Speakers
Dr. Matt Ackerman
Dr. Matt Ackerman grew up on a small grain and livestock farm around Peoria, IL. He attended the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and graduated with a BS in Agricultural Sciences in 1992 and a DVM in 1995. Since graduating, he has worked in private swine consulting practice. In July 2016, he opened his own practice named Pork Veterinary Solutions. Pork Veterinary Solutions is currently a two-veterinarian practice that over sees the annual production of approximately 1.5 million pigs (about 1% of US production). The emphasis of the practice is on establishing preventative herd health programs and interpreting production and economic records for commercial swine farms.
Ethan Aljets
Ethan Aljets is a Ph.D. candidate in the Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine (VMPM) program at ISU CVM, working under the mentorship of Dr. J.Q. Zhang in the virology lab. Since joining the lab in 2018, Ethan has developed extensive experience in both in vivo and in vitro virology research. His current work focuses on Porcine Sapovirus, including the development of diagnostic tools , comparative challenge studies, and field-based prevalence investigations.
Dr. Bailey Arruda
Bailey Arruda is a Research Veterinary Medical Officer at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Ames, IA. She received her DVM and Pathology PhD at Iowa State University.
Dr. Jean Paul Cano
Veterinarian graduated from the Central University of Venezuela (2000), with a Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases from the University of Minnesota (2007). Brings over 25 years of experience in the U.S. and Latin American swine industries, having held leadership roles including Professional Services Director at BIVI-USA, Health Director for the Americas at PIC, and LATAM Health Director at Pipestone. Currently establishing his own swine veterinary practice in Spain, Europe.
Dr. Guilherme Cezar
Dr. Cezar got his DVM in Brazil and practiced for two years as a technical veterinarian service in an autogenous vaccine company in the swine and poultry division. Then, Dr. Cezar joined Iowa State University, where he got his Master’s in Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate in Population Science in Animal Health and coordinates the Swine Disease Reporting System Project.
Dr. Maria Jose Clavijo
Dr. Maria Jose Clavijo is a half-time Research Associate Professor in the Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine Department at Iowa State University. Her research at ISU focuses on clinical, field-based research on infectious diseases of livestock, with particular emphasis on bacterial diseases of swine. In addition, she leads efforts integrating next-generation sequencing (NGS) and molecular epidemiology tools to better understand the dynamics of bacterial pathogens and to improve disease management strategies in production systems. Previously, Dr. Clavijo served for 10 years as a Health Assurance Veterinarian at PIC (Pig Improvement Company), where she specialized in the design and implementation of whole herd disease prevention and elimination programs. She obtained her PhD from the University of Minnesota in 2014, studying the epidemiology of Mycoplasma hyorhinis in U.S. swine production systems. Dr. Clavijo earned her degree in Veterinary Medicine from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in 2009, where she practiced before beginning her graduate studies. She currently resides with her family in Barcelona, Spain.
Dr. Elisa De Conti
Elisa is a PhD student who obtained her Veterinary Medicine Degree in Brazil. Her family has a small pig farm, so she has always wanted to learn more about pig health. After her DVM, she worked in the technical services of Boehringer Ingelheim Brazil. Now, she is looking to gain more knowledge from her grad studies.
Kate Dion
Dr. Kate Dion received her DVM from Iowa State University in 2011 completed the Executive Veterinary Program in Swine Health Management at the University of Illinois in 2016. She spent 11 years working for the HANOR Company as a veterinary and animal well-being and quality assurance manager. Kate is currently a post-doctoral research associate at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and working on a PhD in Population Sciences in Animal Health. Her research focuses on biosecurity, disease risk assessment, and applied field epidemiology.
Dr. Gabi Doughan
Dr. Gabi Doughan is a veterinarian and post-doctoral research associate with the Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) at Iowa State University. She obtained her undergraduate degree from Central College in 2017 and her DVM from ISU in 2021. Her current position is a mix of educating veterinary students, professional practice, and performing research to obtain her MS and PhD. Dr. Doughan’s research is focused on water line ecology, water biosecurity, and water line disinfection methods in swine farms.
