Canoerebel
Posts: 21100
Joined: 12/14/2002 From: Northwestern Georgia, USA Status: offline
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In reply to my PM to Chickenboy this a.m., he shared with me many more details about his background. At my request, he said I can share this with you. From Chickenboy to me via PM just a few minutes ago: Hi Dan, Thanks for the notes. You can use my earlier thoughts in the context you described. That's fine by me. Some forumites might know that I'm a poultry veterinarian. They're probably thinking 'big whoop.' Who cares? I debated whether posting this might toot my own horn, so I didn't. But I'm OK burnishing my credentials a bit for you in a PM. My original training was in veterinary medicine. Early on I decided that I was more interested in population medicine and epidemiology, so I stayed on after the rest of my class graduated to complete a parallel MPVM (Master in Preventive Veterinary Medicine) program. It focused on epidemiology, study design, statistics and population medicine. Outbreak investigation was always one of my favorite 'detective' sorts of pastimes within the training. After finishing my DVM and MPVM at UC Davis (go Aggies!), I did a residency at the University of Pennsylvania. Here I focused on diagnostic pathology of avian species (mostly poultry), but also cut my teeth on 'program' disease management for things like Salmonella Enteritidis and, particularly, avian influenza. For AI, we had to use human influenza tests for rapid diagnosis and were reminded about the costs/benefits/values associated with population serosurveillance, antigen-capture assays, virus isolation and reliance on clinical signs for diagnostics. We had a few outbreaks of novel coronaviruses ('infectious bronchitis virus') that we learned to work with and live with too. And they went 'poof' also. I became a 'boarded' poultry veterinarian with the American College of Poultry Veterinarians in 1998. After a sojourn to Pennsylvania and Delaware, I landed in Minnesota at the CVM (College of Veterinary Medicine) there. My focus was-again-diagnostic pathology of (mostly) poultry. Like UPENN, I also taught veterinary students and was involved in state disease control programs and training of field personnel. I helped develop and get funding for the only BSL-3 veterinary necropsy suite in the state and, of course, went through mandated training on how to work in a biocontainment facility with agents of significant zoonotic potential. When "BIRD FLU!" global fears arose (circa 2005-2007), I threw my hat into the ring. I was involved in a number of projects abroad that focused on laboratory capacity building, laboratory technician training, disease intervention and diagnostic programmatic development. We spent time in South Vietnam talking with animal handlers about the importance of hand washing and PPE. I spent time in countries like the Republic of Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam on these topics. Somewhere in there, I got an MBA from the University of Minnesota. I liked the introduction to accounting, operational management, negotiation and marketing management in particular. Focus on marketing and strategy. Got that in 2008. So I find myself snickering a little bit. The human COVID-19 outbreak is right in my training and experiential 'wheelhouse'. For a poultry vet. Epidemiology. Study design. Diagnostic testing / laboratory capacity building. Vaccine trials. Emerging disease control and eradication. Lots of parallel and overlapping experiences. Life is funny that way sometimes. One of my most proud memories is a trip to the BSL-4 high containment USDA facility on Plum Island. That visit reinforced my view that we veterinarians really are the tip of the spear in mitigating zoonotic disease and diseases that can seriously impact humanity. I was one of the last people to ever see clinical Rinderpest in animals. The USDA has since destroyed their stores of virus and this disease, like Smallpox in humans is now considered eradicated. Good riddance. Anyways, I wax on. Sorry. Just thought I'd give you some context about my background that you may not be otherwise privy to.
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