Nathan Winkelman, DVM, president and co-owner of Swine Services Unlimited Inc., is the 2019 recipient of the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award, which is presented at the annual Allen D. Leman Swine Conference in St. Paul, Minn.

Winkelman caught the science bug early in his career and, thankfully, never found a cure for his orientation toward discovery.

Winkelman is an internationally recognized swine veterinary consultant. For more than 30 years he has worked with progressive pork producers throughout North America and South America and, more recently in China, on swine health, biosecurity, production management and records analysis. However, his stellar career extends beyond excellence as a practicing veterinarian to include unique scientific contributions as well.

Early in his practice career, Winkelman became intrigued by the enteric disease porcine proliferative enteropathy (ileitis) caused by Lawsonia intracellularis. This was in part because so many client herds suffered from the malady, but also because establishing immunity to ileitis can be challenging. Since 1995, Winkelman has conducted scientific trials with an ileitis disease model, to whose development he was instrumental. This work and his interest in controlling the disease led to a 2012 patent for “diluted L. intracellularis,” a method of providing controlled ileitis immunity in pigs.

“For more than 20 years this award has honored some of the most accomplished veterinary leaders in the swine industry,” says Montse Torremorell, DVM, PhD, and professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota. “We are excited to recognize Dr. Winkelman and to have the support of Zoetis in supporting this award.”

Past honorees

1994: Steve Henry
1995: Camille Moore
1996: Scott Dee
1997: Roy Schultz
1998: Alberto Stephano
1999: John Harding
2000: Mike Muirhead
2001: Tim Loula
2002: Luciano Roppa
2003: Montserrat Torremorell
2004: Joseph Connor
2005: Darwin Reicks
2006: Paul Schneider
2007: Jim Lowe
2008: Rodger Main
2009: Laura Batista
2010: Paul Yeske
2011: Gordon Spronk
2012: Julie Menard
2013: Lisa Tokach
2014: Luc Dufresne
2015: Jeremy Pittman
2016: Deb Murray
2017: Bob Thompson
2018: Rebecca Robbins

“Dr. Winkelman is an outstanding ambassador for integrating science into the practice of veterinary medicine,” says Lucina Galina, DVM, PhD, and technical director at Zoetis. “We salute his long record of innovation and tireless pursuit of solutions that improve swine health around the world.” Zoetis is sponsoring the reception at this year’s Leman Swine Conference, where Winkelman will be honored. The company is the world’s largest producer of medicines and vaccines for pets and livestock.

Winkelman is the primary author of more than 40 scientific articles, a book chapter and coauthor of numerous other scientific articles on ileitis and other swine diseases. He routinely volunteers his time with various organizations and frequently presents clinical case reports to veterinary students. Winkelman is the current American Association of Swine Veterinarians president and has been active in that organization since 1982. He earned his bachelor of science degree in animal science from the University of Minnesota in 1979 and his doctor of veterinary medicine degree from the school’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. He and his wife, Deb Bryant-Winkelman, also a veterinarian, reside in Sartell, Minn.

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