International Association for Food Protection Elects Roger Cook to Executive Board

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Des Moines, Iowa - Members of the International Association for Food Protection elected Dr. Roger L. Cook to the Executive Board as Secretary. Dr. Cook will take office at the conclusion of IAFP 2017
in Tampa, Florida and will fulfill a five-year commitment to the Association, serving as President beginning in July 2020.

Dr. Cook is Manager of Food Risk Assessment for New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), formerly the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), in Wellington. In this role since 2012, and as MPI’s principal food microbiologist since 1995, Dr. Cook leads New Zealand’s regulatory microbiological food safety risk assessment initiatives, specifically those for STEC and Campylobacter; designs research projects to support development and verification of food safety regulations and to evaluate outcomes and consequences of overseas market access requirements; develops monitoring programs for domestic and export assurances (the equivalent to the U.S. PR/HACCP and STEC programs); and provides microbiological advice to the vast array of New Zealand’s domestic and export food industry. He has a close working relationship with overseas regulatory authorities and science providers, and is a current member of the FAO/WHO JEMRA Working Group on STECs in food. 

Dr. Cook has been an IAFP Member since 1997. He has served on the IAFP Foundation Committee, as well as the Journal of Food Protection (JFP) Management Committee, including a term as Chair. Dr. Cook is a current Editorial Board Member for JFP (since 2005). He presented the Ivan Parkin Lecture at IAFP 2011; has served as Affiliate Council Chair; and is a founding member and current Delegate of IAFP’s Affiliate, New Zealand Association for Food Protection (NZAFP). He has also presented and/or chaired symposia at most IAFP Meetings during his membership.

Dr. Cook received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Microbiology (majoring in sexually-transmitted diseases) from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He spent five years in North America, carrying out postdoctoral research at Toronto General Hospital in Toronto, Canada, and as Assistant Professor at Hutzel Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. He returned to New Zealand as a Research Scientist for the Meat Industry Research Institute of New Zealand (MIRINZ).