Dr. Attila Farkas
Dr. Attila Farkas is a veterinarian at Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd. located in Carthage, Illinois. He is one of twelve veterinarians dedicated to the swine veterinary practice. Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd. provides health, management, and production consulting to swine farms of all sizes in all regions of the United States and many locations abroad. Dr. Farkas attended the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, receiving a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, continuing on to complete Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates through the American Veterinary Medical Association. Dr. Farkas completed the Executive Veterinary Program from the University of Illinois in 2022.
Dr. Corrine Fruge
Dr. Fruge received her Bachelors in Animal Science in 2013 from Iowa State University and is a 2017 graduate of University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. She lives in Arnold, NE with her husband and 2 boys. Has worked as the Great Plains Herd Veterinarian at the Maschhoffs for 8 years.
Dr. Nick Gabler
Dr. Nicholas Gabler is the inaugural John F. Patience Professor in Swine Nutrition in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA. He obtained his Bachelors of Agricultural Science and Ph.D. from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. He has completed postdoctoral research at both Purdue and Iowa State Universities, before joining the Animal Science Department at Iowa State University in 2008 as an assistant professor in fundamental swine nutrition and metabolism. Presently, Dr. Gabler has an active and diverse research program that focuses on understanding and improving swine feed efficiency, nutrition by health, lean tissue accretion and intestinal physiology of pigs. He utilized both basic and applied, cellular and whole animal approaches. He has been active as an author and co-author and has published over 120 peer-reviewed journal articles and review papers. Further, he has presented his research at regional, national and international meetings. His research is making important scientific contributions to swine production and science.
Dr. Lauren Glowzenski
Dr. Lauren Glowzenski has been a swine-exclusive veterinarian for nearly a decade, with expertise working in large commercial hog operations across all phases of production. Prior employers include Tyson Foods and TriOak Foods. Dr. Lauren recently joined the Pipestone Veterinary Services team in 2024 and provides care to clients in Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.
Dr. Kayla Henness
Dr. Kayla Henness earned her DVM from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2019 and her BS in Agriculture Science from Western Illinois University in 2015. She is a senior herd veterinarian for The Maschhoffs in the Central Prairie Region and based in Pittsfield, IL. She oversees breed-to-wean and wean-to-market health and enjoys the continued challenges of swine health and production.
Dr. William Hollis
Bill is a veterinarian at Carthage Veterinary Service and a founding member of the Carthage System which operates sow farms, breeding stock multipliers, and boar studs throughout the midwest.
Swaminathan Jayaraman
Swami Jayaraman is a Ph.D. student in Population Sciences in Animal Health at Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Production Animal Medicine department. Working under Dr. Gustavo Silva’s mentorship, his research focuses on developing the PRIME (Porcine Regional Information Management Ecosystem) platform to improve swine disease surveillance across multiple production systems in the US swine industry. Drawing on his background in information systems design, statistical modeling, and artificial intelligence, Swami works to integrate diverse data streams for monitoring swine pathogens more effectively. In addition to his doctoral research, he contributes to the ISU Diagnostic Laboratory, applying his cross-disciplinary skills to develop and support comprehensive animal health information systems.
Dr. Clayton Johnson
Clayton is a Veterinarian with Carthage Veterinary Services. A 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois, Clayton services swine producers in all capacities throughout the world.
Dr. Daniel Linhares
Professor and Director of Graduate Education at the ISU CVM. Works with FieldEpi, a team of 25 professionals working on applied initiatives on swine health & productivity
Dr. Bjoern Lorenzen, Chief Consultant, DVM, Certificate in Swine Health Management, MBA
Started in mixed practice and since 1994 entirely devoted to pigs and the SPF system at Danish Agriculture and Food Council. Health control in nucleus and multiplying herds, advisory service in Denmark and abroad, head of the Danish SPF system in two stages, head of export of DanBred SPF breeding stock and weaners. Since 2022 part of the national Danish PRRS eradication programme. Special focus on local cooperation, progress and digital maps to boost this progress. www.PRRSreduktion.dk
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, DVM, from The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (now University of Copenhagen) in Copenhagen, 1991.
