Virginia Tech® home

Michelle Rhoads

Associate Professor, Reproductive Physiology
Professional photo of Dr. Shelly Rhoads.
School of Animal Sciences
3450 Litton-Reaves Hall
175 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061

My current research interests focus on the fertility of early lactation dairy cattle.  Specific interests include:  the nutritional and metabolic regulation of dairy cow fertility, and how the environment within the reproductive tract changes during the estrous cycle and from non-pregnancy to pregnancy.  The primary aim is to elucidate factors involved in the apparent decrease in dairy cow fertility, including changes in growth hormone, insulin-like growth factor-I, ghrelin and multiple reproductive hormones

  • Ph.D., Animal Science, University of Missouri-Columbia, 2004
  • M.S., Animal Science, Cornell University, 2001
  • B.S., Animal Science, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998