International Association for Food Protection Holds 2017-2018 Secretary Election

Monday, January 30, 2017

Des Moines, Iowa - The International Association for Food Protection is proud to announce Dr. Roger Cook and Dr. Vijay Juneja as candidates for the 2017–2018 Secretary. The elected Secretary will assume his position following IAFP 2017 in Tampa, Florida in July and will serve a five-year term of successive positions. Electronic ballots will be provided to all Association Members, and the election will remain open through March 7, 2017. Election results will be announced in April on the IAFP Web site, in the May IAFP Report, and in the May/June issue of Food Protection Trends.

Dr. Roger 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 2002, 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 foods.

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. After graduation, 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, where he successfully transferred his human microbial ecology skills on meat safety and spoilage.

Dr. Cook has presented and/or chaired symposia at most IAFP Annual Meetings since joining the Association in 1997. He was honored to present the Ivan Parkin Lecture at the IAFP 2011 Annual Meeting. He has served on the Foundation Committee, as well as the Journal of Food Protection (JFP) Management Committee, including as Chair. Dr. Cook has been on the JFP Editorial Board since 2005 and is a founding member and current Delegate of IAFP’s Affiliate, the New Zealand Association for Food Protection (NZAFP).   

Dr. Vijay Juneja is a Lead Scientist (Microbiologist, GS-15) of a research project on Predictive Microbiology at the Eastern Regional Research Center (ERRC) of the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. Dr. Juneja’s research addresses high priority U.S. national needs by developing technical information and technologies required by federal regulatory agencies, the food industry, consumers, and the international scientific community. His research specifically focuses on interventions to reduce or eliminate pathogens in foods; developing and validating predictive models for behavior of stressed and unstressed pathogens in food with added antimicrobials; expanding and maintaining the ARS-Pathogen Modeling Program (PMP) and Predictive Microbiology Information Portal (PMIP); and continuing to support the development and utilization of ComBase.

Dr. Juneja holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in India; and an M.S. in Animal Science and Ph.D. in Food Technology and Science, both from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Dr. Juneja’s leadership roles include chairing both national and international conferences and workshops. A long-time IAFP Member, he has organized and convened several IAFP symposia; convened several technical sessions; and has spoken twice in IAFP’s ‘Web-based Educational Sessions.’ Throughout his membership, Dr. Juneja has been an active member of six Professional Development Groups (PDGs) and served on numerous IAFP committees, including a three-year term on the Food Protection Trends (FPT) Management Committee; the Journal of Food Protection (JFP) Management Committee (currently serving as Chair); JFP’s Editorial Board (since 1993); and JFP’s impact factor sub-committee. He also serves on the Editorial Board of IAFP’s Food Microbiology and Food Safety book series, published by Springer.

In addition, Dr. Juneja served on the IAFP Annual Meeting Program Committee and has been a member on several Award Committees. He received the Maurice Weber Laboratorian Award in 2005; the GMA Food Safety Award in 2013; and the Harry Haverland Citation Award in 2015.

Dr. Juneja is currently President of the IAFP Affiliate, the Indian Association for Food Protection in North America.