Sources: Juergen Richt, 785-532-6415, media@k-state.edu;
and Ron Trewyn, 785-532-5110, trewyn@k-state.edu
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/richtbio.html
http://www.k-state.edu/media/mediaguide/bios/trewynbio.html
Pronouncer: Juergen Richt is Yer-gen Richt.
Photo available. Contact media@k-state.edu or 785-532-6415.
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-532-6415, kmayes@k-state.edu
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008
KANSAS BIOSCIENCE AUTHORITY NAMES K-STATE'S EXPERT ON EMERGING ZOONOTIC DISEASES ONE OF THE FIRST KANSAS BIOSCIENCE EMINENT SCHOLARS
MANHATTAN -- Juergen Richt, Kansas State University's Regents Distinguished Professor, has been named a 2008 Kansas Bioscience Eminent Scholar by the Kansas Bioscience Authority.
The designation was approved Jan. 16 by the authority's board.
"I am very proud to represent Kansas State University as one of the state's first-ever eminent scholars," Richt said. "As a Kansas Bioscience Eminent Scholar I will work diligently to find new ways to combat the animal diseases that threaten the nation's food supply and our national and state economy."
The Kansas Bioscience Eminent Scholars Program is designed to attract distinguished bioscience researchers to Kansas research institutions, along with their research and commercialization activities. An eminent scholar is a relatively new hire and an individual acknowledged as a scholar of distinction by national measures. The honor also comes with roughly $2 million in research funding over the next five years. K-State will match those funds.
Richt, an expert in emerging zoonotic diseases, is a veterinary microbiologist who has worked with multiple agents of zoonotic potential, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease; chronic wasting disease; animal flu; borna virus; and other emerging diseases. Zoonotic diseases, those that can be transmitted between humans and animals, are a growing concern for public health.
Richt is currently lead scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center. He'll officially join K-State as Regents Distinguished Professor in April. At the federal center, Richt has worked primarily in two areas: emerging viral diseases of swine and prion diseases, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy. He has developed innovative vaccinations against flu viruses and novel diagnostic tests to detect major swine respiratory pathogens. He also has studied the interspecies transmission of prion agents and the molecular nature of newly emerging bovine spongiform encephalopathy strains.
Because of his research experience, Richt has rapidly moved into the field of animal influenza research and is being recognized for his understanding of avian/swine/human transmission of influenza viruses.
"Richt's vast experience and knowledge is coming to K-State at a critical time in our nation's history," said Ron Trewyn, K-State's vice president for research. "We've long been committed to staying on top of the threat to our nation's food supply. Richt's research, especially when matched with this funding from the Kansas Bioscience Authority, will no doubt strengthen the university's ability to develop new ways to deal with today's threats."
Richt has a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Munich and a doctorate in veterinary virology from the University of Giessen. His postdoctoral studies were conducted at John Hopkins University from 1989 to 1991.