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Gilchrist questioned whether Jack Cameron, former operations chief, whose last day was Jan. 4, and Jim Gill, a zoonotic disease specialist, whose last day was Wednesday, were let go because of close ties to her.

"The timing is an element that makes it a link. Basically, Jack was put on leave the same day I was fired, and Jim was told on the day of the groundbreaking that he was going to be let go," Gilchrist said Thursday. "The link in timing is somewhat suggestive."

Gilchrist publicly criticized UI officials for mismanagement and cutbacks to the design of a $37 million new lab, which prompted her October termination, she said.

Gilchrist filed a lawsuit in January against UI Interim President Gary Fethke and Vice President for Research Meredith Hay to get her job back. She said she was wrongly fired after criticizing Fethke and Hay.

UI officials have not commented about Gilchrist's firing or the lawsuit.

Cameron's lawyer told him his position had been terminated because of reorganization, he said, adding that he had hired a lawyer because of his employment situation, but declined to comment about whether he plans to join Gilchrist's lawsuit.

"It's hard not to feel that way," Cameron said of a link to Gilchrist. "I like to look on the positive side of things. (My termination) could be a lot of things. I was just privileged to be able to work for Dr. Gilchrist and to work for the health of three million Iowans."

UI officials declined to comment on Cameron's departure, calling it a personnel matter.

Financial cutbacks cost Gill his job, said Chris Atchison, interim director for the lab and associate director for public health in the Department of Public Health.

"Of choices I don't want to make, this was one I had to make," Atchison said. "I think (Gill's job) is important, but given the fact that we have reduced funding from the Senate, that was a change I thought we needed to make in order to keep our fiscal house in order. I had to eliminate the position."

Fallout from the recent departures is unlikely, Atchison said.

"I have no sense of deterioration of the excellent work this lab has done over the years due to these changes," Atchison said, noting there were 200 staff members at the Oakdale Campus lab.

Gill was disappointed, but said research funding can be problematic.

"It's a tough thing. You really have to work hard to come up with the money. Research dollars are hard to come up with," Gill said.

Gill said he was unsure if there was another motive for his dismissal.

"Being three weeks to the day after Gilchrist was fired you wonder what is happening. But I don't know what is happening because I wasn't at the high-level meetings," Gill said, adding that he hadn't considered a lawsuit.

Gilchrist described Cameron, essentially her right-hand-man, as "a very vital individual ... a highly critical part of the team" and credited Gill's contribution to the health of Iowans' in detecting and preventing animal- and insect-borne diseases such as West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis.

"I did work very closely with both of them. I felt they were very good employees," Gilchrist said. "There is a lot of collective wisdom missing now. The new people that are in charge are going whatever direction they want to go."

The Hygienic Lab is a state public health testing facility used to detect threats to human and environmental health.