Contacts:
Dr. Pat Halbur, Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University (515)294-6970, pghalbur@iastate.edu
Dr. Rodger Main, Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University (515)294-2822, rmain@iastate.edu
Tom Ligouri, ISU Veterinary Medicine Communications (515)294-4257, ligouri@iastate.edu
Dan Kuester, ISU News Service, (515) 294-0704, kuester@iastate.edu
Ames, IA --- A nationally recognized swine veterinarian, Dr. Rodger Main, has been named Director of Operations at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Main most recently served as Director of Production Systems for Murphy-Brown Western Operations. In that role, Main served on the management team, directed veterinary services and production research initiatives for the pork production company. He is the 2008 recent recipient of the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award, presented by his peers in academe, industry and private practice for his contributions to improving knowledge related to swine health and production. He is an accomplished researcher with a number of publications in the areas of swine health, nutrition and production management.
In his new position, Main will oversee the daily operation of the laboratory’s performance of diagnostic services, comprehensive surveillance testing programs and applied research on diseases of high relevance to Iowa animal agriculture. The laboratory receives between 45,000 and 50,000 case submissions annually for testing by its 26 faculty members and 95 staff workers.
“Dr. Main’s work with a number of the most progressive diagnostic laboratories around the world and his strong applied research orientation make him a great addition to our diagnostic lab and the services we provide to the animal agriculture industry, “ said Dr. Pat Halbur, Executive Director of the ISU Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. “Dr. Main has an excellent understanding of the entire food production chain and brings a global perspective of the challenges and opportunities in improving animal health through the application of evidence based diagnostic medicine.”
“Iowa State provides one of the truly outstanding veterinary diagnostic programs in the world and I am looking forward to being associated with it as its new operations director,” said Main. “My experiences in diagnostic medicine and its application to worldwide animal agriculture seem to be a good fit with the expertise of the lab. As we move forward in developing and communicating data based best practices, the quality, speed and accuracy of the services we provide will have even greater value for producers.”
Main received a BS degree in Agriculture (1991) and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University in 1996. He received a PhD in veterinary medicine from Kansas State University in 2005. He began his new role on February 1 following the retirement of Dr. Lorraine Hoffman, who had been operations director of the lab since 2006, and a section leader in the lab for 32 years.