Faculty Profile

Sara Pearson received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She then pursued her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During this time, she became interested in the interconnectedness of animal and human health and completed her Master of Public Health degree with a focus on epidemiology and biostatistics through the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Through an approach known as “One Health,” Pearson enjoys exploring ways that multiple disciplines can work collaboratively to improve human, animal, and environmental health. Coming from a rural background, she has a strong interest in biosecurity of agricultural animal farms and mitigation of disease outbreaks in these facilities. Pearson is continuously learning how the principles of animal herd health correlates with human health on a large scale. Another one of her main interests is zoonotic disease transmission and prevention in both companion and agricultural animals. Working with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, she performed a survey of parks in Champaign County to assess for zoonotic disease transmission risk between dogs and children playing in the park.

Sara Pearson also currently works as a veterinarian for the Agricultural Animal Care and Use Program. Her role is to ensure high quality care and promote health and well-being for agricultural animals used in research and teaching at UIUC. This position also allows her to provide training, educational resources, and technical assistance to faculty, students, and staff involved in the care and use of agricultural animals owned by the University. She also enjoys performing small animal emergency medicine and surgery.