November 6, 2025
Dr. Molly Lee, associate director and lead public health veterinarian at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has been named the director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health (CFSPH) and the executive director of the Institute for International Cooperation of Veterinary Medicine (IICAB).
Lee replaces Dr. Jim Roth, Distinguished Professor of Veterinary Medicine, who retired from the posts last summer. In the interim, Lee has served as the director of operations for both organizations.
“Molly Lee is a board-certified veterinary specialist with multiple years of experience in public health, preventive medicine, and infectious disease prevention and education,” said Dr. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine. “She is well-prepared to continue the important work for the Center for Food Security and Public Health.”
The CFSPH has maintained a national and international reputation for development and implementation of quality web-based courses, self-guided educational trainings and materials, animal disease information resources, and other tools, provided in multiple languages, to increase national and international preparedness for accidental or intentional introduction of diseases that threaten food production or public health. The CFSPH is a Word Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Collaborating Center for Day-One Veterinary Competencies and Continuing Education.
The IICAB is a World Organisation for Animal Health Collaborating Center of Diagnosis of Animal Disease and Vaccine Evaluation in the Americans.
Lee has been part of the CFSPH team since September 2017. During that time, she has secured over $7.2 million in extramural funding. She has represented the CFSPH at many high-profile engagements including meetings with the World Organisation for Animal Health, Food and Agriculture Organization, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Gates Foundation, and the World Veterinary Association.
Lee also serves as the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center’s infection prevention and control specialist where she provides hospital-wide leadership, education and operational oversight on biosecurity, infection prevention, and response coordination.
A DVM graduate of Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Lee is also a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.
She is the recipient of multiple awards from Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine including the Professional and Scientific Mid-Career Award in 2025 and the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2021. Lee was also named the recipient of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association Rising Star Award in 2020.