Certificate in Swine Health Management from The Danish Veterinary Association. Thesis: Partial depop/repop for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in an acutely infected pig herd”, 1999.
Master of Business Administration, MBA, from Aarhus University and University of Southern Denmark. Thesis: “Health Control in Danish Red SPF Pig Herds – Stakeholders and Value Chain”, 2010.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/bjørn-lorenzen-01919a48/
Isadora Machado
Isadora Machado is a veterinarian from Brazil with swine production experience in both Germany and Brazil. She completed her MS degree in 2023 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. student in Population Sciences in Animal Health at Iowa State University.
Dr. Darin Madson
Dr. Madson is a clinical professor and veterinary diagnostician at Iowa State University, Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. He revived my DVM degree from the University of Minnesota in 2004 and PhD in veterinary pathology at Iowa State University 2009. Prior to his current ISU role, he was the Head of Veterinary Services for JBS Live Pork.
Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham
Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham serves as the Director of Health at Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics, where she oversees health and biosecurity strategies across their commercial and genetic sow units and downstream nursery-finish spaces. A native of Stanton, Iowa, she was raised on a farm with row crops and a cow/calf operation, which fostered her passion for agriculture and science. She earned her B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 2012. In 2016, she received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) and a Master of Science (MS) in Veterinary Preventive Medicine from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Christine resides in Columbus, Nebraska, with her husband, Alex, and their children, Callum and Lilly.
Katlyn McClellan
Katlyn McClellan is a PhD Candidate at South Dakota State University. Her graduate research has primarily focused on sow anemia, including evaluating its prevalence and exploring the relationship between anemia, sow health, and longevity. Katlyn is passionate about sow research and is dedicated to developing strategies to improve sow health and survivability.
Dr. Emily McDowell
Emily has been with Pipestone Veterinary Services for 12 years. She spends much of her time serving clients in both sow and grow-finish pig health and production. She currently leads the Mycoplasma elimination efforts for Pipestone and serves as the Pipestone Multiplication Health Director.
Mariamawit Mohammed
Mariamawit is a graduate researcher at Iowa State University. Her research focuses on porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and genomic studies. She earned both her undergraduate and master’s degrees in Ethiopia before joining the research team at Iowa State.
Dr. Mariah Musskopf
Dr. Mariah Musskopf earned her DVM degree from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 2021. She then spent two years as a field veterinarian for JBS finisher sites, gaining hands-on experience in swine production. In 2023, she moved to the United States to pursue a Master’s and PhD with the Field Epidemiology team. Since then, her research has focused on wean-to-market biosecurity.
Bernt Nelson
Bernt grew up on a farm in rural North Dakota and got his Masters in Ag econ from North Dakota State University in Fargo North Dakota. He spent over 5 years working for Clemson Extension in South Carolina before beginning his career as an Economist for American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington D.C. His family farm background and love for the life it provides are his “why”. This drives his work daily to provide resources, lasting impacts and positive outcomes so others can live out the farm life that made him who he is today.
Dr. Meredith Petersen
Dr. Meredith Petersen is a Director of Swine Health at the National Pork Board. In this role, she supports the Secure Pork Supply and Certified Swine Sample Collector programs and assists in swine health research efforts.
Dr. Reid Philips
Served Boehringer Ingelheim Swine as a Sr. AD for PRRS Technical Mgmt. Within his role, specialized in control and management methodologies related to PRRS and is particularly interested in the role of vaccine-derived immunity. Joined the Boehringer Ingelheim team in 1994 and has prior experience working at a mixed animal veterinary practice. A previous recipient of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Technical Services/Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year and an active member of the AASV
Dr. Pablo Pineyro
Dr. Pablo Piñeyro is an Associate Professor in Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine at Iowa State University Collect of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Piñeyro’s primary research focuses on diagnostic assay development and the basic pathogenesis of viral infectious diseases affecting swine production systems. His current projects include studies on Porcine Circovirus 3 (PCV3), maternal immunity in PRRSV, the pathogenesis of Porcine Hemagglutinating Encephalomyelitis Virus (PHEV), heterologous immune responses against PCV2, and both diagnostic assay development and pathogenesis research on Senecavirus A (SVA).
