Prof Dr Bart Pardon
Bart Pardon is a veterinarian, currently associated professor in large animal internal medicine at Ghent University (Belgium). He holds a Ph.D in veterinary sciences (Morbidity, Mortality and Drug use in veal calves with emphasis on respiratory disease, 2012) and is an EBVS certified specialist of the European college of Bovine Health Management (2016). Next to his teaching assignment, he chairs the clinic for ruminants at Ghent University. He and his team also offer problem herd solving services to farmers and veterinarians, mainly in the area of calf health and infectious diseases.
His UGent calf health research group has the overall aim to improve calf health and welfare, and focuses on rationalization of antimicrobial use. Current projects include the development of rapid diagnostic tools, decision support tools and precision medicine applications for bovine respiratory disease and sepsis in calves. A significant portion of his past and present work deals with lung ultrasonography and Mycoplasma bovis.
Bart attempts to keep close contact with practice, and puts effort in bringing tools with potential to the field, of which non-endoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage (nBAL) diagnostics and quick thoracic ultrasonography (qTUS) are two examples. In 2023 he co-founded with two of his former Ph.D students, the spin-off company qTUS, which trains and certifies veterinarians and researchers in lung ultrasound.
Dr Dave Renaud
Dave Renaud is a Professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph, where he also serves as Graduate Program Coordinator and Service Chief of the Ruminant Field Service. He received his DVM from the Ontario Veterinary College and a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Guelph. His research focuses on calf health, welfare, and antimicrobial stewardship, with an emphasis on colostrum management, disease prevention and transportation in the dairy industry. Dave has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications, leads an internationally recognized research program, and remains an active practicing veterinarian working with dairy producers and calf raisers in Ontario.
Courtney Halbach
Courtney Halbach is the Outreach Specialist for The Dairyland Initiative, an outreach program at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine that is dedicated to providing dairy industry professionals with welfare-friendly housing recommendations and lameness prevention tools in order to optimize dairy cow health, performance, and well-being. Over the last 13 years, she has helped dairy farmers and members of the dairy team optimize cow comfort through improved facility design. She has consulted with numerous dairies worldwide and has spoken globally on the importance of barn design and ventilation on dairy cattle welfare. Her areas of interest include calf and adult cow barn design and ventilation, positive pressure tube ventilation systems, and robotic milking facility design.
Dr João H. C. Costa
Dr João H. C. Costa is an internationally recognized researcher and consultant specializing in dairy calf and heifer management, animal behaviour, welfare, nutrition, and precision livestock farming. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Vermont and the University of Kentucky and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Dr Costa has worked closely for the last 2 decades working with farmers, veterinarians, nutritionists, researchers, and dairy companies, delivered invited presentations in more than 20 countries, and created important dairy calf tools (e.g CalfSim.com and CalfUniversity) . He recently returned to Brazil, where he founded the 4C Dairy Consulting, a consulting company and CRO focused on conducting applied research and developing innovative projects across Latin America and internationally. His work aims to connect rigorous science, emerging technologies, and commercial farm realities to improve animal health, welfare, performance, and the long-term sustainability of dairy production systems.