December 4, 2025
Dr. Ching-Yang Wang, graduate student in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, was the only U.S. student who won an award at the 11th Asian Pig Veterinary Society Congress held in Japan.
Wang’s presentation was “Evaluation of Maternally Derived Immunity to Improve PRRSV Vaccination and Control Programs” for which he received the Oral Student Award.
He works on Iowa State’s Field Epidemiology Team with CVM faculty members Dr. Daniel Linhares and Dr. Pablo Pineyro, on maternally-derived antibodies (MDAs) against PRSSV.
“The objective of the project is to characterize the MDAs in the field conditions, such as unstable v.s. stable-vaccinated herds,” Wang said.
The results showed that unstable herds had higher MDAs than stable-vaccinated herds overall. Wang says the research aims to guide the vaccination program and population management regarding PRRSV control. The team’s next step is to extend the collection period from breeding herds to the nursery phase, characterizing how herd status and piglet’s’ vaccination timing influence the MDAs.
Wang holds a DVM and master’s degree in veterinary pathology from National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. Before coming to Iowa State, he worked at a research institute and production company developing diagnostic kits and serving as a swine veterinarian.