Dr. Francisco Olea-Popelka appointed as the Beryl Ivey Endowed Chair in One Health
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Francisco Olea-Popelka has been appointed as the Beryl Ivey Endowed Chair in One Health in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University. Professor Olea-Popelka earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine, Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile and a Master’s and PhD in Epidemiology in 2002 and 2007 respectively, from the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. He served as an Associate Professor in Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine and BioMedical Sciences at Colorado State University from 2007 to 2018. In addition to holding the Endowed Chair position, he is an Associate Professor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
Professor Olea-Popelka’s inter-disciplinary research focuses on the study of diseases, and addresses global health issues at the intersection of livestock, wildlife, and humans. His primary focus is mycobacterial infection and he is recognized as an international leader in zoonotic tuberculosis (TB). He is leading the global effort to address the public health challenges posed by zoonotic TB in close collaboration with the World Health Organization, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the World Organization for Animal Health, providing health solutions for humans living in rural communities affected with TB and HIV.
He has served on a number of international, national and scholarly committees including Zoonotic Tuberculosis sub-section Program Chair for The Union from 2013 to 2015, Member of the Association of Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine from 2008 to present, and Faculty Advisor and founder for the One Health Club, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University from 2008 to 2018.
He was the recipient of Margaret A.B. Maxwell Memorial Scholarship in 2002 and 2003, the CAVEPM Travel award for ISVEE 10 in 2003, Graduate Students Recognition Award in 2005, and the “Achiever” Award at The Union in 2014, and was a nominee for the Department of Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University ‘Mentoring Award’ in 2017 and the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences nominee in 2018 for the Monfort Professor rising star award.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Olea-Popelka on his appointment.
