The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) named Ali Husnain, a doctorate degree student at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., as the 2021 DCRC Scholar. As the award recipient, Husnain earned an expense-paid trip to attend the 2021 DCRC Annual Meeting, Nov. 9-11, in Kansas City, Mo.
Husnain, a Fulbright fellowship recipient and veterinarian, is conducting research under the mentorship of Jose Santos, a University of Florida dairy cattle nutrition and reproduction professor. Husnain’s research focuses on understanding the mechanistic role by which uterine inflammation alters endometrial functions and cross talk between maternal immune cells and conceptus during peri-implantation in dairy cows.
After completing his doctorate degree, Husnain plans to resume his faculty position in theriogenology in Pakistan. “During my stay in the United States, I want to train myself so I can be a better resource for veterinary students, dairy producers and industry partners in Pakistan,” says Husnain. “By attending the DCRC Annual Meeting, I will be exposed to the applied side of dairy reproduction and build my network of dairy reproduction experts.”
In addition, Husnain has one published manuscript in the Journal of Dairy Science for his PhD work. He is finalizing laboratory work from three experiments he conducted with lactating cows and heifers using artificial insemination or embryo transfer to characterize the impacts of inflammation on the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in cattle. “We anticipate that these results will be well received by the scientific community and have direct application to solving reproductive problems in dairy farms.”
The DCRC Scholars program recognizes an outstanding graduate student studying dairy, animal or veterinary science, microbiology or a related program, with an area of interest that includes dairy cattle reproduction and fertility. Applicants submitted an interest statement that detailed their interest in dairy cattle reproduction, career goals and research project(s), and their academic adviser provided a letter of recommendation.
The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council is focused on bringing together all sectors of the dairy industry – producers, consultants, academia and allied industry professionals – for improved reproductive performance. DCRC provides an unprecedented opportunity for all groups to work together to take dairy cattle reproduction to the next level.