The Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD) hosted its annual event from January 20-23, 2024, in Chicago. This prestigious gathering brought together leading experts and researchers to discuss the latest advancements in animal health.
Notable Awards and Recognitions
Past President Award
- Dr. Annette O’Connor: A distinguished 1993 veterinary graduate from the University of Sydney, Australia, Dr. O’Connor serves as a professor of epidemiology and chairs the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
CRWAD Fellows
- Dr. Christopher Chase, South Dakota State University
- Dr. M.M. Chengappa, Kansas State University
- Dr. Scott McVey, University of Nebraska
- Dr. Steven Olsen, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Dr. James Roth, Iowa State University
- Dr. Amelia Woolums, Mississippi State University
CRWAD Post-Doctoral Researcher Awards
- Dr. Enrique Doster, Texas A&M University: “Metagenomic sequencing and machine learning: Predicting bovine respiratory disease in feedlot cattle.”
- Come J. Thieulent, PhD, Louisiana State University: “Identification of the ex vivo and in vitro equine arteritis virus receptors.”
CRWAD Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) Awards
- First Place: Daniel Young, West Texas A&M University, for “Liver abscesses: Causes and prevention.”
- Second Place (tie): Isabel Tobin, Oklahoma State University, for “Leveraging commensal bacteria to protect chickens from necrotic enteritis” and Melanie Whitmore, Oklahoma State University, for “An epigenetic approach to develop antibiotic alternatives.”
CRWAD 3MT People’s Choice Award
- Kush Kumar Yadav, The Ohio State University, for “The unexpected ride of rat hepatitis E virus to humans.”
American College of Veterinary Microbiologists Awards
- Don Kahn Award: Best Overall Presentation: Stephenie Bradley, Texas A&M University, for “Identification of multi-serotype Salmonella populations in beef cattle samples using CRISPR-SeroSeq.”
- ACVM Student Presentation Awards:
- Oral, First Place: Stephen Tamm, Texas A&M University, for “Environmental, group, and individual sampling for characterizing the ecology of Mannheimia haemolytica in cattle.”
- Oral, Second Place: Saida Zinnurine, Mississippi State University, for “Role of chitinase and RTX toxin in the pathogenesis of virulent Aeromonas hydrophila.”
- Oral, Third Place: Seung-Chai Kim, Jeonbuk National University, for “Farm infection and pathological characteristics of a NADC34-like PRRSV variant in Korea.”
American Association of Veterinary Immunologists Awards
- Oral Presentations:
- First Place: Akanksha Hada, University of Maryland, for “Characterization of bovine intraepithelial T lymphocytes in the gut.”
- Second Place: Melanie Whitmore, Oklahoma State University, for “Deoxycholic acid synergizes with butyrate to alleviate necrotic enteritis in broilers.”
- Third Place: Bradly Ramirez, Texas A&M University, for “Longitudinal blood RNA-Seq analysis of cattle to determine the impact of vaccination and marketing on clinical BRD.”
- Fourth Place: Camille Holmes, Cornell University, for “Unraveling the origin of mucosal T cells in Equine herpesvirus type 1 infection.”
- Fifth Place: Madison Myers-Smith, Michigan State University, for “Endocannabinoid synthesis is modulated by lipolysis pathways in dairy cows’ adipose tissue.”
- Poster Presentations:
- First Place: Karina Hissen, University of California-Davis, for “Effects of dietary glutamate supplementation on the respiratory burst of leukocytes in Hybrid Striped Bass.”
- Second Place: Jinjing Liu, Cornell University, for “Immunogenicity and protection of a novel glycoengineered vesicle vaccine against Glaesserella parasuis.”
American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists Award
- Best Presentation: Amy Dupper, The Ohio State University, for “Concurrent therapeutic and behavior interventions reduce emerging Dracunculus medinensis worms in dogs in Chad.”
Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Awards
- Mark Gearhart Memorial Graduate Student Award: Colette Nickodem, University of Wisconsin, for “An experimental field trial investigating the use of bacteriophage and manure slurry applications in beef cattle feedlot pens for Salmonella mitigation.”
- Best Oral Presentations:
- First Place: Alexandra Pace, University of Idaho, for “Exposure to wildfire smoke PM 2.5 causes pulmonary inflammation and behavior alterations in dairy heifer calves.”
- Second Place: Taylor McAtee, Kansas State University, for “Comprehensive outcomes from a feedlot trial comparing ractopamine hydrochloride and lubabegron feed additives.”
- Third Place: Rafael Portillio-Gonzalez, The Ohio State University, for “Comparison of two methods for collecting antimicrobial usage data on large dairy farms in Ohio and California.”
- Fourth Place: Lucas Horton, Kansas State University, for “Economic considerations for extended feedlot heifer days on feed–sensitivity analysis from pooled clinical trials.”
- Best Poster Presentation: Kiranmayee Bhimavarapu, Auburn University, for “Environmental antimicrobial resistance for food safety and security.”
Animal Health Institute/Joseph J. Garbarino Foundation Biosafety & Biosecurity Awards
- Biosafety & Biosecurity Best Oral Presentation:
- First Place: Faustin Farison, University of Montreal, for “Using association rule learning algorithms to target recommendations more likely to be implemented by dairy farmers.”
- Runner Up: Virginia Margarita Sanguinetti, University of Calgary, for “Expert consensus study regarding disease control strategies to prevent calf mortality in beef herds.”
NC-1202 Enteric Diseases of Food Animals Awards
- Lynn Joens Memorial Award:
- First Place: Kush Kumar Yadav, The Ohio State University, for “Rat hepatitis E virus (HEV) cross-species infection and transmission in pigs.”
- Second Place: J. Daniel Young, West Texas A&M University, for “What is normal? Establishing a baseline of gut health throughout the gastrointestinal tract of feedlot cattle.”
- Third Place: Yu Li, The Ohio State University, for “Isolation and characterization of bovine coronavirus strains from dairy cows, dairy calves, and beef cattle.”
- David Francis Award:
- First Place: Jing Liu, Oklahoma State University, for “Intestinal microbiota confers robust colonization resistance against necrotic enteritis in chickens.”
- Second Place: Mingde Liu, The Ohio State University, for “Generation of safe, efficacious, and attenuated PEDV vaccine candidates using a recombination-resistant platform.”
- Third Place: Anusree Thenissery, The Ohio State University, for “Investigating efficacy and mechanism of action of novel small molecule inhibitors of avian pathogenic E. coli.”
CRWAD 2024 Officials
- Dr. Rebecca Wilkes, Purdue University, President
- Weipang Zhang, PhD, University of Illinois, Vice President
- Dr. Annette O’Connor, Michigan State University, Immediate Past President
- Dr. Paul Morley, Texas A&M University, Executive Director
- Council Members:
- Glenn Zhang, PhD, Oklahoma State University
- Dr. John Angelos, University of California-Davis
- Jun Lin, PhD, University of Tennessee
- Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro, Kansas State University
The CRWAD 2024 conference was a resounding success, highlighting significant research contributions and fostering collaboration among the world’s leading veterinary scientists.
