The beginning of July marked the end of an era in NIAMRRE’s history, as University of Nebraska-Lincoln Charles Bessey Professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Dr. Rod Moxley, stepped away from his role as a member of NIAMRRE’s Advisory Council in anticipation of his upcoming retirement. Here in the NIAMRRE Operations Center, we wanted to take a few moments to express our gratitude for Rod’s contributions to the Institute; as many may already know, Rod was an early champion of NIAMRRE and part of the team that submitted the proposal that was ultimately selected for launching NIAMRRE. Rod also served as the first chair of the NIAMRRE Advisory Council and set the tone for the productive and collegial discussions we have with our Advisors each month to get input on NIAMRRE’s direction and share updates. As we began to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Rod was co-chair of the planning committee for our first in-person annual conference in Lincoln, where we were graciously hosted and able to learn from One Health antimicrobial resistance and Interprofessional Education experts. Rod was also part of the task force that lead to the creation of NIAMRRE One Health Interprofessional Education program, which was launched at the UNL conference and continues today. On top of these important contributions to NIAMRRE, Rod has enjoyed a 40 year career at UNL, where he has impacted generations of students, been recognized for research excellence, held numerous leadership roles, and been named an Honorary Member, American College of Veterinary Microbiologists, among other accolades. With approximately 150 publications, Rod has also made seminal contributions to the understanding of detection, prevention and control of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in cattle and beef as the Project Director of the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Coordinated Agricultural Project (STEC-CAP) that is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture; his research has also included work on the pathogenesis and control of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) infections of swine, and antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in Salmonella enterica, mainly in cattle. Those of us who know Rod also respect him for his integrity and character, which has undoubtedly had a positive impact on his colleagues, collaborators, and students over the years.
And while it’s difficult to encapsulate a career like Rod’s in a blog, we’ll close by saying congratulations on an impactful career, thank you for your many contributions to NIAMRRE, and cheers to a happy future in retirement!