The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) has announced that Kyle Shipman, DVM will serve as interim Indiana State Veterinarian. The designation was made following Dr. Bret Marsh’s hire as the new Dean of the Purdue College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Shipman will fulfill the day-to-day operations of the Indiana State Veterinarian as the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) begins its search for a permanent state veterinarian.
Dr. Marsh will finish his 30-year tenure as Indiana State Veterinarian on Nov. 1 before leaving for his new role at Purdue. He began his career with the state in 1984 as a supervisor and training officer for the state meat and poultry inspection program, which was part of the Indiana State Department of Health. He joined BOAH in 1986 as Swine Division Director before becoming State Veterinarian. During his tenure, Dr. Marsh oversaw the establishment of the Indiana Center for Animal Policy, which co-located the Indiana Board of Veterinary Medicine with BOAH.
Dr. Shipman currently serves as director of BOAH’s Animal Programs Division. He is a graduate of Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agriculture (Animal Sciences). Shortly after joining BOAH, Dr. Shipman played a significant role in the agency’s response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza event in Dubois County in 2016. He has also helped lead the extended response to bovine tuberculosis in cattle in Southeastern Indiana.
Dr. Shipman continues to expand his knowledge about responding to diseases of high consequence. In early 2020, he traveled to Uganda to participate in an international, hands-on training course to learn first-hand how to diagnose and respond to cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). He is a USDA-certified and trained Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostician. In 2020 he completed Indiana Agri Institute’s two-year Agricultural Leadership Program as part of Class 18.
A nationwide search is underway to fill the agency head position permanently. Qualified candidates are welcome to apply online at the state of Indiana’s job portal: https://workforindiana.in.gov , then search for job posting 451468. More information about the position is available on the BOAH website at: www.in.gov/boah/current-information/career-opportunities/ .
Source: Indiana State Board of Animal Health