Photo Feature: Making moves in Italy to learn about food safety, public health and aquatic and terrestrial animal welfare

Caption for top photo: Students visit the Agripolis Campus for the University of Padova in Italy. From left: Kaitlin Alexander, Kelli Shoemaker, Lucy Delorme, Elyse Escalante, Grace Berry and Vikas Galipothu.

By Joe Montgomery
September 11, 2026

In June 2026, Drs. Justin Kastner and Ellyn Mulcahy gathered six students from Kansas State University, including two DVM students from the College of Veterinary Medicine, as a cohort of the International Mobility of Veterinary Students and Food Biotechnologists (iMOVES & FB) program, coordinated through the University of Padova in Italy. This specialized and intensive summer course focuses on a variety of topics that fall under the One Health umbrella including food safety, aquatic and terrestrial animal welfare, and public health.

The course is hosted by Professor Marco Patruno from the University of Padova, and follows a hybrid format that use videoconferencing tools as well as international travel to deliver the course material and to see prominent locations where relevant practices take place. Before leaving on the trip, students joined virtual presentations by experts from Belgium, Czech Republic, Italy, South Africa, K-State, University of Pennsylvania and Texas A&M.

A collage showing the students at the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic in Grado, Italy.
To begin an exploration of the remarkable history of the seafood trade, the group visited Grado (an historic seaport in the upper Adriatic) and the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology of the Upper Adriatic. From left to right: Elyse Escalante, third-year veterinary student; Grace Berry, third-year veterinary student; Lucy Delorme, master's degree student in food science student; Kelli Shoemaker, MPH student in food safety and biosecurity; Kaitlin Alexander, MPH student in food safety and biosecurity; and Vikas Galipothu, Ph.D. student at K-State Olathe. Inset photos show centuries-old remains of the seafood trade (left) and excavated remains of the Iulia Felix fishing vessel from the 2nd century AD.

Collage showing students on an archaeological tour of the city of Aquileia.
As early as the second century BC, the Roman Republic’s frontier depended on the strategically important city of Aquileia. An archaeological tour guide, Susie, walked students through the remains of an old Roman road in Italy. The students also visited archaeological sites that testified to public health, including water infrastructure. At the excavated home of Titus Macer (Tito Macro) in Aquileia, the students visited one of the largest Roman-era dwellings ever found in northern Italy; it covers an area of 1,700 square meters and is exceptionally unique. It was quite common in Roman antiquity for homes, including that of Tito Macro in Aquileia, to display images of aquatic and terrestrial animals. The students took a group picture at the courtyard in front of Aquileia’s historic 4th century church, the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta.

  • Headshot of Grace Berry

    I wanted to go on the iMOVES Italy trip because it explored an area of veterinary medicine that I was unfamiliar with, and it presented a unique opportunity to learn about public health and food safety in an immersive context that is not offered most places.

    Grace Berry
    Third-Year DVM Student
  • Portrait of Elyse Escalante

    Participating in the IMOVES Italy trip was a valuable opportunity to explore how I could utilize my veterinary education beyond traditional companion animal patient care.

    Elyse Escalante
    Third-Year DVM Student

 

Collage showing classroom and controlled environment learning activities
Lectures and hands-on activities at the University of Padova featured a number of subjects, including seafood safety and parasitic diseases of concern, such as in a lab to identify parasitic diseases in fish and working on a biodiversity-themed conservation problem-solving group project.

Collage of places visited in Italy
Top: The fish market the cohorts visited in Chioggia. It is an historical market that is still operational. Bottom: The historic anatomical theatre in Bologna, home of the Europe's oldest university!
Florence skyline and more pictures of the cohorts
The Venetian lagoon provides a backdrop these inset photos. Left: A stop at a street in Padova named in honor Galileo Galilei, who was on faculty at the University of Padova. Right: A group picture of all the students and faculty involved with the iMoves & FB courses.

  • Headshot of Kelli Shoemaker

    As an MPH student, it was valuable to see how issues are addressed in a different part of the world. The iMOVES & FB trip helped bring concepts from my MPH coursework to life.

    Kelli Shoemaker
    MPH student in food safety and biosecurity
  • Headshot of Justin Kastner

    We drove the students to multiple locations in northern Italy that testify to the history of public health, international trade and regulation.

    Dr. Justin Kastner
    Professor of food safety and security

Fish processing plant collage
The students visited a modern import-export seafood processing plant in Venice called Fiorital where they were able to observe a remarkably complex fish company and how it complies with EU food safety standards.

"We learned about Anisakis, a parasite found in fish, as well as how to identify this parasite while performing a necropsy," Grace said. "We also toured a poultry farm and learned how it is managed, followed by an in-depth poultry necropsy. For me, the most interesting part was learning about food safety regarding marine species, which doesn’t receive much focus here at K-State."

Elyse added: "Attending Italy’s fish and poultry production systems helped me put into perspective on how I could contribute my knowledge into food production and public health, which could make an impact far beyond an individual animal. This experience allowed me to immerse myself into the Italian culture and appreciate how these systems operate to ensure the health and safety of the animals and our community is prioritized. "

"The iMOVES & FB trip helped bring concepts from my MPH coursework to life," Kelli said. "Seeing food safety systems in action in Italy and learning alongside students from around the world gave me a broader perspective on public health and the value of international collaboration in protecting food safety."

Elyse said it was amazing to learn alongside Italian veterinary students, experience the historical architecture and try authentic food, which made the trip memorable.

"Of course, learning about this while surrounded by beautiful Italian architecture and stunning sea views made the experience that much more life-changing, and I would recommend it to anybody considering participating in the program," Grace said.

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