College of Veterinary Medicine alumnus gives gift of lab space to Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases

June 3, 2015 — 

Kelly Lechtenberg, Oakland, Nebraska, CEO of Midwest Veterinary Services and Central States Research Centre of Oakland, has provided a sustaining annual gift of biosecurity level-2 laboratory space for use by the new Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State University. [Source: KSU]

The interdisciplinary research center has a mission to combat vector-borne diseases with a focus on pathogenesis, surveillance and disease prevention.

A Kansas State University alumnus, Lechtenberg earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1987 and a doctorate in 1988. Dr. Lechtenberg has been a member of AASV since 1995.

"Dr. Lechtenberg is a wonderful person who is making a big difference in supporting the center," said Roman Ganta, professor and director of the center. "We will use this facility to maintain a sustainable K-State Tick Rearing Facility, which is part of the new center. This facility is already in progress and its goals include supporting K-State faculty research focused on ticks. It also will serve as a one-of-a-kind resource for tick researchers at other academic institutions and industry."

"We are pleased to assist Dr. Ganta and his team in continuing their very important work with vector-borne diseases," Lechtenberg said. "Roman and the rest of the Center of Excellence for Vector-Borne Diseases team are passionate about their work and have an urgency of mission that makes this project bound for success. I am confident that we will see this team contribute greatly to our knowledge of disease transmission and be instrumental in developing interventions that make outdoor life safer for people, their pets and the livestock entrusted to their care."