Iowa hires first emergency management veterinarian

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has hired Dr. Judith LaBounty as its new emergency management veterinarian.

Dr. Judith LaBounty | Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewarship
Dr. Judith LaBounty | Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewarship

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has hired Dr. Judith LaBounty as its new emergency management veterinarian. 

She started with the department on October 2.

The department received an additional $100,000 appropriation by the Iowa Legislature to support preparations for a foreign animal disease outbreak and a portion of that funding is being used for this position.  In this role, LaBounty will support the department’s efforts to ensure emergency response plans are up to date, organize disease response exercises and work with industry partners. A portion of her time will also be dedicated to working in the field as a district veterinarian.

“Dr. LaBounty’s background and experience will be a tremendous asset to the department as she helps coordinate our planning efforts around potential animal health emergencies. Unfortunately, we saw firsthand how devastating an animal disease outbreak can be with avian influenza in 2015, so we are excited to have her join our team and serving in this important role,” said Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig.

LaBounty graduated from Oklahoma State Center for Veterinary Health Sciences in 2014 and has worked as a veterinarian for turkey breeding company Valley of the Moon Commercial Poults, based in Osceola, Iowa. She also has experience working at a small animal emergency clinic in the Des Moines area.

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