Dr. Will Hueston, director of the Global Initiative for Food Systems Leadership, was quoted in "Foot-and-Mouth Disease Study Could Save Millions of Animals," in USA Today on May 5. Read full story.
Peter Davies and Liz Wagstrom cited on Cattle Network
"Staph Contamination Study is Misleading, Meat Industry Says," a story posted on Cattle Network on April 15, cited Drs. Peter Davies and Liz Wagstrom. Full story.
"Program Means More Pigs, Grain Demand in China," a story in the April 1 issue of Southeast Farm Press, quoted Dr. Robert Morrison, professor, Veterinary Population Medicine Department. The story is online.
Drs. Porter and Ziegler Edit First Turkey Disease Reference Guide
Drs. Rob Porter and Andre F. Ziegler are the editors of the first Turkey Disease Reference Guide. Developed in conjunction with Elanco Animal Health, this laminated field guide provides useful lesion recognition and grading schedules to producers in the field. It will be a helpful guide for growers and veterinarians alike to recognize a variety of common disease conditions.
Dr. Scott Wells, director of education for the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, traveled to Kosovo in January as part of a delegation of dairy leaders from Wisconsin and Minnesota. The delegation is partnering with government and industry leaders in Kosovo for a two-year collaborative project to assess food safety risks and improve milk quality. The team traveled throughout Kosovo, visiting small dairy farms, milk collection centers, dairy processing plants, national testing laboratories, and the University of Prishtina. Read more.
Dr. Katey Pelican, assistant professor in the Veterinary Population Medicine Department, and Meggan Craft, post-doctoral associate, Institute on the Environment (IonE), were awarded an IonE grant for "Food Security and Infectious Disease: Seeking Integrated Solutions." The project was one of 10 interdisciplinary initiatives selected for funding in the first round of awards for the new Mini Grant program. The goal of the Mini Grant program is to encourage collaboration on environmental themes among faculty, staff, and students across University of Minnesota disciplines, units, and campuses. Along with $2,500 in funding, each recipient is provided space for meetings, workshops, and conferences and some administrative support for a one-year period starting March 15. Full list of grant recipients.
Minnesota Public Radio interviews Stephanie Valberg
"Minnesotans Note a New Neighbor: the Virginia Opossum," a story aired on Minnesota Public Radio on March 9, interviewed Dr. Stephanie Valberg, director of the Equine Center. Opossums can be a problem for horses because they carry a disease that can cause a neurological condition called equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. The condition is only harmful to horses and is spread when horses eat food that's been in contact with opossum feces. Full story.
Four Veterinary Population Medicine researchers were recognized on February 10, when the Office of the Vice President for Research hosted a "University Innovations" event at McNamara Alumni Center. The ceremony recognized a total of 161 inventors, representing 10 colleges, whose efforts generated 106 patents and 84 licenses in fiscal years 2009–10.
James Collins, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Marie Gramer, associate clinical professor Nubia Macedo, research assistant Simone Oliveira, assistant clinical professor
The event also addressed the importance of research and innovation to the nation’s economy, the U's role in Minnesota’s economy, and the growth of U research. Over the past five years, inventions by University researchers have brought nearly $390 million in revenue into the state and helped fund numerous initiatives across the University, including fellowships for graduate students, critical research infrastructure and major equipment needs, development investments for University technologies, and funding for additional research. For more information, see celebrate inventors.
KARE 11 interviews Jeff Bender about chronic wasting disease
"Can Chronic Wasting Disease Jump From Deer to Humans?" a February 9 story on KARE 11, included an interview with Dr. Jeff Bender, director of the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety. Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory assistant scientist Lotus Smasal was also quoted in the story, which is online at kare11.com. Jeff's conclusion: There's currently no evidence that chronic wasting disease has jumped the species barrier, "and that species barrier is pretty high."
Montserrat Torremorell Cited in Scientific American
Dr. Montserrat Torremorell, Leman Chair in Swine Health and Productivity, was cited in "Flu Factories," an article in the January issue of Scientific American.
Morris Animal Foundation has awarded funding to two College of Veterinary Medicine researchers for equine health studies. Dr. Krista Fritz, post-doctoral fellow in the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department, was awarded a fellowship training grant for the study “Identifying Susceptibility of ‘Tying Up’ in Thoroughbreds,” and Dr. Molly McCue, assistant professor, Veterinary Population Medicine Department, received a grant for the study “Studying Susceptibility of Gray Horses to Skin Cancer.” Learn more.
VPM Faculty Members Appointed to National Advisory Committee
When Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the members of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health on December 9, they included two Veterinary Population Medicine Department faculty members: Dr. Elizabeth Wagstrom, associate professor, and Dr. Cindy Wolf, assistant clinical professor. Elizabeth and Cindy will serve two-year terms on the committee, which will advise the Secretary of Agriculture on actions related to prevention, surveillance, and control of animal diseases of national importance. In doing so, the committee will consider the implications of public health, conservation of natural resources, and the stability of livestock economies. The committee will meet for the first time in January 2011.
Dr. Julia Ponder, executive director of The Raptor Center, returned from the Galapagos after three weeks of meetings with the hawk migration team and various partners and staff who will be involved in the implementation of the rodent eradication project.
"Much groundwork and planning was accomplished," she says. "After being there, I am more than ever convinced of the importance of this project and have an increased awareness of the magnitude of what is being attempted." She heads back in early January to begin bringing the hawks into captivity before the rodent eradication phase gets underway. Julia's Galapagos journal entries and photos are on The Raptor Center's blog at www.theraptorcenternews.blogspot.com.
Dr. Jeff Bender, director of the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety, has been named to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Science Advisory Committee. The FDA uses 49 committees and panels to obtain independent expert advice on scientific, technical, and policy matters to assist in its mission to protect and promote the public health. Committee members must be technically qualified experts in their field and be able to analyze detailed scientific data and understand its public health significance.
Dr. Liz Wagstrom of the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety was a member of the U.S. delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance (TFAR), which met last month in Muju, Korea. Codex Alimentarius is an international food standard-setting organization that is part of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s food and veterinary standards activities. The Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance was tasked with developing guidance for countries on conducting risk assessments on the public health impacts to agricultural uses of antimicrobials. This was the fourth and final year of activities for the TFAR. The document developed will be presented for acceptance by the Codex Commission in July 2011.
"Veterinarian Scientists: Ideal Translational Research Partners," an article in the Fall 2010 issue of NCCR Reporter, featured the CVM's Molly McCue, assistant professor, and other veterinary scientists. Molly was also in the magazine's cover photo, along with Kelly Vallandingham, equine liaison. NCCR Reporter is a publication of the National Center for Research Resources, a component of the National Institutes of Health. See the NCRR Reporter article.
Dr. Stephanie Valberg, professor and director of the Equine Center. A major focus of Dr. Valberg's research is discovering the pathogenic and genetic basis for muscle disorders in large animal species. She was part of the international team of researchers that sequenced the equine genome.
