Dr. Gayatri Vedantam is a Faculty member in the School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Arizona (UA), and a US Dept. of Veterans Affairs Research Career Scientist. A molecular microbiologist by training, Dr. Vedantam has federally-funded research at UA and VA locations, and her laboratories focus on healthcare-associated infections. A long-term goal of these efforts is to develop safe and cost-effective non-antibiotic interventions to prevent and treat intestinal infections; one product (jointly protected via a collaborative VA and UA patent process) is currently completing pre-clinical studies. Dr. Vedantam is also deeply committed to teaching and outreach efforts, teaches both Undergraduate and Graduate-level courses, and is a UA STEM as well as Minority Student programs mentor. Dr. Vedantam holds Editorial Board appointments at multiple international science journals; these have fostered her current service interests which include faculty governance and ethics issues (and their resolution) emanating from 21st century realities such as the “publish-or-perish” academic model. She is past President of the American Society for Microbiology Southwestern Regional Chapter.