Dr. Jeremy Pittman
Dr. Jeremy S Pittman is Senior Director, US Veterinary Services for Smithfield Hog Production. Prior to this Dr Pittman was Staff Veterinarian for Smithfield’s North Region for 18 years. Dr. Pittman also serves on Smithfield’s science and technology committee, which uses a science based approach to improve production, health and business performance throughout its operations worldwide. Dr. Pittman graduated from North Carolina State University (NCSU) in 2000 with degrees in Zoology and Animal Science, and minors in Nutrition and Genetics. In 2004, he received his DVM from NCSU and started his career with Smithfield. Dr. Pittman received a Master’s degree in Veterinary Preventative Medicine from Iowa State University in 2014. Dr. Pittman is a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Swine Health Management) and serves as adjunct faculty at the NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Pittman also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC), and served on the US SHIP General Conference Committee (2022-2023). Dr Pittman received the 2015 Allen D Leman Science in Practice Award from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Pittman received the Science with Practice Award from Iowa State University in 2016. Dr. Pittman completed the Executive Veterinary Program at the University of Illinois in 2016. Dr. Pittman was the recipient of the 2021 American Association of Swine Veterinarian’s Swine Veterinarian of the Year.
Ana Paula Poeta Silva
Dr. Poeta Silva received her DVM and Master’s in epidemiology at the University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. She obtained her PhD in animal population medicine at Iowa State University regarding the control and surveillance of M. hyopneumoniae. Currently, she is a postdoc research associate coordinating the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus Outbreak Management Program and has active research in traditional concepts of epidemiology and infectious diseases applied to livestock systems, disease management, and diagnostic data.
Dr. Chris Rademacher
Dr. Chris Rademacher is a Clinical Professor and Swine Extension Veterinarian at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine as well as the Associate Director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center at Iowa State University. In December, 2014 he joined the faculty at Iowa State University after serving for 16 years as a Director of Health for New Fashion Pork and Director of Production Improvement for Smithfield Foods.
Dr. Brett Ramirez
Brett Ramirez is an associate professor in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University. He leads an integrated research and extension program focused on ventilation design and management, climate physiology, mass mortality management and several other topics related the swine facilities. His program aims to generate practical solutions to current and emerging issues surrounding animal agriculture and its producers.
Dr. Chris Richards
Dr. Chris Richards is the Managing Director of Apiam Animal Health, which owns and operates over 80 veterinary clinics across regional and rural Australia. With a veterinary team of over 360 veterinarians, with a predominant female and Gen Y and Z demographic, Apiam has rapidly grown in recent years through driven by its evolving approach to people, and the way that it delivers veterinary services across the pig, beef, dairy, equine and companion animal segments.
Dr. Chris Sievers:
Dr. Sievers’s is a veterinarian at swine vet center where he has practiced since graduating Vet School from Iowa State University. He works with mid sized producers across Iowa in all 3 stages of production. Dr. Sievers currently resides in in Storm Lake Iowa and is blessed with 3 boys that enjoy the outdoors with him.
Dr. Gustavo Silva
Dr. Silva earned his DVM in Brazil in 2009 and worked in swine health and production technical services. From 2012 to 2018, he completed an MS in Veterinary Pathology and a Ph.D. in Applied Veterinary Epidemiology. After a postdoctoral position at Iowa State University (ISU) in 2018, he joined Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions (CISS), a research company affiliated with Carthage Veterinary Services. At CISS, he served as a Research Scientist, working on multidisciplinary research programs focused on optimizing pig growth, health, and reproduction with Carthage System and external. In January 2021, Dr. Silva returned to ISU as an Assistant Professor in the VDPAM. His research centers on biosecurity, surveillance systems, and the application of veterinary epidemiology and statistics to support swine production and health decision-making.
