Dr. Sarah Esstman (formally Sarah McDonald) received her B.S. in Biology with Honors from Florida State University and her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Following postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Esstman started her academic career as an Assistant Professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. In 2017, she joined the faculty at Wake Forest University as an Associate Professor, where she investigates mechanisms of rotavirus replication and teaches undergraduate and graduate students in both the classroom and the laboratory.