Mississippi State UniversityEXPERT PITCH: Avian Influenza Outbreak
With avian flu outbreaks recently reported in Tennessee and Alabama, Mississippi State University has multiple nationally-recognized faculty who can offer insight into this subject. As a land-grant university in one of America’s top poultry-producing states, MSU personnel are uniquely prepared to research the disease and its impacts, as well as provide timely, valuable insight for poultry companies and the general public.
A list of experts is provided below. For questions or additional information, contact Allison Matthews at [email protected] or (662) 325-7457 or Harriet Laird at [email protected] or (662) 325-7460. The MSU TV Center has high definition television uplink capabilities, suitable for live and live to tape two way interviews or feeds. Contact David Garraway, director, at 662-325-1332 for more information.
Suggested Expert Sources:Dr. Henry Wan, professor in MSU’s College of Veterinary MedicineAs the current outbreak continues to impact poultry producers in affected states, Dr. Wan’s timely research focuses on eradicating avian flu and mitigating the spread of infection from emerging flu viruses. He has given lectures on Avian flu bioinformatics and genomics in Nigeria, Vietnam, and India as organized by the World Health Organization, United Nations, FAO, and CDC. Dr. Wan’s bio can be found at this link: http://sysbio.cvm.msstate.edu/about/welcome. Dr. Tom Tabler, extension professor in MSU’s Department of Poultry Science
Dr. Tom Tabler has over 35 years of experience in the poultry industry. Dr. Tabler uses his expertise to assist large-scale poultry producers with a wide variety of production issues, including threats of avian flu. He conducts applied research that allows the poultry industry to make informed equipment and management decisions. He has written extensively concerning avian influenza and biosecurity measures to protect against it. Dr. Tabler has produced a guide to educate poultry producers on how to prevent the spread of the avian flu and mitigate its impact. The guide, which addresses many frequently asked questions about the bird flu, can be found at http://extension.msstate.edu/sites/default/files/publications/publications/p3060.pdf.
Dr. Josh Maples, assistant professor in MSU’s Department of Agricultural Economics
Dr. Josh Maples specializes in agriculture marketing and works to help producers understand marketing and finances. With the current avian flu outbreak threatening to cause significant financial losses in affected areas, Dr. Maples can discuss commodity markets, production economics and livestock marketing. Dr. Maples’ research focus spans from making the most economical production and marketing decisions on the farm to measuring the attributes that consumers value when purchasing meat. He works with the media to provide current market analysis and information to aid in producers' decision making processes. For more, visit http://www.agecon.msstate.edu/associate.asp?id=126.
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