Update on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and Biosecurity
VMCVM hosted a Virtual Continuing Education Lecture on February 22, 2022.
CE credit was provided to live participants. No CE credit will be provided for viewing the recorded lectures. Transcripts available upon request.
Jessica Walters (BS '09, PhD '14, DVM '16, DACPV)
Program Manager, Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’, Office of Laboratory Services
Dr. Jessica Walters is the Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (VDACS) Office of Laboratory Services and oversees all four of the veterinary diagnostic labs in the Commonwealth. She is a boarded poultry veterinarian who previously served both as the Poultry Diagnostician for VDACS and as the Director of both the Harrisonburg Regional Animal Health Laboratory and Lynchburg Regional Animal Health Laboratory for the Office of Laboratory Services. She is also an Official State Agent representative for the National Poultry Improvement Plan. She received her PhD in poultry infectious diseases in 2014, and her DVM in food animal medicine in 2016- both from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. She is a Diplomate of the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.
Dr. Walters is a native of Powhatan, Virginia with an agricultural background working with horses and beef cattle, but she became interested in poultry production and health while obtaining an undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech. In her current and previous roles, she enjoys management, participating in the education of backyard producers, teaching students about poultry medicine, and working hands-on with the commercial industry. She has a passion for flock health, production management, and disease diagnostics. In her free time, Dr. Walters enjoys international volunteer work, horseback riding, hiking, and traveling. She and her husband welcomed their daughter Sara Beth in March of 2020. They, along with their menagerie of animals reside in Rockingham County.