On behalf of the Board of Regents, I am pleased to present a KUDOS award to the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center Team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
This award celebrates their dedication, innovative approaches, and tireless efforts in safeguarding the health of Nebraska's livestock, pets, wildlife, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln community. The Vet Diagnostic Center serves Nebraska's agriculture producers and producers around the world and is recognized for its expertise in diagnosing diseases in cattle and other food animals. In addition to serving agricultural producers, it also provides testing and diagnostic services for wildlife and companion animals. The Center demonstrates exceptional teamwork with partners including the Centers for Disease Control, the US Department of Agriculture, and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. This collaborative effort underscores the importance of veterinary diagnostic facilities in protecting both animal and human populations from emerging health threats. For example,
- The Vet Diagnostic Center has been a key source of information about a recent strain of avian influenza that affects dairy cattle.
- The team is learning how to mitigate risk of the African swine fever to prevent the virus from entering the United States.
- The Center plays a crucial role in conducting surveillance and diagnostic testing on samples collected from poultry, livestock, pets, and wildlife.
- This ability to rapidly scale up testing capacity, as experienced during the pandemic, has positioned UNL to play a pivotal role in surveillance and diagnostic efforts, facilitating early detection, containment, and mitigation strategies.
Joining us today are representatives of the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center are Zachary Brown, Night Manager, Debra Royal, Quality Control Manager and Scott McVey, Professor and Director of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
Please join me in thanking the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center Team for their dedication to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.