Heather Huson

Joint Appointment - College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences 

Adjunct Appointment - College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences                                  

Areas of Interest

Genetic Improvement of Animal Health and Performance; Genetic Evaluations; Population Structure, Adaptation, and Evolution; Genomic Tool Development; and Wildlife and Indigenous Population Conservation. Species of interest include working dogs, dairy cattle, musk ox and small ruminants.  

Research Focus

As an animal geneticist, my research uses modern genomic tools to investigate ancestry and relatedness in populations and identify mutations associated with health, performance, longevity, and adaptation in domestic and wild species. My overarching goal is to increase our understanding of the genetic regulation of traits and relationships among animals to inform better management that improves animal health, welfare, and performance. My diverse background combining animal breeding and training, veterinary technician experience, and molecular genetics across livestock, companion animals, and wildlife species allows me to apply methodologies across species and readily adapt to ever changing research needs and interests.  While my research is broad, I focus primarily on working dog and dairy cattle genetics.

• Working dog genetics: My personal background is with sled dogs which sparked my interest in understanding the genetics of athletic performance and Arctic breed evolution and selection over time. Yet "working dogs" span dogs raised for hunting or herding to those humans use for sport or assistance. I work with many guide, detection and assistance (medical, veteran and mobility) dog groups and seek to expand my work into hunting, herding and other sporting dogs in the future. I am most interested in the genetics of behavior and athletic performance but also study health and longevity of working dogs. 
• Human – canine bond: This is a new field of study for me, focusing on the benefits to both people and dogs in unique working-dog relationships with their owners or handlers. 
• Human knowledge and perspective on extreme conformation in dog breeds: We have an on-going study to identify people’s knowledge of genetic selection for extreme conformation in dogs (i.e. brachycephalic “flat-faced” skull shape, dwarfism, skin folds) and their willingness to change breed conformation standards to improve animal welfare. 
• Dairy cattle genetics: My team has studied the genetics of mastitis, ketosis and lameness, providing new insights on the genes and biological pathways influencing and responding to these high-priority diseases in the dairy cattle industry. More recently, we’ve focused our efforts on improving our understanding of how crossbreeding and trait selection work together to alter genome architecture, including the preservation of unique breed-specific portions of the genome conferring advantageous characteristics to crossbred animals. 
• Epigenetic inheritance and association to disease and performance in dairy cattle: We are currently studying the influence of disease on DNA methylation within an individual and across generations, as well as how DNA methylation patterns may confer increased risk or protection to future disease.
• Genetics of animal fiber production: Past research in my lab has explored the genetics of coat color and fiber traits in goats and sheep. Current research explores the genetics of fiber traits unique to musk ox, a wild ruminant species native to Arctic climates that has existed since the Ice Age. Musk ox are renowned for their qiviut, their undercoat of hair, which is extremely fine, yet strong, and known for its warmth.
• Musk ox conservation genetics: My lab also studies the population diversity and inbreeding depression experienced by wild and captive populations of musk ox due to their tumultuous past of near extinction and reintroduction across Arctic regions. 

Teaching Focus

An important part of my research is sharing my passion and interests with others. I have a strong team of post-doctoral, graduate and undergraduate researchers who work alongside laboratory and animal husbandry technicians in my team. Everyone learns laboratory techniques, including DNA extraction, safe and reduced-stress animal handling, and computational analysis of genomic data. Everyone works as a team to learn from one another and support one another to be successful. As often as possible, students experience working with client-owned or wild animals to collect biological samples and animal data, and present their research findings at scientific conferences. 

In addition to research mentoring, I also teach our core animal genetics course and an applied dairy cattle genetics course. My goal is to provide foundational knowledge of the principles of genetics and the application of genetic techniques and information for animal management and improvement. I commonly give seminars to the public about my research and workshops to dog breeders, dairy cattle producers, veterinarians and extension agents, teaching them how to use genetic testing and apply genetic selection in animal management. 

In addition to my genetics research, I am the Director of the Cornell Raptor Program (CRP). The CRP houses ~25 resident birds of prey spanning species of hawks, eagles, owls, falcons and turkey vultures to support environmental conservation education and research. I teach a formal course (ANSC 1130: Introduction to Captive Raptor Husbandry) and lead a volunteer program that supports informal STEM education and leadership training for undergraduate students. Our volunteers and ambassador birds provide outreach programs on birds of prey, reaching over 10,000 people annually.