Program

2021 Gut Health Symposium Final Program

2022 Final Program

Invited Speakers

Speaker: Leon Broom, Chief Scientific Officer, Gut Health Consultancy

Title: Getting to the guts of (..) health

Speaker Biography:
Leon Broom received his BS and PhD degrees from the University of Leeds, UK. Broom then entered industry for several years, working in technical service for a leading feed additives company, before returning to the University of Leeds as a senior research fellow, where he was involved in pig and poultry research and teaching. In 2013, he re-entered industry to lead the research and development function of a feed additive company focused on gut health. In 2017, he established his own consultancy business (Gut Health Consultancy) working with feed, feed additive, and live production clients around the world. He is also visiting research fellow at the University of Leeds. He has published numerous papers on gut health and in 2019 established an annual gut health symposium in the UK. He also managed two swine production units earlier in his career. Broom's research focuses on seeking to better understand the interactions between the host and their microbiome, particularly in the context of more prudent use of antimicrobials in animal husbandry. His consultancy work seeks to properly interpret, and apply in practice, scientific literature and experimental data related to host-microbiome interactions to promote health and help unlock the productive potential of livestock.

Speaker: Dr. Greg Penner, Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan

Title: Gastrointestinal adaptation: Rapid functional and retrogressive changes but slow proliferation

Speaker Biography:
Greg Penner is a professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science and holds a Centennial Enhancement Chair in Ruminant Nutritional Physiology at the University of Saskatchewan. He was hired in 2009 after obtaining his bachelor’s degree (2004) and MSc degree (2006) at the University of Saskatchewan and his PhD from the University of Alberta (2009). Penner has published over 145 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is a highly sought out speaker, having provided over 120 invited presentations since appointment. Penner also serves as co-editor in chief for the Canadian Journal of Animal Science.

Penner’s research focuses on beef and dairy cattle nutrition, and regulation of gastrointestinal function in ruminants. Individual projects range from a focus on fundamental aspects of physiology to those with applied outcomes that can help promote efficient and sustainable beef and dairy production. Through his research program, Penner has trained 26 undergraduate students, 17 MSc students, 5 PhD students, and 4 postdoctoral fellows and has 3 technicians. In addition, Penner has hosted 5 students from other universities while they conducted a portion of their research under his supervision.

In recognition of his research program, Penner has been awarded with the Canadian Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award (2013), the Early Career Research Award from the American Society of Animal Science (2017), the College of Agriculture and Bioresources Dean's New Researcher Award of Excellence (2017), and The University of Saskatchewan New Research Award (2019) and will receive the Lallemand Research Excellence Award in Dairy Science in July 2019.

Speaker: Dr. Chengbo Yang, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Manitoba

Title: Microencapsulated essential oils as antibiotic alternatives in broiler chickens

Speaker Biography:
Chengbo Yang is an associate professor in livestock nutrition and nutritional biochemistry in the Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Canada. Yang obtained his PhD in monogastric animal nutrition at the University of Guelph, Canada, in 2011. He joined the University of Manitoba in 2016 after several years of working in the industry. He is conducting research in the area of gut health and nutrient utilization relevant to nonruminants. He has acquired about 10 million dollars in research funding as principal investigator and co-principal investigator from NSERC, Canada Foundation for Innovation, USDA, Swine Cluster III, and other agencies. He currently serves as an editorial board member for two journals, including the Canadian Journal of Animal Science. He has provided training to over 50 highly qualified personnel, including high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and research associates, and has published 86 peer-reviewed scientific publications. Yang received the 2018 Canadian Society of Animal Science Young Scientist Award, the 2018 Terry G. Falconer Memorial Rh Institute Foundation Emerging Researcher Awards for Natural Sciences, and the 2019 Merit Award in Research, Scholarly Work, and Creative Activities at the University of Manitoba.

Basic Program

November 6 - Onsite registration from 5:00pm-7:00pm

November 7 - Symposium begins at 8:00am, will conclude for the day around 5:00pm with reception to follow.

November 8 - Symposium begins at 8:00am, will conclude for the day around 5:00pm with reception to follow.

November 9 - Symposium begins at 8:00am, will conclude around 12:00pm.