The College of Science is proud to announce that Jerri Bartholomew has been appointed the Emile F. Pernot Distinguished Professor in the Department of Microbiology. She currently serves as Head of the Department of Microbiology in the Colleges of Science and Agricultural Sciences and as director of the J.L. Fryer Salmon Disease Laboratory, one of the only of its kind in the world dedicated to the study of organisms infectious for salmonids and other freshwater fish.
The Emile F. Pernot Distinguished Professorship in Microbiology was established with an estate gift of the late Mabel Pernot, the daughter of Emile Pernot who established the Microbiology Department at Oregon State more than a century ago. The award recognizes a professor in the Department of Microbiology who is a distinguished contributor to the field of microbiology science and who has a record of contributions to OSU’s education and research missions.
Bartholomew’s research focuses on the pathogens affecting the health of wild Pacific salmon populations, the effects of climate change on fish disease, parasite evolution and invasion as well as the evolution of the immune systems of fish. Her research program has attracted more than $12 million in grants and contracts, which has resulted in 84 peer-reviewed publications, 15 book chapters and an edited book. Funding for her research comes from various agencies, including the Bureau of Reclamation, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health and Oregon Sea Grant.
“I am proud of Dr. Bartholomew for receiving this tremendous recognition,” said Sastry G. Pantula, dean of the College of Science. “Professorships such as the Pernot Professorship allow us to honor and reward our best faculty members like Dr. Bartholomew. The strength of our College and of science rests on the strength of our faculty.”
With joint appointments in the College of Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences, Bartholomew has served on the Department of Microbiology faculty for 23 years. She has mentored six post-doctoral scholars as well as six Ph.D. and 15 master’s and 17 undergraduate research projects. Bartholomew also teaches Advances in Disease Ecology, Fish Diseases in Conservation Biology and Aquaculture, and offers a semi-annual Salmonid Disease Workshop for state and federal fishery biologists.
Demonstrating her outstanding leadership, Bartholomew helped organize the 7th International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health in Portland last year that attracted 300 fish health professionals from 26 countries.
Bartholomew is an OSU alumna, earning both her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from the university.
