therapies for cancer in companion animals and humans. Learn more about Sam’s research on his lab website.
In addition to his research and mentoring roles, Sam will be teaching veterinary virology to Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students and molecular virology courses to graduate students.
An avid runner and mountain biker, Sam also loves the companionship of his dog, Bowie.