Reproductive Specialist Joins DAS Faculty
Joy L. Pate, Ph.D. joined Penn State's Department of Dairy and Animal Science as professor of reproductive physiology. She joins the faculty after serving as a professor at Ohio State University.
Joy L. Pate, Ph.D., joined the faculty of Penn State's Department of Dairy and Animal Science as Professor of Reproductive Physiology in DAS, and the C. Lee Rumberger and Family Chair in Agricultural Sciences. In addition to research and teaching, Pate will provide leadership to a faculty group specializing in reproductive biology teaching and research.
She previously served as a professor at the Ohio State University, where she had been on the staff since 1983. She had been a graduate research associate at the University of New Hampshire where she received her Ph.D. in animal science with reproductive physiology emphasis and a minor emphasis in cell biology. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Delaware in animal science.
Dr. Terry Etherton, Head of the Department of Dairy and Animal Science, said, "We are elated that Dr. Pate has joined the faculty, and look forward to her strong leadership in our reproduction research and teaching program. Penn State has always been at the forefront of internationally recognized research in reproduction, and with Pate's exceptional abilities, this tradition will be expanded and enhanced."
Pate said her research focus is how immune cells and ovarian cells interact to bring about normal functions of the ovary, adding, "This is important for reproductive efficiency of dairy cows. Conception rates in dairy cows have declined, creating a huge economic drain for dairy farmers. We hope that our research on ovarian function will help us find ways to enhance fertility"
She noted, "I have met with the faculty here - they are bright, energetic and enthusiastic, and I look forward to working with them. It is an exciting environment and I am happy to be in this endowed chair to help lead the Department's commitment to this field. There is growing momentum here and it is both challenging and stimulating to be part of it."
As she begins her work at Penn State, Pate is working to set up her laboratory with the help of a postdoctoral associate, Kalidou Ndiaye and a PhD student, Daniel Poole, who moved with her from Ohio State. She will be adding to the research staff as the work continues.
Her major research areas include corpus luteum function, reproductive immunology, cholesterol metabolism in endocrine tissues, production and action of prostaglandins and patterns of follicular development and fertility in dairy cows. While at Ohio State she developed and taught a wide range of courses including physiology of reproduction, animal cell culture techniques, companion animal biology and behavior, animal production systems in Australia among others.
Widely published, she has spoken at universities throughout the United States and at symposia around the world, including Japan, Canada, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand and others.
Pate is a member of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, the American Society of Animal Science, Endocrine Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, ICSABER - a medical research society, Sigma Xi, Gamma Sigma Delta and Phi Kappa Phi.
Recent awards include the 2008 Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, fellow; 2005 CFAES Teaching Award; 2003 OARDC Senior Faculty Research Award, 1999 Gamma Sigma Delta Research Award.
She serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, the Journal of Reproductive Immunology and Biology of Reproduction, and has served on the competitive grant panels/study sections of the National Institutes on Health special emphasis panel; the NIH, Cellular, Molecular and Integrative Reproduction Study Section; and was panel manager, USDA, Reproductive Efficiency of Animals Panel.
