Education

• BS, University of Central Florida
• DVM, Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University
• PhD, Interdisciplinary Studies, Tulane University School of Medicine

Biography

Primary Research Interests

Dr. Robert Blair primarily contributes to the mission of the TNPRC by serving as a research pathologist responsible for the interpretation of necropsy, biopsy, and clinical pathology findings on research and colony animals. As an ACVP Board Certified pathologist, he is vital to the primate center's training mission. Dr. Blair holds weekly training and general pathology sessions for veterinary students/residents. Since completing his Ph.D. through the T32 program, he has taken an active role in the management of the T32 training program here at the primate center. Dr. Blair is investigating the impact of vaping aerosol exposure on innate pulmonary defense mechanisms in a nonhuman primate model. Dr. Blair has also been involved in collaborative research projects including SARS-CoV-2, SIV, CMV, Zika virus, tuberculosis, and Lyme disease. Dr. Blair has a special interest in applying computer-based methodologies to quantify histopathologic lesions to better characterize and compare animal disease models. 

Dr. Blair is the co-director of the T32 Institutional Training Program at the Tulane National Primate Research Center. 

Key Publications 

Rutkai I, Mayer MG, Hellmers LM, Ning B, Huang Z, Monjure CJ, Coyne C, Silvestri R, Golden N, Hensley K, Chandler K, Lehmicke G, Bix GJ, Maness NJ, Russell-Lodrigue K, Hu TY, Roy CJ, Blair RV, Bohm R, Doyle-Meyers LA, Rappaport J, Fischer T. Neuropathology and virus in brain of SARS-CoV-2 infected non-human primates. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):1745. Epub 20220401. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29440-z. PubMed PMID: 35365631; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC8975902.

Qin Z, Liu F, Blair R, Wang C, Yang H, Mudd J, Currey JM, Iwanaga N, He J, Mi R, Han K, Midkiff CC, Alam MA, Aktas BH, Heide RSV, Veazey R, Piedimonte G, Maness NJ, Ergun S, Mauvais-Jarvis F, Rappaport J, Kolls JK, Qin X. Endothelial cell infection and dysfunction, immune activation in severe COVID-19. Theranostics. 2021;11(16):8076-91. Epub 2021/08/03. doi: 10.7150/thno.61810. PubMed PMID: 34335981; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC8315069.

Melton A, Doyle-Meyers LA, Blair RV, Midkiff C, Melton HJ, Russell-Lodrigue K, Aye PP, Schiro F, Fahlberg M, Szeltner D, Spencer S, Beddingfield BJ, Goff K, Golden N, Penney T, Picou B, Hensley K, Chandler KE, Plante JA, Plante KS, Weaver SC, Roy CJ, Hoxie JA, Gao H, Montefiori DC, Mankowski JL, Bohm RP, Rappaport J, Maness NJ. The pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) model of COVID-19 reproduces diverse clinical outcomes and reveals new and complex signatures of disease. PLoS pathogens. 2021;17(12):e1010162. Epub 20211220. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010162. PubMed PMID: 34929014; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC8722729.

Beddingfield BJ, Maness NJ, Fears AC, Rappaport J, Aye PP, Russell-Lodrigue K, Doyle-Meyers LA, Blair RV, Carias AM, Madden PJ, Redondo RL, Gao H, Montefiori D, Hope TJ, Roy CJ. Effective Prophylaxis of COVID-19 in Rhesus Macaques Using a Combination of Two Parenterally-Administered SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibodies. Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology. 2021;11:753444. Epub 20211118. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.753444. PubMed PMID: 34869063; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC8637877.

See complete list of Dr. Blair's publications.