AABP, Zoetis Honor Dr. Dan Thomson for Distinguished Service
During the recent annual conference, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) and award sponsor Zoetis presented Dan Thomson, DVM, PhD, with the prestigious Distinguished Service Award.
Thomson serves as the Jones Professor of Production Medicine and Epidemiology at Kansas State University. He is recognized internationally as a leader in animal welfare, beef cattle production and cattle health management.
Thomson is a third-generation bovine veterinarian from Clearfield, Iowa. He received his BS in Animal Science and DVM from Iowa State University, MS in Ruminant Nutrition from South Dakota State University and a PhD in Ruminant Nutrition from Texas Tech University.
Thomson was an associate veterinarian with Veterinary Research and Consulting Services in Greeley, Colo. He then served as the Director of Animal Health and Well-being for Cactus Feeders in Amarillo, Texas. He was the veterinary consultant for their 10 commercial feedlots that fed 1.2 million head of cattle per year and directed their animal health research at the Cactus research facility. He still practices feedlot medicine in Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Texas, and is an owner/partner in PAC veterinary and research services which oversees the veterinary care, health and well-being for many U.S. cattle feeding operations.
Thomson created, founded and directed the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University. He has served as the Global Co-leader for McDonald’s Beef Health and Welfare Committee, sits on the YUM! Animal Welfare Council, chairs the Animal Welfare Committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and serves on the Animal Welfare Advisory Board of the Food Marketing Institute, the Beef Quality Assurance Committee of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and the Animal Welfare committees of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners and the Academy of Veterinary Consultants.
Thomson has published 112 peer-reviewed papers, 5 book chapters, 255 abstracts, 127 proceedings and progress reports at professional meetings, edited 3 editions of Veterinary Clinics of North America and delivered 796 invited talks internationally on his research and field experience on the interactions between production management, environment and nutrition on the health and well-being of beef cattle. His research program has been granted over $35.3 million with $16.0 million of those funds coming with him as the primary investigator. Thomson has mentored 31 graduate students (14 PhD; 17 MS) during his 14 years at Kansas State CVM.
People within and beyond the agricultural community know Thomson for hosting over 350 episodes of his nationally aired veterinary television show in its eighth season on RFD TV entitled “Doc Talk” that reaches over 45 million homes world-wide.
