Dr Leigh Rosengren and Dr Manon St-Hilaire have been appointed in a shared position, as the two national coordinators. Dr Rosengren is a veterinary epidemiologist based in Midale, Saskatchewan, with over 10 years of experience working in swine industry.

Dr St-Hilaire is a practicing veterinarian, based in St-Jean-Chrysostome, Quebec, who has been working with swine producers since 1997.

The mandate of the coordinators will be to coordinate activities, improve communication and manage resources in support of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) area regional control and elimination (ARC&E) projects in place in Canada. The ultimate goal is to create a Canadian Swine Disease Control and Elimination Strategy, using PRRS as the model.

The coordinators will report to a joint supervisory committee with representatives from the CASV and the Canadian Swine Health Board (CSHB).

“We want Drs. Rosengren and St-Hilaire work as a team to improve the success of ARC&E projects in Canada. These individuals have different experiences and skill sets which will complement each other and provide a comprehensive approach to disease control and elimination,” said Dr. Cathy Templeton, member of the CASV / CSHB oversight committee.

This initiative is made possible through the financial support of the CSHB. The CSHB sees in this project an opportunity to develop a disease control strategy for important diseases that fall outside the mandate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

The CASV is a professional association that regroups 200 members, all swine veterinarians. The mission of CASV is to be a responsive, pro-active voice for veterinarians involved with the swine industry in Canada.

The CSHB is an organization with a mandate to provide leadership, coordination and support in the management of the health of the Canadian swine herd. Through an inclusive approach involving all stakeholders, the CSHB work to develop and implement a long term strategy for control of diseases in the hog industry.