Jeff Bender, D.V.M., M.S.

Appointment

Associate Professor, Veterinary Public Health
Director, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety

Expert Areas

Veterinary medicine, Animal health, Foodborne illness, Emerging diseases, Food safety, Antimicrobial resistance, Infectious disease surveillance

Research Focus

Jeff Bender works in the unique space where animal health intersects human health. A globally recognized expert in emergent public health threats relating to food production systems, infectious disease outbreaks, and biosecurity, Bender focuses on improving collaboration among industry, livestock producers, growers, food safety regulators, and policy makers to ensure a safer food supply for consumers worldwide. His work has resulted in early detection and improved management of emergent zoonotic diseases, as well as prevention of epidemics and wide-scale outbreaks of food borne illnesses.

Sources of Funding

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Minnesota Agriculture Experiment Station (AES)
Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (MCEIRS) funded through the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Minnesota Department of Health
U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) National Research Initiative (NRI)
University of Minnesota’s Healthy Food, Healthy Lives Institute