PVM Alumnus Selected as AASV Vice President

AASV organization leaders

Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumnus Jeff Harker (2nd from right) is installed as the new AASV vice president along with fellow AASV Officers (left to right), Dr. Scanlon Daniels, president; Dr. Nate Winkelman, president-elect; and Dr. Alex Ramirez, immediate past-president. (Photo courtesy AASV)

Dr. Jeff Harker (PU DVM ’94) of Frankfort, Ind., was installed as the newly elected vice president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) earlier this month during the organization’s annual meeting in San Diego, Calif.  Dr. Harker has been an active member of the AASV, serving as AASV District 4 director and chairing the AASV Continuing Education Committee.  He also has served on the AASV Annual Meeting Planning Committee.  In addition, Dr. Harker has been actively involved in the Indiana Pork Producers Association, serving seven years on the Board of Directors and completing a term as president in 2008.

Dr. Harker grew up on a diversified livestock and grain farm in south central Indiana. His father built one of the first confinement swine barns in the community in 1980. Interacting with the veterinarians that visited their farm stimulated his interest in population medicine and becoming a veterinarian. After earning his Purdue DVM degree in 1994, Dr. Harker joined fellow Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumnus Max Rodibaugh (PU DVM ’77) at Swine Health Services in Frankfort as an associate veterinarian. He became a partner in 2001.  Now called AMVC Swine Health Services, the practice serves a diverse swine clientele ranging from those with small show pig herds to contract growers in integrated production. The bulk of the clients have independent family farms.

With his election as vice president, Dr. Harker was officially installed along with the organization’s other officers March 6.  He joins the AASV leadership team of Dr. Scanlon Daniels (ISU ’98) of Dalhart, Texas, president; Dr. Nathan Winkelman (UMN ’84) of Rice, Minn., president-elect; and Dr. Alex Ramirez (ISU ’93) of Ames, Iowa, immediate past-president.

Writer(s): Kevin Doerr | pvmnews@purdue.edu

Recent Stories

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

The Wellness Committee would like to extend a heartfelt Paws Up to Laurie Marsh, who is a supervisor for the Emergency Critical Care & Small Animal Reception team.

Purdue VBMA Club Hosts Picture-perfect Activity

When veterinary students in the Purdue Chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association (VBMA) were looking for a new event to host as a student organization, an intriguing idea came to mind that was easy to “picture” as a perfect success!  So the club set out to plan the activity in order to meet an important need of the club members while also providing a fun chance for the students to get keepsake images of their furry study buddies.

PVM Faculty Legends Honored at 25th Annual Healing Oasis Wellness Center Conference 

The theme “Knowledge – Like a Precious Metal, is PRICELESS,” proved especially appropriate for the 25th anniversary of the annual Healing Oasis Wellness Center Conference spearheaded by a Purdue Veterinary Medicine alumnus, Dr. Pedro Rivera.  That’s because the conference, held at the end of 2025 at the National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois, gave special recognition to legendary Purdue Veterinary Medicine educators Kathy Salisbury and Ron Hullinger.

How the Brain Recognizes What It’s Seen Before and Why It Matters for Autism Research

When you walk into a familiar place — your kitchen, a classroom, or your neighborhood — your brain instantly starts matching what you see with memories of past experiences. A new study from Purdue University reveals a key piece of how that recognition process works, and why it may be disrupted in conditions such as Fragile X syndrome, a leading inherited cause of autism.

“Paws Up” – brought to you by the PVM Wellness Committee

Today we are recognizing Chloe Morris, RVT, who is a veterinary technologist in Anesthesiology in the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital.

Partnership to make Purdue Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program available to employees at more than 1,000 general practice veterinary hospitals

Already Purdue’s largest online program, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Nursing Distance Learning program is partnering with National Veterinary Associates General Practice to offer the VNDL program to technicians at NVA’s more than 1,000 general practice veterinary hospitals.

PVM Distinguished Professor Suresh Mittal to Speak at Purdue’s Westwood Lecture Series

The Westwood Lecture Series is part of Purdue President Mung Chiang’s efforts aimed at enhancing the intellectual vibrancy of the Purdue West Lafayette campus, and the next featured speaker is Purdue Veterinary Medicine’s Distinguished Professor of Virology, Dr. Suresh Mittal. His presentation entitled, “Universal Influenza Vaccine — An Aspiration or Reality?” is scheduled for January 28, and registration for the lecture is now open.

PVM Concludes 2024 with Recognition of Service Anniversaries and Award-winning Staff

As 2024 came to a close at Purdue University, the College of Veterinary Medicine continued a long-standing tradition of celebrating staff service anniversaries and recognizing staff and faculty accomplishments at the Staff Service Recognition Ceremony. Held in Lynn 1136 on Wednesday, December 18, the ceremony honored more than 70 PVM personnel.