Specialist in Infectious Disease Pathogenesis to Give Purdue Veterinary Conference Diversity Keynote with Pandemic as Backdrop

Friday, September 3, 2021

This year’s Diversity Keynote speaker for the Purdue Veterinary Conference is Dr. Ian Moore, a veterinarian who heads the Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). A researcher whose collaborative studies include influenza viruses, tuberculosis, coronaviruses (MERS, SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2), human norovirus, and malaria, Dr. Moore will address diversity issues utilizing insights gained from his role as a scholar involved at the federal level in vaccine development.

Dr. Moore has stated that, “Animal and human health care no longer exist merely as disjointed issues, but are now tethered tightly together by the fabric of One Health with all of the world watching.” As part of his keynote lecture, Dr. Moore will discuss this reality as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic exposing what he refers to as “gaping holes in the public health system.“ He explains that those gaping holes relate to the changing roles of veterinarians. He notes that veterinarians traditionally serviced rural areas and provided general information about animal health and zoonotic diseases. In contrast, he says veterinarians today have a much broader role in animal and human health, as well as health messaging and communications related to disease surveillance and the emergence of veterinary diseases, particularly those of importance to human health. His lecture will include insights about the role of veterinary medicine in identifying emerging viruses, developing vaccines and predicting the next pandemic.

Dr. Moore is a native of Brewton, Ala. who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in poultry science and his DVM degree in 2002 and 2006, respectively, at Tuskegee University. He then began a dual veterinary anatomic pathology residency and PhD program at Michigan State University’s Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After completing his three-year residency program and PhD graduate coursework, Dr. Moore transitioned to the NIH where, under the mentorship of Dr. Kanta Subbarao, a world-renowned influenza researcher, he completed his dissertation focused on the pathogenesis and immunology of influenza viruses in animal models.

After earning his PhD, Dr. Moore was recruited to stay on at NIH and asked to head the Infectious Disease Pathogenesis Section (IDPS) of the NIAID. The IDPS is a molecular pathology research core laboratory that currently supports more than 70 NIH infectious disease investigators, spanning a wide array of infectious disease research projects. Dr. Moore has co-authored over 50 publications in journals including Nature, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, and the New England Journal of Medicine. Two of Dr. Moore’s most notable research accomplishments were his identification of the target cell for human norovirus infection and, more recently, his role in performing the pre-clinical safety and efficacy studies for the NIH/Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) ahead of human clinical trials and FDA Emergency Use Authorization.

The 2021 Purdue Veterinary Conference will be held virtually September 7-10, offering four days of high-quality tracks on small animal, equine, food animal, practice management, exotics, and topics of interest for veterinary nurses. Attendees can earn up to 24 hours of continuing education, and will have access to a virtual exhibit hall.

Online registration closes on Tuesday, September 7. If you miss the online registration deadline, you still will be able to email confreg@purdue.edu to register.

Click here for more information on the conference, including the conference schedule. Click here to register today.

Writer(s): Ben Shepard | pvmnews@purdue.edu