Welfare and Epidemiology Conference -- Speakers

Speakers

Dr. Joy Mench, Director of the Center for Animal Welfare at UCDavis, Professor of Animal Science

Keynote Topic: "Where we have been-assessing animal welfare assessment and on-farm applications" Joy Mench received her Ph.D. in Ethology (Animal Behavior) from the University of Sussex in England in 1983. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Animal Science and the Director of the Center for Animal Welfare at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Mench conducts research on the welfare of animals, especially poultry and laboratory animals. She has published more than 100 papers, book chapters, and books on these topics, and also given many invited presentations to national and international audiences. Her research focuses on understanding social and abnormal behaviors in animals and in evaluating and improving animal management practices and housing environments. Dr. Mench has served on numerous committees and boards related to farm and laboratory animal welfare, including the animal welfare advisory committees of the Maple Leaf Farms, the United Egg Producers, McDonald's, Safeway, Humane Certified, the Food Marketing Institute, and the National Council of Chain Restaurants; National Research Council Committees on Animal Biotechnology: Science-Based Concerns and the Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research; and the Council on Accreditation of the Association for the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC). She also chaired the revision of the First Revised Edition of the Federation of Animal Science Societies' Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching, and has served on the editorial boards or as a section editor for the journals Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Journal of Animal Science, Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, and Animal Welfare. She was President of the International Society for Applied Ethology from 1998-2000, and is currently a scientific advisor to the European Union's Welfare Quality Assurance project and a member of the Livestock Welfare Working Group for the World Animal Health Organization (OIE). In 2004 she was awarded the Poultry Science Association's Poultry Welfare Research Award.

Dr. David C.J. Main, University of Bristol, BVA Animal Welfare Foundation Senior Lecturer in Animal Welfare

Dr David Main is the BVA Animal Welfare Foundation Senior Lecturer in Animal Welfare at the University of Bristol. He is a RCVS recognized specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law. He is responsible for welfare and ethics teaching to both veterinary and veterinary nurse undergraduates. His research interests include applied welfare assessment for a variety in species including livestock, working horses, laboratory mice and pet rabbits. The goal of such research is to promote valid, feasible and repeatable welfare assessment into the management systems of the animal units and certification schemes. He is also a member of UK Farm Animal Welfare Council.

Dr. John Barnett

Topic: "Who needs animal welfare audits? How data is being used in the broader community" Associate Professor John Barnett undertook his undergraduate training in England, completed a PhD at Monash University, Australia and subsequently held post-doctoral positions in the at Hull University in the UK and then a combined research and teaching position at La Trobe University in Australia. He joined the Victorian Government's Department of Primary Industries (DPI) in Melbourne in the late 1970s and was there for 30 years. Earlier this year he resigned from DPI and currently works at the University of Melbourne's School of Agriculture and Food Systems in the Animal Welfare Science Centre; this is a joint centre of the Department of Primary Industries, the University of Melbourne and Monash University. This centre provides a focus for animal welfare research in Australia.
He has published 115 papers in scientific journals, 30 chapters in books, books and industry booklets, and close to another 300 publications including addresses to conferences, reports and industry articles. He is a member of a number of advisory committees including a ministerial advisory committee on animal welfare and the World Society for the Protection of Animals' scientific advisory panel. He also manages the animal welfare programme for the Australian Poultry Cooperative Research Centre and chairs a Victorian government Animal Ethics Committee for wildlife and small institutes.
John has worked extensively on welfare issues associated with intensively farmed livestock, particularly housing systems for pigs and poultry, but also species-specific issues such as tail docking in dairy cows, beak trimming in laying hens, alternatives to surgical mulesing in sheep and the welfare of cloned dairy calves. Of relevance to the topic of his presentation at this meeting he is currently involved in fundamental research on welfare methodology and for the last 8 years he has been working with industry, government and welfare groups to develop comprehensive welfare audits for the livestock industries.

Dr. Cate Dewey, Chair/Professor Swine Health Management and Epidemiology

Topic: "Using Data Collected for Production or Economic Purposes to Research Production Animal Welfare - An Epidemiological Approach" Dr. Cate Dewey is a Professor of Swine Health Management and Epidemiology in the Ontario Veterinary College and Chair of the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph. She received her DVM from the University of Guelph in 1979. She spent six years in private practice before returning to the University of Guelph for graduate work. She earned her MSc in 1988 and her PhD in 1992. Dr Dewey was an Assistant Professor for three years at the University of Nebraska before returning to the University of Guelph in 1995. She has been the executive editor of the Journal of Swine Health and Production since 1998.
As an epidemiologist, Dr. Dewey conducts on-farm observational studies, field trials and epidemiological research using large data collected for production or economic purposes. Dr. Dewey's current research includes factors associated with in-transit loss in Ontario market pigs, spread of the PRRS virus among Ontario swine farms, sampling and survey methods to determine the prevalence of zoonotic diseases in Ontario pigs and cysticercosis and productivity in Kenyan small holder pig farms.