Dr. Amanda Sponheim
Dr. Sponheim has been part of the Boehringer Ingelheim Swine Team as a Key Account Veterinarian since 2010. In addition to her full-time role, she is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Minnesota, College of Veterinary Medicine, where her research is primarily about identifying diagnostic approaches to improve the detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in swine under faculty advisor Dr. Maria Pieters. Prior to working at Boehringer Ingelheim, she worked as a Health Assurance Veterinarian for Pig Improvement Company (PIC). She is a Leman Fellowship and Alex Hogg Scholarship recipient, member of the EVP Swine Health Management class of 2016, and the 2025 AASV Technical Services and Allied Industry Veterinarian of the Year.
Laura Solis
Laura Solis is a graduate research assistant in the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine (VDPAM) at Iowa State University, working under the guidance of Dr. Marcelo Almeida. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree, with her research focused on sow mortality. Laura earned her Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Medicine in Mexico and has gained valuable experience in hog production through work with various companies across the United States.
Giovani Trevisan
Giovani Trevisan is an Assistant Professor at the Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine Department at Iowa State University. He works collaboratively with the FieldEpi team and the ISU VDL under the Epidemiological and Enterprise Services. Giovani is also with the Swine Disease Reporting System and the US Swine Health Improvement Plan.
Dr. Nicolai Weber
Graduated in 2008 as doctor in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Copenhagen and has a combined background of practical herd management and research in porcine intestinal diseases. Has worked in the Danish pig industry as a veterinary pig practitioner for 7 years and as a researcher at the University of Copenhagen completing the PhD thesis with the title “Porcine Intestinal Disease Complex in nursery pigs, with special focus on the prudent use of antimicrobials” in 2017. Since 2017 employed by the Danish Agriculture & Food Council as researcher and manager with gastric health, prudent use of antimicrobials and alternatives to zinc oxide as main research topics. Appointed as censor and co-PhD supervisor at University of Copenhagen. Since January 2022 employed as project manager of the Danish National PRRS reduction program.
Dr. Paul Yeske
Swine Practitioner in Swine Practice with 17 other veterinarians. I have a special interest in research and swine disease eliminations.
Sara Dalsgaard
Sara Dalsgaard is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (University of Copenhagen, 2009) and holds a Master’s degree in Rhetoric and Communication from Aarhus University (2014). She has extensive experience in veterinary public health, having served as an official veterinarian and worked for seven years at the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, focusing on pig health and national contingency planning. Since 2017, she has been with the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, initially managing SPF health controls for nucleus and multiplier herds. Since 2021, she has served as Manager of the Danish SPF system, overseeing health status and biosecurity across the Danish pig sector.
Rodger Main
Rodger Main is a Professor and Director of the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL). ISU VDL’s team of 180 faculty and staff play an active role on the frontlines of US animal agriculture processing approximately 125,000 diagnostic case submissions and conducting more than 1.5 million diagnostic assays annually. Over the course of the past year, Rodger and US SHIP pilot team members at Iowa State University have been working very closely with the USDA Swine Health Team in supporting a successful and seamless transition of the US SHIP program administration and ongoing program development responsibilities over to the USDA Swine Health Team.
Elise Toohill
Dr. Elise Toohill is a veterinarian since 2018 with Carthage Veterinary Service, located in Illinois. Twelve veterinarians at Carthage Veterinary Service, Ltd. provide consulting to independent swine producers and production systems throughout the United States, the Americas, and Asia. The practice has an active research division, Carthage Innovative Swine Solutions (CISS), which has published findings from health and nutrition trials that are implemented throughout the industry today. Carthage Veterinary Service also has a mixed animal division serviced by four veterinarians. Dr. Toohill completed her bachelor’s degree in animal sciences with a pre-veterinary medicine emphasis from the University of Minnesota and D.V.M. from the University Of Minnesota College Of Veterinary Medicine. Prior to working at Carthage Veterinary Service, Dr. Toohill served as the Associate Director of Health and oversaw the health services program of one region of 55,000 sows farrow to finish. Dr. Toohill is based in Iowa providing service to producers in Missouri, Iowa and Illinois.