Shaun Cross, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, UNMC College of Public Health
Director, Spatial Profiling Hub Core Facility, UNMC Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research
Shaun Cross, PhD, joined UNMC in 2022 and is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health of the College of Public Health. He additionally serves as the director of the Spatial Profiling Hub Core Facility as part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.
Dr. Cross previously was a postdoctoral fellow at the Cornell Institute of Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
- 2020-2022, Postdoctoral Fellow, Cornell Institute for Host-Microbe Interactions and Disease, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
- 2020, PhD Microbiology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- 2016, BS Biology, Brigham Young University-Idaho, Rexburg, Idaho, USA
Dr. Cross’ research focuses on vector-borne diseases and other emerging infectious disease threats at the intersection of human animal, and environmental health (One Health), with a particular emphasis on alpha-gal syndrome and tick-borne diseases. His work examines the burden, impact and risk factors associated with AGS, including occupational and environmental exposures among agricultural and rural communities. He additionally deploys genomic and other molecular approaches for pathogen surveillance and emerging vector-borne disease threats. Dr. Cross is committed to translating research into meaningful public health impact. He directs Nebraska Tick Testing, a statewide program providing free tick identification and pathogen screening.
He also serves as the founding Director of the Spatial Profiling Hub Core Facility, a research core supported by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. This core provides researcher support with experimental design and execution of spatial transcriptomic and proteomic technologies.
- Welch AM, Beseler CL, Cross ST. Alpha-gal Syndrome Symptom Profiles and Diagnostic Experiences Among Farmer and Ranchers. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2026 Apr 16:2026.04.14.26349898. doi: 10.64898/2026.04.14.26349898. PMID: 42064922; PMCID: PMC13127510.
- Welch AM, Reuther M, Lynch-O'Brien LI, Samuelson MM, Cross ST. Prior knowledge and perceived impacts of tick-borne disease education among indigenous bison workers at an annual roundtable training. Front Public Health. 2026 Jan 21;13:1738923. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1738923. PMID: 41648783; PMCID: PMC12868261.
- Cross ST, Brehm AL, Dunham TJ, Rodgers CP, Keene AH, Borlee GI, Stenglein MD. Galbut Virus Infection Minimally Influences Drosophila melanogasterFitness Traits in a Strain and Sex-Dependent Manner. Viruses. 2023 Feb 15;15(2):539. doi: 10.3390/v15020539. PMID: 36851753; PMCID: PMC9965562.
- Mantri M, Hinchman MM, McKellar DW, Wang MFZ, Cross ST, Parker JSL, De Vlaminck I. Spatiotemporal transcriptomics reveals pathogenesis of viral myocarditis. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2022 Oct;1(10):946-960. doi: 10.1038/s44161-022-00138-1. Epub 2022 Oct 10. PMID: 36970396; PMCID: PMC10035375.
- Cross ST, Maertens BL, Dunham TJ, Rodgers CP, Brehm AL, Miller MR, Williams AM, Foy BD, Stenglein MD. Partitiviruses Infecting Drosophila melanogaster and Aedes aegypti Exhibit Efficient Biparental Vertical Transmission. J Virol. 2020 Sep 29;94(20):e01070-20. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01070-20. PMID: 32759315; PMCID: PMC7527066.
- Cross ST, Kapuscinski ML, Perino J, Maertens BL, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD, Stenglein MD. Co-Infection Patterns in Individual Ixodes scapularisTicks Reveal Associations between Viral, Eukaryotic and Bacterial Microorganisms. Viruses. 2018 Jul 22;10(7):388. doi: 10.3390/v10070388. PMID: 30037148; PMCID: PMC6071216.
Active Learning: I am a strong proponent of active learning techniques in my classrooms because students who engage in active learning reinforce the key topics learned in a lecture so that they do not just learn it but truly understand it.
Individual Contributions and Learning Styles: Every individual has something to offer for the growth and learning of a classroom because each individual comes from a different background, culture, and perspective that can augment the learning environment and shape how we view the world around us. Similarly, because each individual is different, I believe there is not one “catch all” teaching method and I do my best to utilize as many teaching methods as possible.
Continual Development of Teaching Practices: I believe there is an essential need to spend time mastering the concepts of my teaching and I actively seek methods to increase my teaching skill set, such as seeking active feedback and attending workshops focused on the current best practices in teaching.
- International Society for Agricultural Safety and Health
- Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities
- American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
- American Society for Virology
- Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)