Established by long-time Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology faculty member Dr. Bill C. Davis and his wife, Betty Davis, the Bill and Betty Davis Endowment for Basic and Applied Research in Immunology of Food and Companion Animals has a two-fold mission: to fund veterinary immunology research and to continue vaccination research for mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, or MAP, which causes Johne’s (pronounced yo-knees) disease in cattle and is believed to cause Crohn’s disease in humans.
With the goal of expanding immunology research at WSU, Dr. Bill Davis has pledged an additional $100,000 to the fund as a matching gift. For every $20 you give, Dr. Davis will match $1 (up to $100,000). The goal is to reach $1 million to provide dedicated immunology research funds for researchers at WSU.
Dr. Davis is a pioneering immunologist who has been on faculty at WSU since 1968. His research on MAP has led to understanding the immune response to the bacterium, which is critical for developing antibiotic treatments and vaccines.
He and Betty have been married 62 years (as of 2018) and are dedicated to giving back for all they have been given. As a young couple starting out, they benefited from the generosity of others and have felt fortunate for being part of the WSU community. “We believe in education and have a desire to give back to WSU,” says Dr. Davis. “Everybody needs a start.”
If you would like more information about Dr. Davis’s research mission, he can be contacted directly at davisw@vetmed.wsu.edu.
Give now to the Bill and Betty Davis Endowment for Basic and Applied Research in Immunology of Food and Companion Animals.