Swine Medicine Education Center at Iowa State University

05/27/2026

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Kate Dion to the Swine Medicine Education Center team!

Joining as a Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr. Dion brings extensive experience in commercial swine production and biosecurity research. Her background in outbreak investigations, population medicine, and field epidemiology will bring valuable insight to our students, producers, and industry collaborators alike.

We look forward to the knowledge, leadership, and impact she will contribute through research, teaching, and outreach efforts within the swine industry.

Welcome to the team, Dr. Dion! 🐖🎉

05/25/2026

This Memorial Day, we honor the heroes who gave their lives in service to our nation. Their courage, sacrifice, and dedication will never be forgotten.

From all of us at the Swine Medicine Education Center, thank you to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. 🇺🇸

05/22/2026

Is it even a farm visit if you don’t make a small-town gas station stop with 20 people? And yes… we absolutely had a car hood pizza party featuring the best Iowa gas station pizza: Casey's . 🍕🐷

Yesterday, the SVIP interns spent the day on-farm with the SMEC team, gaining hands-on experience with a variety of sample collection techniques, including blood collection, tracheal swabs, nasal swabs, pen fecals, and necropsy procedures.

The SMEC team enjoyed spending time with this group and can’t wait to see where their summer projects take them! 👏🐽

05/20/2026

Welcome 2026 SVIP interns to ISU CVM! 🐷

The Swine Veterinary Internship Program (SVIP), coordinated by Dr. Holtkamp and Chris Mowrer, is officially underway, and the Swine Medicine Education Center team is excited to help host this year’s on-farm training experience tomorrow.

To kick off today’s Internship Review Sessions, VDPAM Department Chair and SMEC Director Dr. Karriker and work-study student Chantz came dressed for success in their finest “business professional” attire. National Pork Board Taste What Pork Can Do bucket hats… I mean, does it get any better than that?! 😎

We’re excited to welcome the students to Iowa State University this week and look forward to getting everyone out on farm with the SMEC team tomorrow!

05/18/2026

Please join us in congratulating Emma Zwart on being selected as a 2026 Nelda Christian Graduate Fellowship (Iowa Pork Foundation Graduate Fellowship) recipient through the Foundation!

Emma’s commitment to the swine industry, along with her passion for advancing animal health and production, make her incredibly deserving of this recognition. We are proud to celebrate this achievement and look forward to following her future successes in the industry.

05/16/2026

05/15/2026

Another big congratulations to our NICC Veterinary Technician graduates, Raye and Brody!

The Swine Medicine Education Center is so proud to celebrate these two students as they graduated. We were fortunate to have them join our SMEC team for a week-long training, where they showed strong work ethic, curiosity, and dedication while building their skills in swine veterinary medicine.

It was a pleasure having them with us, and we appreciate the commitment they’ve shown throughout their journey at NICC. We’re excited to see where their next steps take them as they continue into the veterinary field.

Wishing you both the very best in all that comes next!

05/15/2026

To the class of 2026, Happy Graduation Day! 🥳

Today we celebrate all of your hard work, dedication, and accomplishments as you take the next step in your veterinary journey. We are proud to have been a small part of your time at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make in the industry and beyond.

Congratulations graduates, your future is bright! ✨

05/14/2026

The SMEC team recently assisted with the Iowa State CVM VCS 7449: Surgery, Anesthesia, and Community Outreach course by demonstrating on-farm PPE, pig handling, assisting with blood collection, and discussing proper IM injection landmarks.

We appreciate the opportunity to support hands-on veterinary student learning and swine health education!

05/06/2026

💧Water Research Wednesday | ESPHM 2026 💧

SMEC is excited to share that Dr. Gabi Doughan will be representing our team at the European Symposium for Porcine Health Management (ESPHM) held in Florence, Italy (May 13–15).

Dr. Doughan will be delivering one oral presentation and two poster presentations, highlighting SMEC’s ongoing research focused on water systems, biosecurity, and microbial risks in swine production.

🔬 Oral Presentation
The oral presentation will showcase findings from our newly published research article in Frontiers in Microbiology, which examines
antimicrobial resistance genes in bacteria isolated from water line biofilms on U.S. swine farms.

📄 Read the full article here:
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1770950/full

🖼️ Poster Presentations
• Effects of one-time cleaning and disinfection of water lines on water quality and biofilms
• Groundwater surveillance of swine pathogens from private wells supplying Iowa swine farms

We’re proud to see SMEC’s research shared on an international stage and to contribute to global discussions on swine health, antimicrobial resistance, and water‑based biosecurity risks.

If you’re attending ESPHM, we invite you to connect with Dr. Doughan and learn more about this work!