American Association of Avian Pathologists
Published: 13 Oct 2021
Event
Virtual annual meeting, July 30-Aug. 2
Awards
Lasher-Bottorff Award
Dr. Tahseen Abdul-Aziz, Raleigh, North Carolina, in recognition of an avian diagnostician or technical service veterinarian who has made important contributions to the poultry health program in North America over the past 10 years. Dr. Abdul-Aziz received his veterinary degree in 1977 from Baghdad University and his doctorate in veterinary pathology in 1983 from Iowa State University. He is a veterinary pathologist and diagnostician at the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rollins Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Abdul-Aziz also serves as an adjunct professor at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Phibro Animal Health Excellence in Poultry Research
Erica Spackman, PhD, Athens, Georgia, for sustained excellence in poultry disease and health for 20 years or more. Dr. Spackman earned her doctorate in animal science in 2001 from the University of Delaware. She is a research microbiologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service’s Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory. Dr. Spackman has helped create diagnostic tests for viral diseases of poultry, including a real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction assay for avian influenza. She has also created RT-PCR diagnostic tests for Newcastle disease, avian astrovirus, avian reoviruses, turkey coronaviruses, and avian rotavirus.
Bayer-Snoeyenbos New Investigator Award
Dr Rüdiger Hauck, Auburn, Alabama, for research contributions to the field of avian medicine. Dr. Hauck received his veterinary degree in 2002 and earned his doctorate in veterinary microbiology in 2006 from Free University of Berlin in Germany. He is an assistant professor at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Hauck’s research focuses on coccidia and reovirus and aims to understand the molecular basis of their pathogenicity and use this knowledge in practical ways to prevent disease.
Outstanding Field Case and/or Diagnostic Report Award
Dr. Sara Throne (Kansas State ’01), Bentonville, Arkansas. A diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians, Dr. Throne is a senior director of veterinary services at Simmons Foods. She was recognized for her presentation “Sunday Morning Calls are Never Good!”
P.P. Levine Award
Farjana Saiada, PhD, Richmond, Virginia, won this award, presented to the senior author of the best paper published in the journal Avian Diseases. Dr. Saiada earned her doctorate in biomedical sciences in 2019 from Auburn University. She is a postdoctoral fellow at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. Dr. Saiada was recognized for the paper “Intestinal tropism of an infectious bronchitis virus isolate not explained by spike protein binding specificity.”
AAAP Special Service Award
Bob and Janece Bevans-Kerr, Jacksonville, Florida, for outstanding contributions to avian medicine via scientific work, organizational involvement, and service to colleagues. Bob Bevans-Kerr is executive director of the AAAP. Janece Bevans-Kerr serves as director of member services for the AAAP and is executive director of the ACPV.
AAAP Excellence in Mentorship Award
Dr. Jarra Jagne (Cornell ’90), Ithaca, New York, for her dedication to the poultry industry and mentorship of students and colleagues. Dr. Jagne serves as a senior extension associate in the Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a diplomate of the ACPV.
Reed Rumsey Student Award
Dr. Mohammadreza Ehsan, Turlock, California, won in the category of basic research in avian medicine. Dr. Ehsan received his veterinary degree in 2013 from Islamic Azad University, Garmsar Branch, in Iran. He earned a doctorate in bordetellosis in 2017 from the University of Tehran in Iran and a doctorate in avian mycoplasma in 2021 from the University of Georgia. Dr. Ehsan was recognized for his presentation “Application of Comparative Genomics to Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Vaccine Studies.”
A.S. Rosenwald Student Poster Award
Dr. Claudia Carranza, Lima, Peru, won in the category of applied research. Dr. Carranza received her veterinary degree in 2010 from Cayetano Heredia University in Lima. She is a postdoctoral student at the National University of San Marcos in Lima. Dr. Carranza was recognized for her poster “Continuous detection of GI-13 lineage avian coronavirus strain in poultry flocks from Peru.” Dr. Allison Boone (North Carolina State ’10), Raleigh, North Carolina, won in the category of basic research. Dr. Boone is a postdoctoral student at North Carolina State University. She was recognized for her poster “Immunomodulant effect of in ovo vaccination with herpesvirus of turkey supplemented with toll-like receptor 3 agonist (poly I:C) in meat-type chickens.”
Hall of Honor Inductees
Hyun Lillehoj, PhD, West Friendship, Maryland; Rudolf Hein, Georgetown, Delaware; and Dr. Tahseen Abdul-Aziz, Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Lillehoj earned her doctorate in immunology in 1979 from Wayne State University. She serves as a research molecular biologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland. Hein is a consultant who focuses on development and technical support for recombinant herpesvirus of turkey–vector vaccines.
AAAP Life Member Award
Dr. Richard Chin (California-Davis ’83), Petaluma, California, in recognition of his outstanding service to the poultry industry. Dr. Chin retired from the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Population Health and Reproduction as a professor emeritus of clinical diagnostic avian medicine. During his tenure, he also served several years with the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System. Dr. Chin is a past president of the AAAP and has been a member of the editorial board of Avian Diseases since 1999. He is a diplomate of the ACPV.
Officials
Dr. Louise Dufour-Zavala, Gainesville, Georgia, president; Dr. Rocio Crespo, Cary, North Carolina, president-elect; Dr. David Frame, Ephraim, Utah, immediate past president; Dr. Suzanne Dougherty, Athens, Alabama, executive vice president; Dr. Holly Sellers, Athens, Georgia, associate director; Ashley Hallowell, Abington, Pennsylvania, student director; and directors—Drs. Samuel Christenberry, Cullman, Alabama; Michelle Kromm, Wilmar, Minnesota; Julie Helm, Columbia, South Carolina; Karen Grogan, Dacula, Georgia; Simone Stoute, Turlock, California; and Naola Ferguson-Noel, Athens, Georgia
