Feds Appoint New Chief Veterinary Officer

Jan 08, 2014

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

The Canadian government named a new chief veterinary officer who will lead the country’s animal and veterinary public health activities.

Dr. Harpeet S. Kochhar was announced Tuesday as Canada’s new chief veterinary officer, replacing Dr. Ian Alexandar, who will now serve in a new post as the Executive Director of Animal Health Science for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Kochhar has been with the CFIA since 2002 in various capacities, including senior Animal Biotechnology Policy Specialist and having worked in the CFIA’s Science Branch. He is a veterinarian by trade, and holds a Master’s degree in Veterinary Science and a PhD in biotechnology.

Prior to 2002, Kochhar worked as a veterinarian in private practice and was a professor at the University of Guelph’s Veterinary College. He also has experience working internationally with the World Organization for Animal Health and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

Canada’s chief veterinary officer plays a pivotal role in providing advice to the government on animal and veterinary public health issues, which includes managing disease threats.

Video: Heat Stress in Pigs: What to Prepare for Before Next Summer - Dr. Joshua Selsby

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Joshua Selsby from Iowa State University explains how heat stress affects swine biology and why now is the ideal time to prepare for next summer’s challenges. He breaks down its effects on muscle function, immune responses, and long-term metabolic outcomes. Learn how early planning can protect herd performance when temperatures rise again. Listen now on all major platforms! "Heat stress leads to a cascade of biological damage, beginning with metabolic disruption and expanding across multiple organ systems." Meet the guest: Dr. Joshua Selsby is a Professor in the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University. With over 15 years of research on skeletal muscle physiology and heat stress, he focuses on understanding how thermal stress disrupts swine metabolism, immune function, and muscle integrity.