Lais Costa

Dr. Lais R. Costa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Clinical Science. She contributes to a variety of veterinary courses at the Cummings School, including respiratory pathophysiology, clinical pharmacology, clinical dermatology, large animal medicine and surgery, clinical skills, and problem-based learning. She believes that fostering the confidence and skills in equine practice should start early in the veterinary education, so she coordinates and instructs equine selective courses for first and second year DVM candidates as well as an equine practice elective to third year candidates. She has dedicated efforts in developing alternatives to teaching equine practice by using videos and models.

Prior to joining the faculty at Cummings, Dr. Costa taught advanced courses for equine health at the Veterinary School of Medicine at Louisiana State University. She has also held posts a Louisiana State University and the University of Georgia. She loves helping budding veterinarians develop their clinical skills and realize their career goals.

Dr. Costa's areas of research expertise include immunology, infectious diseases and respiratory diseases of horses. Since she came to the Cummings School, she has developed a special interest in geriatric equine medicine and nutrition. She is a compassionate and open-minded veterinarian who seeks the best care for animals by taking a holistic approach to the management of their conditions. Due to her diverse background, she provides students, interns, and residents with innovative ways to identify, evaluate, and solve problems in large animal patients.

Dr. Lais Costa is a certified veterinary acupuncturist, and a member of the Veterinary Medicine (Phi Zeta) and Agriculture (Sigma Delta) honor societies. She received the ACVIM Young Investigator Award (1998, 1999), the Joan A. O'Brien Award for best scientific poster presentation at the Comparative Respiratory Society Meeting in 1999 and 2002, the 2001 Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research Award, and the Phi Zeta Award in Clinical Research in 1998 and 1999.

When she is not working, Lais Costa enjoys spending time with her husband and son Markus, visiting with family and friends, exercising, and doctoring her pets. She also has several pets including five cats, one horse and a pony. She and her family currently live in Upton, Massachusetts.

Dr. Costa's academic and research interests can be found on her faculty profile.