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Story contact: Deidra Ashley, CVMMarCom@missouri.edu
Photos by Karen Clifford
Kevin Gustafson, DVM, PhD, recently received the 2026 Boehringer Ingelheim Research Award for Graduate Veterinarians for his doctoral research at the University of Missouri, where he investigated how the parental gut microbiome shapes fetal development and influences offspring behavior, metabolism and brain function.
Through behavioral testing, microbiome profiling and advanced genomic analyses, Gustafson uncovered how differences in the maternal gut microbiome affect fetal neurodevelopment by altering gut metabolite production, hippocampal DNA methylation and gene expression. His findings provide new insight into how the parental gut microbiome can influence lifelong health across generations and may inform future strategies to improve both human and animal health.
Gustafson now serves as a veterinarian at Mizzou’s Rat and Mutant Mouse Resource and Research Centers.
“Investing in the next generation of veterinary scientists is essential to advancing innovation in animal health,” said Monica Figueiredo, PhD, DVM, DACVIM, director of the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program. “Through this program, students gain hands-on research experience and the mentorship needed to turn scientific curiosity into meaningful discoveries. Their work not only advances our understanding of animal health today, but it also shapes the future of the veterinary profession.”