The data was readily available to swine producers.
But the College of Veterinary Medicine Field Epidemiology Team felt more was needed.
A monthly Swine Disease Reporting System (SDRS) podcast has been created and maintained by the Field Epidemiology Team to fill that void.
“While monthly reports and real-time updated dashboards provided detailed data, the podcast turns those findings into conversations that are more approachable and practical for busy professionals,” said Dr. Quyen Thuc Le, research assistant in the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine. “Because episodes can be listened to while driving, commuting or working, the podcast format helps us reach a wider audience and share timely context from investigators and guest experts.”
The SDRS podcast has been running since April 2022 and is released monthly. Ranging from 20 to 30 minutes in length, the podcasts feature discussion among SDRS investigators and guest experts.
Each episode highlights diagnostic data trends, emerging pathogens and their implications for the swine industry while making complex findings accessible and practical for veterinarians, producers and students.
SDRS monitors and reports diagnostic data for 10 primary swine pathogens. Additionally, over 50 confirmed porcine diseases from tissue cases are covered.
Swine veterinarians, producers, researchers and industry stakeholders from around the globe all tune into the podcast
“By sharing timely insights in this accessible way, the podcast has become a key channel for connecting with the industry and supporting informed decision-marking,” Quyen Le said. “Our goal is to ensure that diagnostic trends are not only available, but also meaningful and useful in everyday decision-making.”
SDRS is a collaborative project funded by competitive grants from the Swine Health Information Center and the USDA. The report aggregates diagnostic data from multiple U.S. veterinary diagnostic laboratories, monitoring across the United States while focusing on states that have more than 2 million pigs.
The podcast has been so successful that the CVM Field Epidemiology Team is hoping to expand by sharing episodes on multiple platforms, exploring new channels and bringing multiple translations and scripts to reach a wider audience.
“We also hope to strengthen industry engagement by inviting more producers and practitioners to share their perspectives, Quyen Le said. “We see the podcast as a tool for training and outreach, supporting both the next generation of swine health professionals and continuing education for current practitioners.
“Ultimately our goal is to keep the podcast a trusted, practical and forward-looking resource for the industry.”
And that reach could be extended outside the swine industry.
“While our current focus is on U.S. swine health, we see opportunities to expand into other species such as poultry and bovine in the future,” Quyen Le said.
SDRS is based at Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and is a collaborative effort between Iowa State and the University of Minnesota, South Dakota State University, Kansas State University, Purdue University and the Ohio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
At Iowa State the project’s principal investigators are Dr. Giovani Trevisan, assistant professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, and Dr. Daniel Linhares, Roy A. Schultz Professor in Swine Medicine. Quyen Le is the project coordinator while graduate students Sajan Thallapelly and Likhitha Nakka are data analysts. Kinath Rupasinghe, software developer, is also a member of the team.
January 2026