In this episode of Dairy Digressions, host Matt Lucy welcomes Jason Lombard, DVM, veterinary epidemiologist, associate professor, and dairy systems specialist at Colorado State University, and lead author of the Journal of Dairy Science invited review, The One Health Challenges and Opportunities of the H5N1 Outbreak in Dairy Cattle in the United States. Drawing on his experience as the point person on the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 outbreak and the learnings he gleaned from his expert coauthors on the review, Jason provides an update on the latest science we have on the virus and reviews its immense impact to date on animals, the US food supply, and people working in agriculture. He explains what the One Health concept means in practice, showing how dairy farms function as complex ecosystems where animals, humans, and environments are linked. The conversation also explores why the exact mechanisms of transmission—whether through the movement of cows, people, trucks, milk, or aerosols—remain so difficult to pin down. Beyond the science, Jason reflects on his career path from veterinary private practice to his time with the US Department of Agriculture to Colorado State University, describing how epidemiology feels like solving a crime, and how curiosity and humility in the face of what we still don’t know fuel his work. This episode offers a critical update on the H5N1 outbreak and connects breaking research with the lived realities of the dairy sector. It underscores why a One Health perspective will be essential not only in navigating H5N1 but also in strengthening the dairy and agricultural sectors for outbreaks yet to come.

Episode Thirty-One Show Notes

Learn more about Jason Lombard, DVM, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Want more science on the H5N1 outbreak in dairy? Catch up on the JDS Communications special issue on highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in dairy cattle, and join us at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next June!

Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.

Catch up on the papers and presentations discussed in theepisode:

H5N1 in dairy cattle: What we have learned in the past 18 months, Hoard’s Dairyman webinar (2025)

Dairy environments with milk exposure are most likely to have detection of influenza A virus, medRxiv preprint (2025)

Invited review: The One Health challenges and opportunities of the H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle in the United States, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

The devil you know and the devil you don’t: Current status and challenges of bovine tuberculosis eradication in the United States, Irish Veterinary Journal (2023)

Bovine tuberculosis at the interface of cattle, wildlife, and humans, pages 829–846 in Tuberculosis: Integrated Studies for a Complex Disease (2023)

Human-to-cattle Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex transmission in the United States, Frontiers in Veterinary Science (2021)

An impossible undertaking: The eradication of bovine tuberculosis in the United States, The Journal of Economic History (2004)

In this candid and inspiring episode, host Matt Lucy is joined in conversation by Pam Ruegg, DVM, MPMV, ADSA fellow and David J. Ellis Chair in Antimicrobial Resistance and Large Animal Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. Pam shares her remarkable and diverse path in dairy science, from working in private practice to corporate technical service at Monsanto and extension appointments to roles in academia. Throughout her career, she has remained focused on improving dairy animal health, milk quality, and farm sustainability. She and Matt discuss her professional passion: understanding, treating, and preventing what she calls the most interesting disease in dairy, mastitis. She explains what we know now about responsible antibiotic use on dairy farms, and her work to identify animal, environmental, and pathogen factors that reduce disease risk. Through her journal publications, worldwide talks, and outreach work (don’t miss her YouTube channel, @TopMilkQuality), Pam provides evidence-based recommendations for mastitis treatments that factor in animal welfare, the economic health of the farm, and social responsibility. She dives into the evolution of US dairy farms over her career, the economics of milk quality, and her views on service and mentorship. Along the way, we hear about why she loved being a section editor for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications, plus her advice for young scientists: Align your career with what you want to do with your day—and don’t let pushback and self-doubt stop you. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or industry pro, Pam’s story is a masterclass in persistence, progress, and purpose.

Episode Thirty Show Notes

Learn more about Pam Ruegg, DVM, MPVM, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on YouTube.

Want more dairy health science and connections with mentors? Join us at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next June!

Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.

Catch up on the papers discussed in the episode:

The future of udder health: Antimicrobial stewardship and alternative therapy of bovine mastitis, JDS Communications (2025)

Making Economically Efficient Treatment Decisions for Clinical Mastitis, Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice (2025)

A focus group study exploring necessary competencies and contextual factors for effective antimicrobial stewardship on dairy farms, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

Impact of training dairy farm personnel on milking routine compliance, udder health, and milk quality, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

Economic impact of subclinical mastitis treatment in early lactation using intramammary nisin, Journal of Dairy Science (2024)

Mastitis in Dairy Cows, pages 339–365 in Production Diseases in Farm Animals: Pathophysiology, Prophylaxis and Health Management (2024)