Dr. Ryan received his B.S. in bacteriology from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  After a 3 year stint as a Visiting Scientist at DuPont Co., Dr. Ryan joined the UTHSC faculty in 1988.  He is now an Associate Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Molecular Sciences; his research focuses on a genetic analysis of herpesvirus infection.  In addition to his duties in the OME, Dr. Ryan is course director of Medical Microbiology and director of the Integrated Program in Biomedical Sciences in the College of Graduate Health Sciences.