UCVM Beef Cattle Conference Organizing Committee Members:
Dr. Herman Barkema, UCVM, Committee Chair
Dr. Barkema completed his DVM degree at Utrecht University, The Netherlands, in 1988. He first
worked 2½ years in Costa Rica as manager of a large dairy and beef herd, and then taught bovine
herd health at Utrecht University. While doing his PhD-project he became the epidemiologist of the
Ruminant section of the Dutch Animal Health Service. In 2001, Dr. Barkema moved to Prince Edward
Island to become Associate Professor Epidemiology and Farm Service. He is now Professor in
Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases and Head of the Department of Production Animal Health at the
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Calgary. He is jointly appointed at the Faculty of
Medicine and is Guest Professor at Ghent University, Belgium. Dr. Herman Barkema’s research
program focuses on prevention and control of diseases in cattle herds, with a special interest in
mastitis and Johne’s disease. He has published over 160 scientific manuscripts and book chapters,
and has lectured all-over the world. He leads one of the two research themes in the Canadian
Bovine Mastitis Research Network, the Monitoring theme and also leads the Technical committee of
the Canadian Voluntary Johne’s Disease Program. Dr. Barkema leads the Alberta Inflammatory
Bowel Disease Consortium which consists of a multidisciplinary team of 37 clinicians and scientists
to conduct an Alberta-wide population-based cohort study and associated laboratory-based
mechanistic studies to identify key gene-environment-microbe interactions which will lead to a better
understanding of the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Funding is committed
by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research ($5 million). Herman Barkema has advised
many farms with a high somatic cell count or mastitis problems. He also gives a lot of lectures for
farmers, extensionists and veterinarians on a variety of topics around infectious diseases.
Dr. Claire Windeyer, UCVM, Co-Chair
Upon completion of her veterinary degree at OVC, Dr. Windeyer went into rural mixed practice in
Southern Alberta. She returned to the University of Guelph to complete her DVSc in ruminant health
management and epidemiology. She won the D.F. Forster medal, University of Guelph's top
convocation award for graduate students for academic achievement, motivation, leadership and
citizenship. Dr. Windeyer volunteered in Nepal with the Lalitpur District Milk Producers Cooperative
Union before joining UCVM in the Department of Production Animal Health. Her research interests
include: Cow-calf health management, including successful passive transfer, vaccination protocols,
processing procedures, and pain and animal welfare; Infectious diseases in ruminants, particularly
the epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment and prevention of bovine respiratory disease in both beef
and dairy calves; Epidemiological and immunological studies of the effectiveness of vaccination in
cattle, particularly of neonates with maternal antibodies and; Sustainable international development
efforts to improve the health and production of ruminant species in developing countries.
Dr. Karin Orsel, UCVM
Dr. Orsel completed her DVM at the Utrecht University in 1996 and began working as a veterinarian
in several veterinary practices in The Netherlands. In February 1997 she took a position at the
ambulatory clinic of the Department of Farm Animal Health in Utrecht. After being actively involved in
an epidemiological study during the epidemic of foot and mouth disease in 2001, she started her
PhD on this topic from February 2002 - 2007. She obtained a MSc degree in veterinary epidemiology
and economics in 2004. Dr. Orsel joined the Faculty at UCVM in February 2008 as assistant
professor in Epidemiology in the Department of Production Animal Health, with a main focus on
Infectious diseases of cattle. Her research interests include the transmission of infectious diseases
among cattle, with a focus on feedlot health, zoonotic diseases and applied research in cattle. Dr.
Orsel is a member of two research focus groups at UCVM: “pain and animal welfare” and “emerging
infectious diseases”.
Dr. Edmond A. Pajor, UCVM
Dr. Ed Pajor is Professor of Animal Welfare at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of
Production Animal Health, University of Calgary. He is recognized internationally for his research in
the areas of swine, dairy and poultry behavior and welfare as well as expertise in animal welfare
standards and legislation. Dr. Pajor has served on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Animal
Science as well as Applied Animal Behavior Science and as the US representative to the
International Society of Applied Ethology. Dr. Pajor also provides scientific expertise to numerous
organizations including the McDonald’s Animal Welfare Panel, the National Pork Board’s Animal
Welfare Committee, The Calgary Stampede, and Humane Farm Animal Care. Dr. Pajor completed his
B.Sc. degree in biology from the University of Waterloo and received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in
biology from McGill University, specializing in animal behavior. Prior to joining the faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Pajor spent 10 years on faculty in the Department of Animal Sciences at
Purdue University.
