Bruce Alexander, PhD
Professor and Department Head
Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences
Colorado State University
Former UMASH Director (2011-2019)

Dr. Alexander is currently a Professor and Department Head in Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences at Colorado State University. Dr. Alexander was the former director of the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center which is dedicated to improving the health, safety, and well-being of the people who produce our food by building interdisciplinary networks and applying a One Health approach to research, education, and engagement. He is an occupational and environmental epidemiologist with research interests in cancer, respiratory disease, injury prevention and control, One Health, the health of agricultural populations, and global health. His work focuses on the development of multidisciplinary approaches to address complex public health problems and building public health and practice capacity. Dr. Alexander continues to serve as Principal Investigator for the UMASH project: Assessing and Preventing Occupational Injuries in Animal Agriculture.

Jeff Bender, DVM, MS, DACVPM
UMASH Director (2019 – present)
Director, USAID One Health Workforce Project
Professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health,
Environmental Health Sciences
Panel Moderator

Dr. Jeff Bender is a Professor in the School of Public Health and an adjunct professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine. He is the Director for the NIOSH funded Upper Midwest Agriculture Safety and Health Center (UMASH), a Center focused on improving the health of agriculture workers and their families. In addition, he is the Director for the USAID funded One Health Workforce Project, a workforce development program focused on preventing, detecting, and responding to emerging pandemic threats. His primary teaching and research interests include infection prevention, disease surveillance, emerging zoonotic diseases, occupational safety, food safety and antimicrobial resistance.

Peter Davies 
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Minnesota

Dr. Peter Davies received his veterinary degree from the University of Melbourne, Australia, in 1975 and his PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia, in 1983. Peter is a veterinary epidemiologist specializing in infectious diseases of food animals, particularly swine, and has been a Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, USA, since 2003.

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Kristen Obbink, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, CCRT 
Associate Director
National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research Education

Dr. Obbink completed her BS degree in Zoology in 2006 and her DVM in 2011 from Iowa State University. She then completed her MPH in 2012 from the University of Minnesota while practicing companion animal medicine in both Iowa and Minnesota. From 2012-2015, she served as the Coordinator for the Iowa Food Emergency Rapid Response Team and the Enteric Disease Epidemiologist for the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals and the Iowa Department of Public Health.

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John Shutske, PhD
Professor
Biological Systems Engineering Specialist

John Shutske is a Professor and Biological Systems Engineering Specialist and focuses on agricultural workplace safety and health promotion for farmers, family members and workers. He also studies digital technology innovation in rural areas including Internet and information-based systems (automation, sensors, etc.) that can improve efficiency, safety and communication. John’s research and extension activities since 1985 have promoted adoption of safe design of processes and machines through engineering; design of safety-related technologies; worker education; and, risk management.

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Carrie Klumb, MPH
Senior Epidemiologist
Minnesota Department of Health

Carrie is a senior epidemiologist in the Zoonotic Diseases Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and is the project coordinator for MDH’s project associated with the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH) at the University of Minnesota. This project focuses on surveillance of zoonotic diseases in agricultural workers, their families, and others exposed to agricultural settings.

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Russ Daly, DVM, MS, DACVPM
Extension Veterinarian, Professor
South Dakota State University

Russ Daly is the Extension Veterinarian and Professor in the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences Department at South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD, and State Public Health Veterinarian for the South Dakota Department of Health. Dr. Daly practiced for 15 years and was a partner in a mixed-animal veterinary practice in Montrose, SD, before joining the faculty at SDSU.  Dr. Daly’s responsibilities involve disseminating animal health information, organizing veterinary continuing education, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, and serving as a resource for professionals and citizens regarding animal and public health issues in South Dakota.