June 25, 2025
Dr. Pat Halbur, retired professor and chair of the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic Medicine and the executive director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, has been named the 2025 recipient of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Science with Practice Award.
The award, presented at the James D. McKean Swine Disease Conference, recognizes integration of science and the art of veterinary practice to benefit swine productivity and welfare.
Halbur received his DVM, MS, and PhD from Iowa State University. Before returning to Iowa State for advanced degrees in veterinary pathology, he was co-owner of a mixed animal practice in Williamsburg, Iowa. Halbur spent 15 years as a diagnostic pathologist in the ISU VDL before taking on several administrative roles including director of the VDL, associate dean for public services and outreach, and interim dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
He has published over 225 peer-reviewed manuscripts related to food animal health and holds 14 U.S. patents. Halbur was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2017 and is the recipient of the Iowa State University Award for Achievement in Intellectual Property.
A past president of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians and the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, Halbur was named to the “Masters of the US Pork Industry” and is the recipient of several other awards including the AASV Howard Dunne Memorial Award. He served on the AASV Board of Directors 2004-2007 and has contributed to several AASV Annual Meeting Program Planning Committees.
This past spring, he was awarded the Outstanding Swine Academic of the Year Award from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.