2021 IVMA Virtual Winter Conference Schedule

Dr. Kristen Obbink is a public health veterinarian dedicated to the promotion of human, animal, and environmental health. She holds her BS (Zoology) and DVM from Iowa State University, her MPH from the University of Minnesota, and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. In addition to working in private practice, she previously served as the State of Iowa’s enteric disease epidemiologist and coordinator for food/feed emergencies. In 2015, Dr. Obbink began her employment with Iowa State University where she has served in multiple roles including as a clinical and surgical educator, Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center Canine Rehabilitation Supervisor, and as the Associate Director for the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education (NIAMRRE). In her current role, she serves as a Lead Public Health Veterinarian with the Center for Food Security and Public Health at the ISU College of Veterinary Medicine where she researches and develops resources to aide in the recognition, prevention, and containment of foreign, emerging, zoonotic, and reportable animal diseases and public health threats. Since July 2020, she has been serving as the Acting COVID-19 Public Health Coordinator for Iowa State University. Dr. Obbink also serves as an Executive Board member and Public Health Committee Chair to the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association and Delegate to the American Veterinary Medical Association representing the American Association of Food Safety and Public Health Veterinarians.

Dr. Trisha Webb works as a mixed animal practitioner at the Animal Health Center in South Central Iowa. She graduated from high school in Pleasantville, IA where she grew up on a farm. She received her undergraduate degree and D.V.M. at Iowa State University, where she graduated in May 2018. She also received her M.P.H. from the University of Iowa in May 2018. Trisha enjoys working with both large and small animals, rotating between the Knoxville and Oskaloosa clinics.

Dr. Katie Rumsey, DVM, MPH, DACVPM is currently an assistant state veterinarian with the Iowa Department of Agriculture. She is a 2005 graduate of Iowa State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and received her Master of Public Health from the University of Iowa in 2019. She is a diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. She spent 14 years in private practice before joining the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in 2019.

Dr. Kenneth May graduated from ISU-CVM in 1987, and joined a mixed animal practice in southwest Wisconsin. After practicing in a large small animal practice in a Chicago suburb, he managed a small practice in a rural community in Illinois for a couple of years, then purchased Melrose Park Animal Hospital in a Chicago suburb. In 2003, Dr May returned to the great state of Iowa, and purchased Sievers Vet. Clinic in even greater Slater, Iowa. In 2005, he opened a second location in Huxley, and maintains both locations as a solo practitioner.

Dr. Chris Chase, Professor, Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, South Dakota State University (SDSU) is a native of Sisseton, SD and attended SDSU. He received his DVM from Iowa State University (1980) and MS (1987) and PhD (1990) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was an associate at the Viborg Veterinary Clinic, Viborg, SD, for 5 years and continued his active involvement in clinical veterinary medicine for 25 years. Dr. Chase’s research has been directed at understanding the initial events of viral infections to develop better methods for preventing virus infections in animals. He also has applied the tools of molecular biology to developing better methods of detecting disease producing organisms. He also has an interest in the emerging diseases of wildlife origin. His clinical experience is with dairy, cow-calf, feedlot, and hog herd health. He is the past president of the South Dakota Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Veterinary Immunologists and past chair of the AVMA Council of Biologics and Therapeutic Agents (COBTA). He is serving as president of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists until 2018. He was the South Dakota Veterinarian of the Year in 2009 and received the FO Butler Excellence in Research Award in 2010 and Outstanding Leadership in Undergraduate Research in 2011 from SDSU. Dr. Chase co-founded RTI (Research, Technology Innovation) LLC., an animal health contract research organization in 1994 and has served as President since 1998. Besides contract research with international animal health companies, RTI also markets diagnostic reagents worldwide.

Dr. Dan Tracy received his DVM at Mississippi State University of Veterinary Medicine in 2001. In 2002 received his MS degree in Dairy Production Medicine at Mississippi State. Upon completion of college Dr. Tracy worked as a large animal practitioner working with beef and dairy producers. Practice experience includes dairy and beef nutrition consultation, herd heath and reproductive management. Currently he is employed at Multimin USA, Inc., as a Technical Services Veterinarian.

Dr. James Roth is a Distinguished Professor in the CVM at ISU. He received his DVM (1975) and PhD (1981) degrees from ISU and is the Director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health. Dr. Roth’s area of research expertise is immunity to infectious diseases of food producing animals.

Dr. Rodger Main is a Professor and Director of the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU VDL). ISU VDL’s team of 160 faculty and staff play an active role on the frontlines of US animal agriculture processing approximately 100,000 diagnostic case submissions and conducting more than 1.4 million diagnostic assays annually. Prior to coming to the ISU VDL in 2009, Dr. Main served as the Director of Production Systems for Murphy-Brown’s Western Operations (a division of Smithfield Foods) where he had worked since graduating veterinary school in 1996.

Dr. Patrick Webb is the director of swine health programs at the National Pork Board, where he joined in 2005. He is responsible for the Pork Checkoff’s efforts in animal identification, pre-harvest traceability and foreign animal disease planning, preparedness and response. Dr. Webb received his bachelor’s degree in animal science and veterinary degree from Iowa State University. Throughout his career, Dr. Webb has worked extensively on emergency preparedness and planning at the local, state and federal levels. He has developed and delivered numerous educational programs directed at training producers, veterinarians, county emergency managers and first responders on how to react to foreign animal disease disasters.

Dr. Cara Haden grew up in Michigan on a family farrow to finish swine farm. and has always had an interest in swine medicine. In May 2014 she graduated with her DVM from Iowa State University with an emphasis in swine production. Immediately after graduation, Dr. Haden joined Pipestone Veterinary Services and Pipestone System as an associate Swine Veterinarian.

Dr. Cameron Schmitt was raised in central Iowa and is a second generation large animal veterinarian. Dr. Schmitt joined Pipestone Veterinary Services and Pipestone System in 2002 after graduating from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Schmitt’s areas of interest include swine disease, diagnostics and laboratory testing.

Dr. Cara Haden grew up in Michigan on a family farrow to finish swine farm. and has always had an interest in swine medicine. In May 2014 she graduated with her DVM from Iowa State University with an emphasis in swine production. Immediately after graduation, Dr. Haden joined Pipestone Veterinary Services and Pipestone System as an associate Swine Veterinarian.

Kara Burns is a licensed veterinary technician with a master’s degree in physiology and a master’s degree in counseling psychology. She began her career in human medicine working as an emergency psychologist. She made the move to veterinary medicine and worked in small animal private practice and a small animal and avian practice in Maine. Kara is the Founder and President of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians, the tenth recognized specialty for veterinary technicians and has attained her VTS (Nutrition). She teaches nutrition courses around the world on digital platforms and in person. She also is a consultant for the Lafeber Company/Emeraid and is Director of Veterinary Nursing for NAVC Publishing and is editor in chief of Today’s Veterinary Nurse. Kara also works as an independent nutritional consultant. Kara is a member of many national, international, and state associations and holds positions on numerous boards. She has authored many articles, textbooks, and textbook chapters and is an internationally invited speaker focusing on topics of nutrition, leadership, and technician utilization.