Dr. Ken Leslie, Ontario Veterinary College, Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Professor of Ruminant Health Management

Topic: "Research on Dairy Cattle Well-Being: Finding Synergy Between Ethology and Epidemiology" Dr. Ken Leslie was raised on a central Ontario dairy farm. He graduated from the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College in 1974, and developed bovine practice skills in Brampton, Ontario. After accepting a clinical faculty position at the Ontario Veterinary College, he completed his M.Sc. graduate training in dairy cattle reproductive management. Dr. Leslie is currently a full professor in the Department of Population Medicine, with the Ruminant Health Management Clinic. He has an international reputation and responsibilities for research, teaching and extension in the area of dairy health management. Dr. Leslie is currently the Dairy Research Coordinator for the University of Guelph OMAFRA Research Programs. His special interests are udder health, replacement heifers and transition cows. Dr. Leslie originated the concept of continuing education certificate programs at OVC, and was the director of the Dairy Health Management Certificate Program. This extension education conference continues to be held annually. Dr. Leslie has put a great deal of effort into fostering networks of dairy health management veterinarians, and research workers on issues relative to dairy cattle health. He is an active supervisor of graduate students and undergraduate elective rotations, with an objective to develop awareness and interest in the implementation of intensive health management programs for the dairy industry. Dr. Leslie has received the Schering Award for Preventive Veterinary Medicine, the AABP Cyanamid Award of Excellence, the OABP Award of Excellence, the Canadian Animal Health Institute Industry Leadership Award, and the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence.

Dr Dan Thompson, Kansas State University, Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology/Assistant Professor

Dr. Dan U. Thomson is a third generation bovine veterinarian and was raised in Clearfield, IA. Dr. Thomson completed a MS in Ruminant Nutrition from South Dakota State University and a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from Texas Tech University. Dr. Thomson received his BS in Animal Science and DVM from Iowa State University.
Dr. Thomson was an associate veterinarian with Veterinary Research and Consulting Services in Greeley, CO. He then served as the Director of Animal Health and Well-being for Cactus Feeders in Amarillo, TX. Dr. Thomson was the veterinary consultant for their 10 commercial feedlots and directed their animal health research at the Cactus research facility.
Currently, Dr. Thomson is The Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology in the Department of Clinical Sciences at Kansas State University. He is directing the Beef Cattle Institute Targeted Excellence initiative on and off the Kansas State campus. Dr. Thomson teaches stocker and feedyard production medicine and nutrition. Dr. Thomson's areas of research interest are the interactions between production management, environment and nutrition on the health and performance of beef cattle

Ms. Sherrie Niekamp, Director of Animal Welfare, National Pork Board

Sherrie Niekamp is the Director of Animal Welfare for the National Pork Board. Her responsibilities include serving as a resource in the development of educational materials on animal care including programs such as the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program (PQA Plus) and the Trucker Quality Assurance Program (TQA). Sherrie also has oversight of the administration of swine welfare research responsibilities. Sherrie also works with veterinarians, producers and other segments of the pork chain to identify welfare issues concerning the swine industry and work collaboratively to provide solutions to these issues. In addition, she communicates this information on swine welfare issues to state associations and others as needed. Niekamp received her Master of Science in Animal Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Helen Wojcinski, Science and Technology Manager, Hybrid Turkeys - a division of Hendrix-Genetics

Title: Welfare Issues including Audits Facing the Turkey IndustryDr. Helen Wojcinski is responsible for providing specialized technical services and solutions to Hybrid customers globally. Hybrid Turkeys is a primary turkey breeding company providing genetics world wide. Dr. Wojcinski has been with Hybrid since 1998. Prior to this, she received her DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph in 1982. She spent 2 years in private practice before returning to OVC to complete a DVSc degree in Poultry Health Management in 1998. Dr. Wojcinski earned her Board Certification in 1993 through the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.
In 2007, she became certified as a Poultry Welfare Auditor through the Professional Animal Auditors Certification Organization. Dr. Wojcinski has been involved with the Animal Welfare committees of both the National Turkey Federation and the American Association of Avian Pathologists. She is a frequent presenter at industry meetings and symposia both locally and internationally and actively involved in teaching poultry industry service personnel. Her areas of interest include: salmonella control, biosecurity, health programs, compartmentalization, welfare guidelines and audits.

Dr. Hugo Medina , DVM, Sparboe Companies

Title: Overview of The Table Egg Pullets and Layers Programs (The Verified VPC and UEP Programs) Dr. Hugo Medina has over twenty years experience in the poultry industry, most recently with Sparboe Companies in Minnesota working the past five years with table egg layers. Previously, he worked five years with turkeys at Jennie-O in Minnesota and ten years with broilers and turkeys for Foster Farms in California. Dr. Medina received his MS from University of Minnesota and followed up with his DVM at National University of Mexico. He also is involved with the American College of Poultry Veterinarians Board.

Welcome Address:

Dean John Thomson,

Dean Wendy Wintersteen,