The CORE News Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology newsletter

Spring 2025 (pdf)

Greetings from the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology (CORE). On behalf of our team, it is a pleasure to share some of our recent news with you.Below we highlight some of the CORE engagement and leadership activities at the local, national, and international levels.It is wonderful to see our students, staff, and faculty continue to excel in impactful ways! If you are interested in further details or opportunities to engage with our research and training programs, please contact us.
David Renter, CORE Director

SYMPOSIUM ON FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASEthree stacked images each containing one different woman speaking behind a podium

CORE partnered in the Symposium on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), organized by the USDA National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) and the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases (CEID) at the University of Georgia. The symposium was held in Manhattan, Kansas, from March 10-13, 2025, and several CORE members participated in the event. Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro presented “Overview of Kansas State CORE’s Research and Impact,” highlighting the center’s contributions to epidemiological research and transboundary animal disease preparedness. Dr. Mike Sanderson discussed “Modeling Risks, Impacts, and Interventions in an FMD Outbreak in the U.S.,” emphasizing the application of disease modeling to inform outbreak response. CORE research associate Dr. Karla Moreno-Torres and PhD students Dr. MaRyka Smith and Torre Dunlea presented findings from their FMD projects that advanced risk assessment and mitigation strategies.

PLAINS NUTRITION COUNCIL SPRING CONFERENCE

CORE members attended the 2025 Plains Nutrition Council Spring Conference from April 9-11, 2025, in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Lucas Horton, research associate, presented “Extending days on feed of feedlot steers—economic considerations” at the Pre-Conference Symposium sponsored by Merck Animal Health. CORE continues to collaborate with Merck Animal Health and other industry partners to advance applied research and support decision-making in feedlot systems.

APPLIED FOOD ANIMAL SYSTEMS RESEARCH & INNOVATION TRAINING PROGRAM

CORE is collaborating with Heritage Vet Partners to launch an innovative program designed to develop the hands‐on leadership and scientific skills that enable top‐quality research and science‐based management decisions. Heritage Vet Partners is a growing community of progressive veterinarians and scientists focused on serving food animal production systems. The program will provide formal PhD training in research design and implementation, data analysis, interpretation and visualization, epidemiology, economics, and animal health technologies.

OTHER NOTEWORTHY NEWS

  • Dr. Lucas Horton was selected as the 2025 recipient of the Mark Gearhart Memorial Graduate Student Award presented by the Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (AVEPM). He presented his work at the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (CRWAD) 2025.
  • Taylor McAtee and Dr. MaRyka Smith, PhD students, received AVEPM graduate student awards at CRWAD 2025.
  • Dr. Stephen Edache and Torre Dunlea, PhD students, both presented at CRWAD 2025.
  • Dr. Mike Sanderson and Torre Dunlea presented and were interviewed at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) CattleCon 2025.
  • Dr. Stephen Edache and 2024 VRSP student Lauryn Mauler presented posters at Phi Zeta Research Day 2025.
  • Taylor McAtee received the A.S.R. Ganta Graduate Award at Phi Zeta Research Day 2025.
  • Dr. Christy Hanthorn was inducted as a new faculty member of the Phi Zeta Sigma Chapter.
  • Ashley Thackrah, project coordinator, received the KSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Culture, Collegiality and Compassion Award.
  • Taylor McAtee was selected as a 2025 U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) Sustainability Scholarship winner and attended the General Assembly Meeting.