|
|
Carter Named Director of UK Livestock Disease
Diagnostic Center
By
Laura Skillman
LEXINGTON, Ky., (July 10, 2007) – Craig Carter, a 26-year
veteran in diagnostic veterinary medicine, is the new director
of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Livestock
Disease Diagnostic Center.
Carter, who currently serves as epidemiology professor and
section chief, will take over the helm on Aug. 1 replacing Lenn
Harrison, who is retiring after serving 16 years as director.
“The appointment of a nationally distinguished successor to Dr.
Harrison at LDDC continues our progress toward our goal for the
LDDC – to become a world class center commensurate with
Kentucky's world class animal enterprises,” said Scott Smith,
dean of the College of Agriculture.
Since coming to the state two years ago, Carter has spearheaded
the development of Kentucky’s first fully integrated animal
health information and surveillance system which provides near
real-time analysis of health events involving animals.
This analysis is currently conducted on information gathered at
the LDDC but soon will capture health events at the farm level
and will be integrated with information captured at the
Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville. Once validated, the
system will generate automated alerts to the state veterinarian
and other stakeholders when statistical thresholds are exceeded.
These alerts will allow for rapid response to emerging diseases
as well as providing early detection of possible agri-terrorist
attacks. It also includes a sophisticated disease mapping
application that will aid the State Veterinarian’s Office in its
emergency response to animal diseases. The system will become
fully functional in 2008.
“We are fortunate to have Craig’s experience and abilities with
animals important to Kentucky, from cattle, poultry and other
food animals, to horses, dogs and cats,” said Nancy Cox, UK
College of Agriculture associate dean for research and Kentucky
Agricultural Experiment Station director. “His information
management skills have already brought Kentucky to a new day of
animal health surveillance and enhanced partnerships with the
Office of the State Veterinarian and the Breathitt Veterinary
Center.”
“I look forward to working with Dean Scott Smith and Associate
Dean Nancy Cox, our clients and stakeholders, the Gluck Center,
Veterinary Science faculty and staff and faculty and staff of
the LDDC to take the next steps to better serve Kentucky animal
agriculture and public health,” Carter said. “We all salute Dr.
Lenn Harrison for his many outstanding years as LDDC director
and wish him and wife Sandra the very best in retirement.”
In his first 100 days, Carter said he plans to assess client
satisfaction in specific service areas as well as the quality of
LDDC-client communications and build a consensus action plan for
improvement. With the delay in funding of the LDDC facilities
renovation and upgrade, Carter wants to review the budget to
ensure adequate resources are available to complete it the
project.
“During the last two years, I have gained a strong perspective
of the many challenges that LDDC is facing,” Carter said.
“Veterinary diagnostic laboratories are being asked to do so
much more with dwindling resources. We need to better
communicate the importance of our mission. The work done at our
laboratory, in concert with the Breathitt lab, is directly
related to the marketability of Kentucky animal agricultural
products. In addition, we are the only ones capable of
diagnosing diseases transmissible from animals to humans,
thereby providing a crucial public health service for the
citizens of Kentucky.”
Carter said he will work in collaboration with many partners to
ensure that the lab provides the level and quality of diagnostic
service that will enable Kentucky animal agriculture to grow and
thrive in state, national and international markets. Significant
additional resources must be committed to this, and he is
committed to help find and secure these resources.
Additionally, he plans to review the budget for 2008 and
identify any critical shortfalls that will have to be addressed;
propose and implement some fundamental organizational changes
for LDDC to enhance overall operations; fill some critical
positions such as the diagnostic services coordinator, virology
lab supervisor, epidemiology research analyst and start a search
for an equine extension veterinarian. Carter also hopes to
quickly approve and fill the position of associate director of
LDDC in-house and acquire critically needed instrumentation for
toxicology, molecular biology, serology and other laboratory
sections.
Over the longer term, his goals are to complete a much needed
facility expansion and upgrade, achieve full American
Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD)
accreditation and join and participate in the National Animal
Health Laboratory Network. He also plans to review and possibly
restructure the lab advisory committees to better serve LDDC
stakeholders; complete a comprehensive strategic and operating
plan with five-year planning projections; expand the pathology
post-doctoral scholar program to enhance pathology service and
to help resolve the national shortage of veterinary
pathologists; and pursue private and foundation funding for
endowed faculty chairs and endowed technician positions to help
recruit and retain the very best veterinary diagnosticians for
the state.
Other goals are to fully implement the statewide animal health
information network including web-based access to clinical
reports and epidemiological animal health and zoonotic disease
data. Carter also hopes to justify and add the necessary
staffing and contingency funding to meet surge testing demand
during emerging disease outbreaks like Mare Reproductive Loss
Syndrome (MRLS), Avian Influenza and
foreign animal diseases such as Foot & Mouth Disease. In
addition, a solid contingency plan needs to be in place to deal
with a possible agri-terrorist attack in the commonwealth.
Carter’s skills as a communicator, his extensive laboratory
experience and background in military administration make him a
great choice to take over the helm at the LDDC, said David
Switzer, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred
Association and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders
Association.
“It is very important to be able to communicate well with
constituents – the livestock producers and veterinarians,” said
Switzer, who is a member of the LDDC advisory council and search
committee member.
The diagnostic laboratory is very important to the growing
cattle industry in the state and needs to be a first class
facility, said Dave Maples, executive vice president of the
Kentucky Cattlemen’s Association.
“I’m very excited with Dr. Carter’s selection,” Maples said. “We
need the LDDC to be a first class facility and we believe he has
the leadership ability to bring this to fruition.”
Carter holds several degrees, including a doctor of veterinary
medicine and a doctorate in veterinary public health, from Texas
A & M University. Before joining UK, he served in various
capacities at Texas A & M including head of the Department of
Epidemiology and Informatics. He also was co-founder and served
as president from 1989 to 2005 of Texas Medical Informatics (TMI
Inc.), a company that developed and marketed medical information
systems which aid in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases for
veterinary and human medicine.
Carter has had a military career spanning four decades and still
serves as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves overseeing and
coordinating activities surrounding training and readiness of
Reserve Veterinary Corps soldiers for overseas deployment in
support of the U.S. Army Reserve medical mission. He is a
Vietnam veteran and led the first Army Reserve veterinary unit
into Afghanistan after 9/11 and was awarded a Bronze Star for
his leadership. Carter is currently part of a civilian advisory
team that travels to Iraq and Central America to assist in
improving animal agriculture. His hobbies are physical fitness,
music and flying.
Scientists at the LDDC work with farmers and veterinarians
across Kentucky to improve animal health and find solutions as
new diseases develop. In 2005, the facility had about 60,000
cases that included nearly 150,000 animals ranging from horses
and cattle, to cats and dogs, to reptiles and a zoo animal. The
equine industry makes up about half of the center’s work. Cattle
comprise 30 percent or more, and poultry also makes up a
significant amount of the center’s work. The rest is varied
animal species.
|
|
Contact: Craig Carter, 859-253-0571
|
|
The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
Questions/Comments,
e-mail the
webmaster
Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
News Home
Other Headlines This Week
More
News
RSS Now Available
for those
using news aggregation programs
College News
|
