Three outstanding research proposals have been selected to receive the Boehringer Ingelheim 2017 Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease. These proposals will each receive a $35,000 award.

BI congratulates the 2017 Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease recipients for the following projects.

• Carlos Vilalta, DVM, PhD, University of Minnesota, St. Paul — “Evaluation of tail pail fluid as an indication of PRRS virus status in the sow herd.”

• Marie Rene Culhane, DVM, PhD, University of Minnesota, St. Paul — “Association of the presence of influenza A virus in pigs at weaning with post-weaning performance and cost of production.”

• Laura Greiner, MS, PhD, nutrition director, Carthage Veterinary Service LTD, Carthage, Ill. — “Effectiveness of early PRRS vaccination on improving wean to finish full value pigs.”

“This award has helped researchers answer some of the most pressing questions about the control and management of porcine reproductive and respiratory virus and other swine respiratory diseases like porcine circovirus type 2, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae and influenza A virus in swine,” says Reid Philips, DVM, PRRS technical manager, BI.

A board of seven independent swine veterinarians and researchers reviewed 27 proposals, with topics ranging from biosecurity, epidemiology and diagnostics, to bio-economics and immunology.

Board member Luc Dufresne, DVM, Seaboard Foods in Shawnee Mission, Kan., says, “I’ve been proud to serve the Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease review board, and I’ve been involved in reviewing many research study proposals over the years, many of which have greatly improved our knowledge of and ability to manage porcine respiratory disease viruses.”

Over the last 13 years, Research Awards totaling $1.1 million have supported the development of less costly, additional diagnostic testing and sampling processes, identified more effective biosecurity practices, sought to better understand respiratory diseases, and developed risk assessment tools, therapeutic intervention programs and vaccination strategies. The program is supported through funding from BI.

Applications for the 2018 Research Awards will be open in late-2017. Click here for more information on the Respiratory Disease Research Board and the Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease program.

About the Respiratory Disease Research Board

The Respiratory Disease Research Board, an independent group of swine veterinarians and researchers, selects the Awards for Advancing Research in Respiratory Disease annually. Board members for the 2017 award selection process include Luc Dufresne, DVM, Seaboard Foods, Shawnee Mission, Kan.; Tim Loula, DVM, Swine Vet Center, P.A., St. Peter, Minn.; Daryl Olsen, DVM, AMVC, Audubon, Iowa; Montse Torremorell, DVM, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, St. Paul; Darin Madson, DVM, Ph.D., associate professor, Iowa State University, Ames; Alex Ramirez, DVM, Ph.D., AASV president, Iowa State University, Ames; and Chase Stahl, DVM, 2016 AASV Young Swine Veterinarian of the Year, Fairmont Veterinary Clinic, Fairmont, Minn.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health

In January 2017, Merial became part of the Boehringer Ingelheim group. As the second-largest animal health business in the world, Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to making the industry even better at improving animal health. With more than 10,000 employees worldwide, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health has products available in more than 150 markets and a global presence in 99 countries. Click here for more information about Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.