The Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council (DCRC) selected Guilherme Madureira, a doctorate degree student at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada, as the 2022 DCRC Scholar. As the award recipient, Madureira earned an expense-paid trip to attend the 2022 DCRC Annual Meeting, Nov. 15-17, in Middleton, Wis.
Madureira, a native of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil, earned a bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine from the Federal University of Lavras (Brazil) and a master’s degree in animal science and pasture from the University of São Paulo. In addition, he worked as a research assistant at the University of Wisconsin, under the supervision of Milo Wiltbank. Madureira’s research, thus far, yielded six publications in scientific journals, including “Biology of Reproduction and Theriogenology.”
Under the guidance of Eduardo de Souza Ribeiro, University of Guelph assistant professor in the department of animal biosciences, Madureira’s PhD research program aims to identify biomarkers related to endometrial receptivity and to develop management strategies and tools to improve dairy cattle fertility. One research project involves evaluating the responsiveness of virgin heifers’ endometrium to a pregnancy-derived factor and associate the observed endometrial responses with subsequent reproductive performance. Ultimately, his research team would like to develop a simple test to evaluate endometrial receptivity in cattle that could be used to select females with superior fertility.
Another Madureira-led research project is evaluating how uterine histotroph components in cows change according to genomic merit for fertility traits and investigate how they are related to successful establishment of pregnancy. Madureira’s other research involves testing whether omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplementation during early postpartum can mitigate the degree and hasten the resolution of postpartum inflammation. If this is accomplished, researchers expect improved milk production and reproduction.
Upon completion of his PhD, Madureira plans to work on research development in the livestock industry, using basic science and applied research to solve problems faced by animal food producers.
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.