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Dr. Sunoh Che

Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor

Animal & Avian Sciences 3151 Animal Sciences/Agric. Engrg Bldg 8127 Regents Drive College Park, MD 20742-2311
301 405-1376

Expertise

  • Poultry management
  • Veterinary epidemiology
  • Statistical model building
  • Metabolic disorders of chickens

Education

  • PhD – Pathobiology, Ontario Vet College, University of Guelph, Canada
  • MSc – Health Management, Atlantic Vet College, University of PEI, Canada
  • MVE – School of Vet Med, Murdoch University, Australia
  • BVM, DVM – College of Vet Med, Chonnam National University, South Korea

Professional Summary:

Dr. Che is an assistant professor of poultry management, a veterinarian, and a board-certified epidemiologist. With a background in food animal production from government and industry, she has developed a strong interest in improving animal health. Her primary focus is on identifying patterns among different groups (such as high yield vs. low yield, healthy vs. symptomatic, control vs. treated) and implementing effective measures to enhance poultry health. In the Che lab, the team is committed to developing a poultry management extension program focused on pre- and post-harvest processing. They collaborate closely with poultry growers and processors to investigate challenges and devise strategies that improve both the health and production quality of poultry. Dr. Che's ultimate goal is to assist producers in maintaining the health and productivity of their animals by employing data-driven approaches.

Research:

My research encompasses:

  • Transcriptomic analysis of spaghetti meat and woody breast in broiler chickens across different production types.

  • Metagenomic analysis of gut microbiome data comparing slow-growing chickens to fast-growing chickens.

Teaching:

Recent Courses:

  • ANSC 262: Commercial Poultry Management

Publications:

Select Publications Include:

  • Che, S*., Susta, L., Sanpinit, P., Malila, Y. and Barbut, S., (2025). Gaping Conditions of the Pectoralis Minor (tenders) in Commercial Broilers: Prevalence, Histology, and Gene Expression. Poultry Science, 104976.
  • Gordon, L., Leacy, A., Pham, P.H., Tuling, J., Che, S., El-Khouri, A., Caswell, J.L., Lillie, B.N. and Susta, L., (2025). Pathogenesis of Aquatic Bird Bornavirus 1 in Turkeys of Different Age. npj Viruses, 3(1):14
  • Che, S*., & Hall, P., (2024) Spaghetti Meat and Woody Breast Myopathies in Broiler Chickens: Similarities and Differences. Frontiers in Physiology 15: 1453322
  • Maboni, G., Che, S., Tallmadge, R., Luca, E., Goodman, L. B., Weese, J. S., & Sanchez, S. (2024). Feline respiratory disease complex: insights into the role of viral and bacterial Co-infections. Frontiers in Microbiology, 15, 1455453
  • Che, S., Pham, P. H., Barbut, S., Bienzle, D., & Susta, L. (2024). Transcriptomic profiles of Pectoralis major muscles affected by spaghetti meat and woody breast in broiler chickens. Animals, 14(2), 176.
  • Che, S., Susta, L., & Barbut, S. (2023). Effects of broiler chilling methods on the occurrence of pale, soft, exudative (PSE) meat and comparison of detection methods for PSE meat using traditional and Nix colorimeters. Poultry Science, 102(10), 102907.
  • Che, S., Weber, L., Novy, A., Barbut, S., & Susta, L. (2023). Characterization of dorsal recumbency syndrome associated with woody breast in broiler flocks from Ontario, Canada. Poultry Science, 102(2), 102307.
  • Ampuero, F., Leacy, A., Pham, PH., Che, S., Jardine, C., Nagy, E., Delnatte, P., Lillie, BN., & Susta, L (2023). Experimental pathogenesis of aquatic bird bornavirus 1 in Pekin ducks. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 18094.
  • Ampuero, F., Leacy, A., Pham, PH., Che, S., Tuling, J., El-khoury, A., Nagy, E., Jardine, C., Delnatte, P., Lillie, BN., & Susta, L. (2023). Experimental Infection of Aquatic Bird Bornavirus 1 (ABBV-1) In Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). Veterinary Microbiology, 109946.
  • Wang, C., Che, S., Susta, L., & Barbut, S. (2023). Textural and physical properties of breast fillets with myopathies (wooden breast, white striping, spaghetti meat) in Canadian fast-growing broiler chickens. Poultry Science, 102(2), 102309.
  • Che, S., Wang, C., Varga, C., Barbut, S., & Susta, L. (2022). Prevalence of breast muscle myopathies (spaghetti meat, woody breast, white striping) and associated risk factors in broiler chickens from Ontario Canada. PloS one, 17(4), e0267019.
  • Che, S., Wang, C., Iverson, M., Varga, C., Barbut, S., Bienzle, D., & Susta, L. (2022). Characteristics of broiler chicken breast myopathies (spaghetti meat, woody breast, white striping) in Ontario, Canada. Poultry science, 101(4), 101747.
  • Iverson, M., Leacy, A., Pham, P. H., Che, S., Brouwer, E., Nagy, E., Lillie, B., & Susta, L. (2022). Experimental infection of aquatic bird bornavirus in Muscovy ducks. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 16398.

Certification & Awards

  • Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine (2021- present)
  • Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station (MAES) Competitive Grant Program (2025 - 2026)
  • Industry Education Recruitment Funding, US POULTRY Foundation (2024 - 2025)
  • Hy-Line International Genetics & Genomics Award, Certificates of Excellence, Poultry Science Association (USA, 2021)
  • International Doctoral Tuition Scholarships (Canada, 2020 - 2022)
  • Art Fitzgerald Graduate Research Scholarship (Canada, 2018)
  • Endeavour Postgraduate Award (Australia, 2010 – 2012)