Dr. Eugene D. Janzen, UCVM
Dr. Janzen received his DVM in 1972 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan. Dr. Janzen spent three years practicing in northeastern Alberta before returning to
the Western College of Veterinary Medicine on an Alberta-sponsored fellowship to complete a postgraduate degree. Dr. Janzen received an M.V.S. degree from the University of Melbourne, Australia in
1977. In 1977, he accepted a position with the Ambulatory Clinic at the Western College of
Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. In this position, Dr. Janzen has spent his time
working with a general interest in beef cattle medicine. Dr. Janzen became associated with Feedlot
Health Management Services in 2003. In 2005, Dr. Janzen began with Canada’s newest veterinary
medicine program with the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM), that
accepted its’ first class of students in September 2008. Dr. Janzen is the UCVM Assistant Dean of
Clinical Practice, Community Partnerships.
Dr. John Kastelic, UCVM
Dr. Edouard Timsit, UCVM
Edouard Timsit graduated from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège (Belgium) in
2006. After a year of internship in bovine medicine at the Nantes Atlantic National College of
Veterinary Medicine, Food Science and Engineering (France) in 2007, he began a residency program
for the European College of Bovine Health Management (ECBHM) combined with a PhD thesis in
epidemiology on bovine respiratory disease in fattening operations. During this 5-year training
period, he devoted half of his time to bovine medicine and herd health management and the other
half to research at the Research Group Biology, Epidemiology and Risk Analysis in Animal Health
(INRA, France). In July 2011, he passed the examination of the ECBHM in Munich (Germany) and
became a Diplomate of the ECBHM. In December 2011, he defended his thesis and graduated with
his PhD in Veterinary Science. He joined the University of Calgary as an Assistant Professor in Cattle
Health in October 2012.
Dr. Michael Jelinski, Veterinary Agri-Health Services
Committee member representing Alberta community veterinarians
Dr. Michael Jelinski is a managing partner with Veterinary Agri-Health Services Ltd. located in Airdrie,
Alberta. The practice provides general veterinary services as well as health management programs
to feedlots and cow/calf producers across Alberta. Additionally they are involved in research
initiatives with pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and academic institutions. As part
of the Distributed Veterinary Teaching Hospital the practice hosts students from the University of
Calgary for elective and mandatory rotations in general food animal practice and beef production
medicine.
Brenda Schoepp, Beeflink
Committee member representing Alberta beef producers
Brenda has lived and loved the beef cattle industry for over 30 years. She owns and publishes,
BEEFLINKTM, a highly regarded national newsletter on the strategies of beef cattle marketing.
Brenda has co-authored beef cattle marketing and feedlot production manuals in Alberta and
Saskatchewan. As a feedlot manager, she was instrumental in changes in beef cattle care and
handling and in defining beef production measures for cattle destined for export to Japan and China.
Brenda has been the beef advisory to several value and supply chains and to individuals and
companies on marketing and grazing management and has written several private sector manuals.
She has served on several boards with an extensive focus on veterinary medicine, animal health and
research. For her passion and vision she was named one of Alberta’s 50 most influential people.
Brenda developed a leadership series for both youth and new entrants into agriculture and is the
founder of Women in Search of Excellence (WISE). She ranches near Rimbey, Alberta, is a strong
supporter of the rural economy and a master of ceremonies for charity events.
Brenda Moore, UCVM, Conference Coordinator
Brenda has a background in genetic research, graduating from the University of Calgary in 1993 with
a MSc in molecular genetics. She worked as a research associate in genetics in the Faculty of
Medicine prior to joining UCVM in 2009 as a research support advisor. She assists faculty members
in all administrative aspects of research from grant applications to managing project accounts and
hiring graduate students, as well as coordinating the annual UCVM Beef Cattle Conference and other
department events.