John Francis Shea, SJ, BS, PhD

Associate Professor

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Contact

JohnShea@creighton.edu
College of Arts and Sciences
Biology
Jesuit Community

John Francis Shea, SJ, BS, PhD

Associate Professor

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where I attended Cleveland Benedictine High school and John Carroll University. After finishing my Bachelor of Science in biology, I attended the Ohio State University for graduate studies in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology. I defended my dissertation entitled, “Gender in Factors Influencing the Infection of the Beetle, Tenebrio molitor with the Tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta” in 2003 and entered the Jesuits in the same year. After two years as a novice in Detroit, I took vows and began my Masters in Social Philosophy at Loyola University of Chicago. I then taught biology and did research at Gonzaga University as part of the Jesuit formation known as regency. While at Gonzaga, I investigated the use of snail parasites as indicators of ecosystem health. Following regency, I attended the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley where I completed my Masters of Divinity. After my ordination as a priest in 2014, I began teaching Zoology and Parasitology at Creighton University.

Teaching Interests

  • parasitology

Research Focus

My research interests lie in two areas of Parasitology. First, I am interested in parasite-altered behavior of hosts. Parasites that require multiple hosts often employ strategies to increase the probability of transmission to their next host, including altering host behavior. I conduct lab experiments to study such questions using infected invertebrates. I also ask how chemicals such as fertilizers and heavy metals alter the normal behavior and growth of invertebrates. Second, I am interested in using parasites as indicators of ecosystem health. Some parasites such as trematodes have complicated life cycles involving multiple hosts. Thus, the presence of the parasite in an ecosystem suggests the presence of its hosts. Since larval trematodes are easily and quickly collected from their snail intermediate hosts this research holds promise for a cheap and accurate way to assess ecosystems.

Department

Biology

Position

Associate Professor

Books

  • Shea John Francis, Downhower Jerry F, Pappas Peter W, , Gender in factors influencing the infection of the beetle, Tenebrio molitor with the tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta 2003

Publications

  • The Journal of parasitology
    Anaya C, Shea J F, ENGAGING STUDENT ATTENTION WITH ACTIVE LEARNING AND CREATIVE PROJECTS IN PARASITOLOGY COURSES
    112:2, p. 198 2026
  • Invertebrate biology
    Shea John F., Sniezek Anna, Marchant James, Evidence that flatheaded mayflies (Heptageniidae) serve as the likely paratenic host for Chordodes morgani (Nematomorpha) in Nebraska
    142:2 2023
  • Journal of Parasitology
    Figueira T., Owen D., Hanelt B., Shea J. F., New Definitive Host Record for Chordodes morgani (Nematomorpha) in Nebraska with Notes on Ecology
    107:5, p. 769 - 775 2021
  • Comparative Parasitology
    Seoane-Scheitermaier Erik, Dang Sydney, Barry Michael, Shea John F., Observations on the Occurrence of Knotting Behavior in the Horsehair Worm, Paragordius varius
    87:1, p. 16 - 18 2020
  • Ecological Indicators
    Shea John F., Kersten G. J., Puccia C. M., Stanton A. T., Back E. J., Stiso S. N., Helgeson E. S., The use of Parasites as Indicators of Ecosystem Health as Compared to Insects in Freshwater Lakes of the Inland Northwest
    13:1, p. 184 - 188 2012
  • Natural Science
    Shea John F., Do Male and Female Beetles (Tenebrio Molitor) Respond Differently to Rat Feces Containing Eggs from the Tapeworm, Hymenolepis Diminuta?
    2:8, p. 855 - 859 2010
  • Journal of Helminthology
    Shea John F., Lack of preference for infective faeces in Hymenolepis diminuta-infected beetles
    81:3, p. 293 - 299 2007
  • Ohio Journal of Science
    Shea John, A survey of the Coleoptera associated with Carrion at sites with varying disturbances in Cuyahoga County, Ohio
    105:2, p. 17 - 20 2005
  • Freshwater Biology
    Conroy J. D., Edwards W. J., Pontius R. A., Kane D. D., Zhang H., Shea John F., Richey J. N., Culver D. A., Soluble Nitrogen and Phosphorus Excretion of Exotic Freshwater Mussels (Dreissena Spp.): Potential Impacts for Nutrient Remineralisation in Western Lake Erie
    50:7, p. 1146 - 1162 2005
  • Parasitology Research
    Shea John F., The Effect of Hymenolepis Diminuta (Cestoda) Cysticercoids on the Weight Change, Frass Production, and Food Intake of the Intermediate Host, Tenebrio Molitor (Coleoptera)
    98:1, p. 1 - 4 2005
  • Journal of Insect Science
    Shea John F., Sex Differences in Frass Production and Weight Change in Tenebrio Molitor (Coleoptera) Infected with Cysticercoids of the Tapeworm Hymenolepis Diminuta (Cestoda)
    5:1, p. 31 (art. id) 2005

Grants

  • Testing Parasite-Mediated Behavioral Manipulation of Crickets Experimentally Infected with Horsehair Worms/Sponsor: CURAS Summer Faculty Research Fellowship