Dr. Richard Bowen researches viral diseases that affect domestic and wild animals and spill over into human populations, including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

His specific areas of emphasis are working to understand West Nile virus infection in domestic animals, birds and reptiles, and to develop and test vaccines to protect against that disease; determining vertebrate and mosquito host competency for Japanese encephalitis and the pathogenesis of the infection; evaluating the potential role of bats in transmission of a number of viruses; and understanding the human-animal interface as it relates to transmission of avian influenza viruses.

Bowen is the director of the Animal Models Core of the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Bowen holds his D.V.M., M.S. and Ph.D. from CSU.