BIOGRAPHY
PAUL D. VIRKLER, DVM
Senior Extension Associate Cornell University
Animal Health Diagnostic Center Quality Milk Production Services
Dr. Paul Virkler was born and raised on a small dairy farm in Lewis County, NY.
He attended Cornell University where he obtained both his BS and DVM and then spent seven years as a cattle veterinarian at Attica Veterinary Associates in Western NY.
He subsequently worked at DeLaval as a technical services veterinarian covering North America and then at the Animal Health Diagnostic Center in the Veterinary Support Services unit. Currently Dr. Virkler is working as an extension veterinarian for Quality Milk Production Services where he provides science based advice to dairy producers and their veterinarians as an integral part of their udder health and milk quality teams.
He also teaches milk quality related courses and is involved in ongoing applied research in the area of udder health, milking equipment, mastitis, and milk quality.
B.S. – 1995 Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University
DVM – 1998 College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University
CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENCES
Active Veterinary Medical License in New York
USDA Accredited Veterinarian
Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician Training Course, Plum Island Animal Disease Center – 2009
Infectious Disease Epidemiology: Diagnosis, Modeling, and Risk: Part I and II – 2008
Applied Epidemiology in Bovine Practice Level II AABP seminar – 2005
Statistical Analysis in Production Medicine certificate series by Michigan State University – 2000
HONORS AND AWARDS
Anne Besse Prize 1998
Merck Manual Award 1998
Francis H. Fox Scholarship 1997
Phi Zeta, Honor Society of Veterinary Medicine 1997
Jane Miller Award for Physiology 1996
Gamma Sigma Delta, Honor Society of Agriculture 1994
Dairy Fellows Program 1993-1995
American Society of Animal Science Award for Scholastics 1993
Frank Morrison Scholarship Award for Animal Science 1993
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2014-present Senior Extension Associate – Quality Milk Production Services — Director of Northern Laboratory – Animal Health Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca/Canton, New York
- Provide science-based advice to dairy producers and their veterinarians as an integral part of their udder health and milk quality teams.
- Teach milk quality related courses and educational programs to undergraduate and veterinary students, veterinarians, producers, and other industry employees.
- Collaborate in applied research to advance the state of knowledge in the area of udder health, mastitis, and milk quality.
2008-2013 Senior Extension Associate – Veterinary Support Services – Animal Health Diagnostic Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York
- Provide timely advice and assistance to AHDC veterinary clients in the implementation of prevention, detection, and mitigation strategies in animal populations and production units.
- Assist federal, state, and industry partners in disease detection, control, and outbreak resolution.
- Provide information and guidance to private practitioners concerning: sample submission, test strategies, test selection, and management.
2005-2007 Solution Manager –Rubber and Systems Analysis-DeLaval Inc, Kansas City, Missouri
- Develop and present ongoing training programs for dealer employees across North America and Europe that focus on improving the interaction between milking equipment, cows, and people.
- Serve as a technical resource for North American dealers and customers experiencing challenges related to milking systems, mastitis, teat health, and milk quality.
- Design and direct on-farm research trials for product testing
1998-2005 Dairy Veterinarian and Partner – Attica Veterinary Associates, Attica, New York
- Primary herd veterinarian focusing on milk quality, reproduction, herd health, calf management, NYSCHAP programs, and record analysis for over 30 dairy farms.
- Developed and utilized a Parlor Performance Program to jointly discuss and devise management changes with owners and milking teams on farms in New York and Pennsylvania.
- Managed an in-house microbiology lab and supervised the laboratory technicians.
1998-1999 Extension Veterinarian – Consorzio-Ricerca Filiera Latteriero-Casearia, Ragusa, Italy
- Developed and implemented an on farm milk quality education project targeted at fifteen prominent Sicilian farms.
- Presented on milk quality and mastitis topics at numerous meetings for producers and Industry representatives.
- Established a microbiology lab for analysis of milk samples collected from individual cows and farm.
1995 & 1996 Summer Dairy Consultant Assistant – Dairy Production Ideas: John Ferry, Adams, New York
- Consulted in the areas of milk quality, financial, nutritional, cow comfort, preventative medicine, and general management on progressive dairy farms across the Northeast.
Summer 1994 Farm Employee – Porterdale Farms, Watertown, New York
- Worked in all aspects of an 800 cow dairy including milking, cow management, and crop harvesting.
1978-1994 Farm Employee – Floyd C. Graves Farm, Croghan, New York
- Performed all duties on 30 cow family dairy including implementation and monitoring of management programs.