Poultry residency program hatches solution-seekers
In a state where poultry represents far more than a commodity, Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has positioned itself as an important resource for safeguarding and managing a cornerstone of economic vitality.
Alabama’s poultry industry generates more than 80,000 jobs and fuels more than $15 billion in economic activity – one-eighth of the state’s economy, according to the Alabama Poultry & Egg Association. Through its Poultry Residency program, the College of Veterinary Medicine offers the potential to address threats in such forms as infectious disease, biosecurity, pollution and sustainability.
“Our mission as veterinarians is to support the growing need for advanced training of qualified avian diagnosticians in our state and within the commercial poultry industry,” said Dr. Kellye Joiner, associate professor of pathobiology.
Having been officially recognized in July 2024 as the ninth American College of Poultry Veterinarians (ACPV) approved training program, the residency is still in the nascent stage of hatching a new generation of researchers, clinicians and problem-solvers. The Master of Science in Veterinary Biomedical Sciences (Concentration: Poultry) emerged in 2017 as a collaborative effort between the college and the Thompson-Bishop-Sparks Alabama State Diagnostic Laboratory.
A resident’s journey: From pets to poultry
Dr. Olivia Lockyear said the poultry residency program provided a critical piece for her professional development puzzle. Lockyear, who completed the residency program in July and earned a Master of Science in avian pathology, had initially expected to follow a more traditional veterinary career path as an undergraduate student at Purdue University.
“Like many of my peers, I wanted to be a veterinarian and started off working with dogs and cats as a veterinary assistant,” she said.
Before completing her bachelor’s degree in microbiology, study abroad experiences in Romania and Haiti involving extension projects in food security inspired her to explore a new angle.
“I realized veterinary medicine could look very different depending on where one lives,” said Lockyear, an Evansville, Ind., native. “I became interested in poultry after meeting a poultry diagnostician in the Indiana Diagnostic Laboratory and realizing it was a production animal with various opportunities and fewer cultural barriers.”
While pursuing her DVM at Auburn from 2019-2023, Lockyear found an abundance of growth opportunities through internships and externships with egg producers, broiler breeders and turkey providers, as well as in research settings. Auburn’s poultry residents experience unique, multifaceted training that extends beyond classrooms. Residents may work in such settings as pharmaceuticals, poultry production or diagnostic laboratories.
“The most valuable aspects of my residency program have been the numerous opportunities to collaborate with industry veterinarians, participate in research programs at Auburn University, and work closely with the Alabama diagnostic laboratory system,” Lockyear said. “My program has also allowed me to travel throughout the country, working with pharmaceutical companies and numerous poultry sectors while they investigate disease challenges.”
Looking forward
The Auburn poultry residency equips graduates with a deep toolkit for addressing real world issues, from avian influenza outbreaks to antibiotics stewardship and vaccine development. As the poultry industry becomes increasingly complex and globalized, the need has intensified for such specialized training blending industry field experience with the experimental realm.
“Our program exposes residents to a wide array of economically significant and emerging poultry diseases, fostering the competency necessary to identify processes and mechanisms that influence poultry diseases, and the foundation required for development of individual expertise in treatment, preventative medicine and quality control,” Joiner said.
As Alabama solidifies its position as a poultry powerhouse, the Auburn residency ensures that the professionals charged with protecting its flocks – and its farm-to-table economic might – are among the nation’s best trained.