Dr. Pamela Ruegg is the David J. Ellis Chair in Antimicrobial Resistance and director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Dairy Health Management Laboratory. Her research interests include using epidemiologic techniques to solve critical issues related to animal health and milk quality and bridging the gap between research and practical applications on dairy farms.

Ruegg’s professional reputation is documented through her extensive publications, invited national and international presentations, and robust extramural funding record. Ruegg is part of a multi-disciplinary team of scientists on a USDA-funded grant project that studies how the intestinal microbiome of dairy cattle affects antibiotic resistance, a problem plaguing farms across the country. Ruegg has also received numerous awards for research and extension programs.

Lara Bastos is currently a PhD student under the guidance of Dr. Pamela Ruegg at Michigan State University with a project focused on combining laboratory work with epidemiological analysis of dairy records to guide treatment decisions for mastitis. Bastos has a veterinary degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas) in Brazil and a master’s degree in veterinary medicine with emphasis in epidemiology and mastitis diagnosis in dairy cows, which she completed at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in Brazil. Bastos has worked on blood, urine, and milk analysis at the Diagnostic Laboratory in PUC Minas. She likes to spend her free time with her family and friends, visit new places, read books, and watch movies.

Ireyon is a first-year master’s student in the Comparative Medicine and Integrative Biology (CMIB) program at Michigan State University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences from Southern University Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, LA. Her research focuses on investigating the association between antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in mastitis pathogens. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, listening to music, and watching documentaries.

Cara Robison is a research technician II. She received her BS degree in biology from Truman State University and completed her master's degree in animal science from the University of Kentucky with a specialization in equine exercise physiology in 2000. She joined the Department of Animal Science at MSU in 2000 and completed her PhD in 2013 while working as a research technician. Cara has assisted with applied research projects work for multiple faculty in different species including horses, poultry, pigs, and dairy cattle. She currently provides support in the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Dairy Health Laboratory of Dr. Pamela Ruegg. When Cara is not working, she enjoys riding her horse, working with her dairy goats, and spending time with her daughter and husband.

Dr. Jaimie Strickland is a post-doctoral researcher in the Ruegg Lab. Her research focuses on a few key areas: 1. Understanding the barriers to antimicrobial stewardship on dairy farms; 2. Assessing the effects of antimicrobial usage benchmarking and increased awareness of the economic impact of treatment protocols on the engagement of producers and veterinarians in antimicrobial stewardship; 3. Improving access to benchmarking tools for smaller dairies; 4. Assessing the impact of antimicrobial use on dairy farm workers; and 5. investigating other benchmarking tools to inform producers and veterinarians on individual farm disease burden and treatment protocols to support management decisions to improve animal welfare, food safety, and farm profitability.

She has bachelor's and veterinary degrees from Michigan State University, where she also completed a residency in comparative nutrition and toxicology and a master's degree in nutritional immunology. She then began a PhD program with Dr. Lorraine Sordillo, investigating the intersection of bovine immunology, vitamins, and mammary gland health. After Dr. Sordillo’s untimely and tragic passing in 2021, Jaime completed her research under the mentorship of Dr. Ruegg. She then gained experience in the pharmaceutical industry with data science, adult education, and the use of data to inform and support dairy producers and veterinarians. Jaimie is delighted to be working under the guidance of Dr. Ruegg again.

Trina VanAtta is a part-time outreach specialist for Dr. Ruegg. She enjoys sharing scientific research with the Michigan dairy industry to help them remain profitable and sustainable. Trina has a bachelor’s degree in plant sciences from Cornell University and a master’s degree in agriculture from Colorado State University. Prior to working in the Antimicrobial Stewardship and Dairy Health Lab, she worked in the MSU Plant and Soils department evaluating new potato varieties. When she is not at work, Trina enjoys spending time with her family, doing home renovation projects, and taking her therapy dog Scooter to visit local nursing homes.

José Augusto Ferronatto is a post-doctoral research associate in the Ruegg Lab. His work bridges laboratory research, microbiome science, and epidemiology to improve our understanding of bovine mastitis, mammary gland health, milk quality, and antimicrobial resistance within a One Health framework. He obtained his veterinary degree from the Universidade do Oeste de Santa Catarina, Brazil in 2018, followed by a master’s degree (2021) and a PhD (2026) in Veterinary Clinical Sciences from the University of São Paulo. During his PhD, he completed international research fellowships at Ghent University in Belgium with the Mastitis and Milk Quality Team and at Penn State University with the Department of Animal Science and the Penn State One Health Microbiome Center. He also holds an MBA in Agribusiness. His research interests include bovine mastitis, milk and dairy product quality, veterinary microbiology, mammary gland immunology, antimicrobial resistance, microbiome studies, amplicon sequencing, and bioinformatics, with the goal of supporting data-driven decision-making in dairy herd health and milk quality management.

• Zelmar Rodriguez
• Juliano L. Gonçalves
• Quinn Kolar
• Carolina Pinzón
• Juliana Leite De Campos