Rate My Professor Sylvia Ferguson

Sylvia Ferguson, D.V.M., Ph.D., DACVP, serves as Department Chair and Associate Professor of Anatomic Pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Midwestern University - Arizona in Glendale. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia, her Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, and completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology at the University of Tennessee, becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. As a veterinary pathologist, Dr. Ferguson employs expertise in gross anatomy, histology, and disease pathophysiology to diagnose conditions across various species at the Animal Health Institute's Animal Care services.

Inspired by her mentors, Dr. Ferguson is committed to teaching and mentoring veterinary students, delivering courses such as Veterinary Pathology II and guiding them to become knowledgeable practitioners. Her research focuses on host-pathogen interactions in zoonotic diseases affecting humans and animals, particularly those causing diarrhea. She has contributed to over 20 peer-reviewed publications, including "Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri sciureus) at a Zoo" (Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 2024), "Case report: Localized coloproctitis caused by novel Basidiobolus arizonensis in a dog" (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 2024), "Eumycetoma and disseminated phaeohyphomycosis in a western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus)" (Veterinary Pathology, 2021), "Oral histiocytic sarcoma in a cat with mandibular invasion and regional lymph node metastasis" (Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 2021), "Meningoencephalitis, Vasculitis, and Abortions Caused by Neospora caninum in Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)" (Veterinary Pathology, 2021), and "What is your diagnosis? Skin scraping from a hellbender" (Veterinary Clinical Pathology, 2017). Dr. Ferguson has also co-directed student research presentations at international conferences and supports diagnostic pathology in clinical settings.