Dr. Pedro Villegas: World Renowned Avian Virologist and Vaccine Inventor

Our guest today is Dr. Pedro Villegas, a worldwide renown expert in avian virology, vaccine inventor, and a retired professor from UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He has been bestowed countless honors for his legendary work in his field, including one by the Georgia House of Representatives, and in 1999, he was the co-recipient of the University of Georgia Inventor Award for the discovery of the Villegas-Glisson/GA strain of Newcastle disease virus vaccine. In 2013 he was elected to the Hall of Honor of the World Veterinary Poultry Association.

Born in Líbano, Tolima, Colombia, Dr. Villegas obtained his Veterinary degree from Universidad del Tolima in Colombia, completed his Master’s degree at Texas A&M University, and his PhD at the University of Georgia before becoming a professor at UGA. During his tenure at the University, he mentored numerous graduate students at the Master’s and PhD levels. His main work has been in the area of avian virology and control of poultry diseases, for which he has developed vaccines and procedures that help to stop the spread of poultry disease or mitigate its effects. He has published close to 100 peer reviewed articles covering different avian viruses and given nearly 300 presentations in 56 different countries.

He is a father to 3 children, including Dr. Andres Villegas, President & CEO, Georgia Forestry Association and Patricia Elena Villegas, both UGA alumni; and Pedro Villegas, a graduate from Notre Dame and UC San Diego. His wife, Angela, received her Master’s degree from UGA and retired from working at UGA as a clinical microbiologist.