Three fellowships are available for graduate students focusing their research on practical solutions for the swine industry: the Morrison, Pijoan and PIC fellowships. Congratulations to this year’s new recipients! We look forward to hearing more from you at the upcoming Allen D. Leman Swine Conference on September 18-21.
Mariana Meneguzzi
Dr. Mariana Meneguzzi obtained her DVM degree from Instituto Federal Catarinense and her MS degree from the University of Minnesota. A native from the countryside of Santa Catarina, Brazil, where poultry and swine production are an important part of the State economy, she developed a passion for animals at a young age. Mariana has a genuine interest in swine infectious disease and improving pig productivity. Her research focuses on using next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods to better understand swine influenza co-infections and the role of the respiratory microbiome in influenza infections. She is pursuing her PhD under the guidance of Dr. Montserrat Torremorell and Dr. Noelle Noyes. She is the recipient of the 2021 Morrison Fellowship and the National Pork Board (NPB) Fellowship. The NPB fellowship is directed at improving the analytical capabilities of future swine practitioners by training them in use and analysis of genomic information for the purposes of advancing swine health and productivity.
“I am very excited and honored to be granted the Morrison Fellowship and the National Pork Board Fellowship. I look forward to applying my knowledge, passion and skills to improve the health and productivity of the pigs through advanced analytical methods”.
Albert Canturri
Dr. Albert Canturri was born and raised in Andorra. He obtained his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) in 2014, completed the Residency in Anatomic Pathology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and obtained Board Certification by the European College of Veterinary Pathologists (Diplomate ECVP) in 2019. He is currently in the second year of his Ph.D. in the Veterinary Medicine graduate program at the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on the development of novel molecular diagnostic techniques to better understand Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae pathogenesis, transmission, and prevention and works part time at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. He is passionate about swine pathology and diagnosis. Albert is a member of the Mycoplasma Research Laboratory and is advised by Dr. Maria Pieters.
“It is truly an honor for me to receive the Carlos Pijoan Fellowship. Dr. Pijoan’s legacy inspired many swine veterinarians, not only in the U.S. but worldwide, to continue advancing our knowledge on swine health and production. I hope that my research will generate results that can be directly translated to improve the health of the pigs and help my fellow porcine practitioners and producers in the decision-making process to do so.”
Miranda Medrano
Dr. Miranda Medrano obtained her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and completed both her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master’s of Public Health at Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine in 2020. She is in the second year of her Ph.D. graduate studies in the Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research is focused on characterizing African Swine Fever (ASF) transmission under different farm conditions, including those pigs raised for niche markets. Her interests are in swine epidemiology and health policy development. Miranda is co-advised by Drs. Cesar Corzo and Marie Culhane.
“I am excited and honored to be awarded the PIC Fellowship. I hope that with my research I can continue to protect our nation’s pork supply from foreign animal diseases, like ASF, to ensure pig health and trade continuity. “