Dr. Andrea Bertke is currently an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases in Public Health at the Department of Population Health Sciences, Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. She received a BS from Bowling Green State University in Microbiology in 2001 and obtained her PhD in Emerging Infectious Diseases from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2007. Her research interests include molecular mechanisms regulating herpes simplex virus latency and reactivation, neuronal pathways by which HSV1 and HSV2 reach the CNS, the role of the autonomic nervous system in HSV1 and HSV2 pathogenesis, the development of novel antivirals to prevent viral reactivation, the neurological impacts of SARS-CoV-2, and SARS-CoV-2 survival on food and food surfaces.