WASHINGTON — The National Pork Producers Council has hired Dr. Anna Forseth for the newly created position of director of animal health. She will focus on foreign animal disease prevention and preparedness, as well as antibiotic use and resistance issues.

“We welcome Dr. Forseth to the NPPC team,” said NPPC CEO Bryan Humphreys. “She has a wealth of knowledge about hogs and swine diseases and a great background in swine research. We know she will be a great asset to and resource for the U.S. pork industry.”

A Montana native who grew up on the family’s farrow-to-finish swine operation near Three Forks, Forseth received a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Montana State University, her DVM from Colorado State University and a master’s in veterinary preventive medicine from Iowa State University.

Prior to joining NPPC, she was a program veterinarian for the Montana Department of Livestock, overseeing foreign animal disease preparedness, including grant projects, the Secure Food Supply, the Swine Health Improvement Plan, One Health activities and disease programs.

While earning her master’s degree, Forseth was a research associate at Iowa State’s Swine Medicine Education Center and a contract veterinarian for Smithfield Foods at its hog production operation in Algona, IA. She completed student internships with Pipestone Veterinary Services in Pipestone, MN, and with the National Pork Board in Des Moines, IA. In 2010, she was the recipient of an NPPC-CME Group scholarship. The program is for college students who intend to pursue careers in the U.S. pork industry.

“We’ll look to Dr. Forseth to be our lead as we work to strengthen our defenses against foreign animal diseases, particularly African swine fever,” Humphreys said.

Forseth, who began her duties last week, reports to Andrew Bailey, NPPC’s science and technology legal counsel, and works out of the organization’s Washington, DC, office.

–National Pork Producers Council