The air was buzzing with excitement at the Atlantic Veterinary College on Monday, May 17, when Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced that UPEI and AVC had won one of only 19 prestigious Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) available to Canadian universities. At up to $10-million each over seven years, the CERCs represent the largest-ever investment in research by the federal government. Dr. Ian Gardner, of the University of California at Davis, was introduced at the event as the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Aquatic Epidemiology at AVC.
An international authority on animal epidemiology, Dr. Gardner joins AVC’s Centre for Veterinary Epidemiological Research—a respected world leader in animal population research, with a focus on fish health. He will study aquatic ecosystems and managing diseases in populations of sustainably produced aquatic food animals—research that has important benefits for the aquaculture industry in the Atlantic provinces and beyond. He will also work to develop cost-effective testing strategies and surveillance programs for the prevention and control of diseases in aquatic food animals. His research will help aquaculture regulators in Canada make science-based decisions to maintain healthy food production in our marine environments, as well as provide the knowledge needed to help improve nutrition for human populations around the world.
The Canada Excellence Research Chairs program is an initiative of the Government of Canada to attract Canadian and international leaders who can positively contribute to this country's global competitiveness, future prosperity and well-being, as well as provide a deeper understanding of the human dimension of technological change.
Biography
Before becoming the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Aquatic Epidemiology, Dr. Gardner was professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Davis School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California.
Dr. Gardner holds a PhD and master’s degree in preventive veterinary medicine from the Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. He earned his bachelor’s degree in veterinary science from the University of Sydney, and worked in his native Australia as a veterinary officer specializing in pig and poultry diseases. He has served in leadership roles in various professional organizations,including the Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, and the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Disease.
He is internationally recognized for developing methods to assess disease risk in terrestrial and aquatic food animals. These methods have been used in global veterinary and public health activities, and have influenced policies at the United States Department of Agriculture and the World Organization for Animal Health.
Dr. Gardner is among the most cited researchers in his field, with more than 200 peer-reviewed scientific publications in leading journals, such as Preventive Veterinary Medicine, American Veterinary Medical Association, and Veterinary Pathology.
