Abstract
The E. P. Pope Memorial Award is presented in memory of Dr. Edward P. Pope who was one of the founders of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD) and who served with distinction as its Secretary-Treasurer from 1959 to 1972. The award was established in his honor in 1974. The Pope Award is the highest award given by the Association and is presented to an individual who has made noteworthy and significant contributions to the Association in regard to implementing and advancing the recognition of the specialty of veterinary diagnostic laboratory medicine. The 2021 E. P. Pope Memorial Award was presented to Dr. Patrick G. Halbur during the 65th Annual Meeting of the AAVLD.
Patrick G. Halbur, DVM, MS, PhD, currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine (VDPAM) and Executive Director of the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (ISU-VDL) at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University (ISU-CVM).
After earning his DVM from Iowa State University in 1986, Dr. Halbur spent one year as an associate and three years as a partner in a mixed animal practice in Williamsburg, IA. In 1990, he returned to the ISU-VDL to begin his training in diagnostic medicine. He was fortunate to benefit from the mentorship of Drs. Vaughn Seaton, Lorraine Hoffman, Howard Hill, John Andrews, George Daniels, Kent Schwartz, Greg Stevenson, Bruce Janke, Prem Paul, and others. Dr. Halbur earned his MS (1992) and PhD (1995) in veterinary pathology and joined the faculty in the pathology section of ISU-VDL in 1995. He spent 12 remarkably enjoyable years as a diagnostic and research pathologist serving the most progressive livestock and poultry producers in the world.
Dr. Halbur’s research has focused on advancing understanding of the diagnosis, pathogenesis, and control of swine infectious diseases including porcine respiratory coronavirus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, porcine circovirus, and swine hepatitis E virus. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts and holds 14 U.S. patents. Dr. Halbur was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2017 and is the recipient of the Iowa State University Award for Achievement in Intellectual Property.
Dr. Halbur has had the opportunity to serve in several administrative roles in academia including Associate Dean for Public Services and Outreach, Chair of the Department of VDPAM, Executive Director of the ISU-VDL, and Interim Dean of the ISU-CVM. He is particularly appreciative of the mentorship in administration provided by Dr. John Thomson, former Dean of the ISU-CVM. Together, they were successful in getting a substantial increase in operational funding for the ISU-VDL from the Iowa legislature.
Dr. Halbur has served as President of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (2017), on the Executive Board of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, and as President of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association (2003). He is the recipient of the Howard Dunne Memorial Award (1998) from the American Association of Swine Veterinarians, the Meritorious Service Award (2004) and the Veterinarian of the Year Award (2018) from the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, and the Outstanding Service Award from the ISU-CVM Alumni Association (2018). Dr. Halbur was named an Honorary Iowa Pork Producer (2004) and to the “Masters of the U.S. Pork Industry” (2014).
In addition to representing the North Central Region on the AAVLD Executive Board, Dr. Halbur has served on several AAVLD committees including co-chair of the Government Relations Committee, Financial Advisory Committee, Foundation Committee, Awards Committee, and others.
It was his wife Therese Halbur MD that convinced him to leave private veterinary practice in 1990 and return to academia in Ames, IA where she continues to practice as a pediatrician. They are the proud parents of 4 children (Adam, Mary, Christopher, Martin) and 2 grandchildren (Ethan, Anna).
A word from Dr. Halbur
The U.S. has the best network of veterinary diagnostic labs in the world. I have been very fortunate to spend much of my career as a diagnostic pathologist or in a leadership role in one of those VDLs at ISU. Many people really have no idea how advanced and impactful our U.S. VDLs have become. I love to tell the “VDL story.” Sometimes that involves taking props from the necropsy floor to the state legislature or giving people a tour of “science on display” as they move from section to section through our lab. The audience quickly grasps how VDLs are essential to the success of the most progressive livestock and poultry producers in the world.
The AAVLD is a great organization and has played a major role in the success story of our VDLs. I have been involved in the AAVLD since I was a graduate student in the early 90s. Since that time, I have had the opportunity to get to know, to stand on the shoulders of, and in some small ways carry on the work of some remarkable thought leaders in diagnostic medicine.
It has been an absolute privilege to work with Dr. Rodger Main (VDL Director) and the great team of 165 faculty and staff at the ISU-VDL . . . a team that exemplifies a culture of service and innovation. These last 5–10 years in particular have been a truly remarkable period of evolution in diagnostic medicine in the United States. The future for our profession has never been brighter.
I am extremely honored to receive the E. P. Pope Memorial Award from the AAVLD.