About the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic

The Plant Disease and Insect Clinic at NC State University provides plant disease diagnostic and insect identification services to help you grow healthy plants and crops.

The Plant Disease and Insect Clinic was established as the Plant Disease Clinic in the Department of Plant Pathology at NC State University in 1951. With the addition of entomologists from the Department of Entomology in 1970, it became the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic. The Plant Disease and Insect Clinic is a member of the National Plant Diagnostic Network and the Southern Plant Diagnostic Network .

Meet our staff

Our dedicated staff are plant disease and insect experts. They work with Extension Specialists from Plant Pathology, Entomology, Horticulture, Crop Science and Soil Science to diagnose your samples.

	Shawn Butler Shawn Butler hails from northern New York in the Seaway Valley and received a B.S. degree in Agronomy from Cornell University. He serves as the clinic's landscape ornamentals diagnostician. Shawn also is an expert in molecular diagnostics for fungi, bacteria and viruses. He manages day-to-day clinic activities, hourly employees, and regulatory issues. Shawn joined the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic in 2001.
	Mike Munster Mike Munster diagnoses diseases on ornamentals for commercial clients such as nurseries and greenhouses. He has been in this capacity since February of 2009, after a 10-year hiatus from the clinic. He holds a B.S. degree in Agronomy from the University of Minnesota and an M.S. in Plant Pathology from North Carolina State University. Mike teaches a portion of the turf and ornamentals diseases course in the NCSU Agricultural Institute and is a regular presenter on the online "Plants, Pests, and Pathogens" webinar series for Master Gardener Volunteers.
	Dave Stephan Dave Stephan identifies arthropods and other animal specimens submitted to Entomology Extension and to the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic. He also identifies specimens for researchers at NCSU and other universities in North Carolina and prepares suitable specimens for the NCSU Insect Collection. Dave is a regular presenter on the online "Plants, Pests, and Pathogens" webinar series for Master Gardener Volunteers. Dave earned a B.S. degree from Cornell University and an M.S. degree from North Carolina State University.
	Chuck Hodges Dr. Chuck Hodges diagnoses tree diseases and identifies household molds. He is retired from the U.S. Forest Service and works part-time in the clinic. Dr. Hodges is a world authority on tree diseases and an expert mycologist. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia.
	Emma Lookabaugh Emma Lookabaugh worked on the PDIC throughout her undergraduate career at NCSU, where she received a B.S. degree in Plant Biology in 2010. She is now a Master of Science Student in the Department of Plant Pathology. Emma diagnoses tomato samples in cooperation with Dr. Frank Louws and is responsible for the clinic's social media. Emma's research will identify species of Pythium that cause problems in greenhouse production and determine their sensitivity to common fungicides.
	Barbara Shew Barbara Shew has served as Director of the Plant Disease and Insect Clinic since January of 2009. She is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology. Dr. Shew also serves as an Extension Specialist for peanut diseases and conducts research on peanut diseases. She received her B.S. degree from Colorado State University and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from North Carolina State University.