On May 29 USFRA hosted third-party experts Julie Funk and Melissa Joy Dobbins for a roundtable discussion on antibiotics. Consumers want to know whether farmers and ranchers are using antibiotics responsibly with veterinary oversight to keep our food supply safe. They want to know more information about possible residue and resistance and the impact on their families’ health and nutrition. Click on the video above to see the entire conversation. To read more about USFRA’s perspective on using antibiotics to keep animals healthy, please click here. 

Panelists

Julie Funk

DVM, MS, PhD

Julie Funk is the Online Master of Science in Food Safety Program Director and an Associate Professor of pre-harvest food safety in the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. She received her DVM from Michigan State University after which she spent two years as an associate in a predominantly swine practice in Wolcott, Indiana. Following practice, she completed a Residency/Masters Program at the University of Illinois in Population Medicine and a PhD from North Carolina State University in Comparative Biomedical Sciences with an emphasis in epidemiology. Prior to joining Michigan State University, she was an Associate Professor of food safety epidemiology in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University. Dr. Funk’s research interests include the pre-harvest epidemiology of foodborne pathogens in food animals as well as antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in food animal populations.

Melissa Joy Dobbins

MS, RD, LDN, CDE

Melissa Joy Dobbins is a registered, licensed dietitian and a certified diabetes educator. With more than 20 years of experience in the field of nutrition, Dobbins has a proven track record of providing real solutions for real people so they can enjoy their food with health in mind. Her career began with a strong foundation in clinical and outpatient nutrition, and she has the distinction of launching a consumer nutrition education program for Chicago’s leading grocery chain and subsequently, conducting nutrition communications for the dairy council for nearly eight years. In 2011, Dobbins founded Sound Bites, Inc. where she promotes “sound science, smart nutrition and good food” through media interviews, speaking engagements, nutrition articles and client counseling. She also enjoys teaching at Kendall College Culinary School and media coaching other health professionals and culinary experts. A certified diabetes educator, Dobbins also holds certificates in both Adult Weight Management and Child & Adolescent Weight Management. She was named Outstanding Diabetes Educator of the Year in 2011 by the Chicago chapter of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year in 2004 by the Illinois Dietetic Association. Dobbins has been published in the “Journal of Nutrition Education” and “The ADA Manual of Clinical Dietetics”, and you can read her book reviews in the Academy’s new Food & Nutrition Magazine. Dobbins lives in the Chicago area with her husband and two kids – a toddler and a tween.

For more information about USFRA, visit www.fooddialogues.com or contact info@fooddialogues.com.

The views expressed by Julie Funk and Melissa Joy Dobbins are their own and do not represent the views of USFRA or its affiliates.