The Swine Health Information Center marks a significant milestone with its 10th anniversary on July 5. Launched in 2015 with funding from the Pork Checkoff, SHIC has dedicated a decade to its core mission: to protect and enhance the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats. This commitment involves a multifaceted approach encompassing preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments.
From inception, SHIC was envisioned not merely as a reactive entity but as a proactive force, anticipating animal health challenges. The US swine industry, a cornerstone of the nation’s agricultural economy and food supply, faces constant pressure from emerging novel pathogens, re-emerging endemic diseases and transboundary diseases of swine. Recognizing this vulnerability, industry leaders and researchers formulated the idea of a dedicated center focused solely on anticipating and mitigating these threats before they could inflict widespread damage.
“It was the foresight of the National Pork Board to form the Swine Health Information Center after the introduction of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in 2013,” SHIC Executive Director Dr. Megan Niederwerder said. “Producers were really interested in having an organization focused on looking over the horizon for the next emerging disease risk. We didn’t want to be caught again with a disease introduction that we weren’t prepared for, and so that’s the mission and our continued existence today.”
SHIC’s Pillars
At the heart of SHIC’s enduring success lies its foundational mission, a robust framework that guides every initiative and investment. Each pillar of this mission is critical to the comprehensive defense strategy SHIC employs.
Minimizing the Impact of Emerging Disease Threats: Within this pillar, SHIC focuses on strategies limiting the spread, severity, and economic fallout of new, foreign, or re-emerging diseases. Strategies include rapid identification, effective containment protocols, and swift dissemination of information to enable producers to act decisively. Over the past 10 years, this focus has driven a culture of surveillance and readiness across the industry.
Preparedness: SHIC’s emphasis on preparedness includes active collaboration to develop robust response plans, identify gaps in existing defenses, and through targeted research, ensures the industry has the tools and knowledge to quickly address unforeseen health crises. SHIC’s involvement in preparedness includes participation in scenario planning for high-consequence diseases, facilitating diagnostic readiness, and developing educational materials that empower producers and veterinarians to implement effective biosecurity measures. The focus on preparedness is to ensure when a new threat emerges, the US swine industry is armed with information and tools for rapid response to minimize disease impacts to producers.
Coordinated Communications: Clear, consistent, and timely communication is paramount for disease detection, awareness and education. SHIC acts as a central hub for sharing vital information among producers, veterinarians, researchers, government agencies, and allied industries. This coordinated approach ensures that stakeholders involved in swine health have access to critical information, preventing misinformation and enabling a unified response. Whether it’s an alert about a new global disease trend or an update on research findings, SHIC’s communication channels are designed for maximum impact and clarity, fostering trust and collaboration across the sector.
Global Disease Monitoring: SHIC maintains surveillance for changes in global swine health trends, identifying potential threats as they arise. This involves tracking disease incidence, analyzing transmission patterns, and understanding the characteristics of emerging pathogens internationally. By monitoring global landscapes, SHIC provides an early warning system, allowing the US industry to fortify its defenses and prepare for potential incursions. Maintaining disease surveillance is critical due to a globally interconnected world.
Analysis of Swine Health Data: SHIC invests heavily in collecting, synthesizing, and analyzing swine health data from various sources. This includes diagnostic lab submissions, production records, and epidemiological studies. By identifying patterns, trends, and anomalies in swine health data, SHIC can identify areas of concern, evaluate the effectiveness of control measures, and direct resources to where they are most needed. This data-driven approach ensures that SHIC’s strategies are evidence-based and continuously optimized for maximum efficacy.
Targeted Research Investments: Understanding emerging, re-emerging, and foreign animal diseases, and developing new tools for detection and mitigation requires cutting-edge research. SHIC strategically invests in research projects that directly address critical knowledge gaps and provide practical solutions for the industry. These investments cover a wide range of topic areas, from developing new diagnostics and vaccines to understanding pathogen epidemiology and improving biosecurity practices. By funding targeted research, SHIC accelerates the development of innovations that directly enhance the health and resilience of the US swine herd.
Collaborative Success
SHIC is far from insular in its operations. Partnering with other entities leverages SHIC funding from Pork Checkoff, expands reach, and represents the collaborative view of staff and directors. Recent joint efforts with the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research have included Japanese encephalitis virus research, the Wean-to-Harvest Biosecurity Research Program, and H5N1 influenza research initiatives.
A quote from FFAR’s 2024 annual report, “In the U.S., where pork is a major industry, the health of the nation’s swine herd is crucial. As the third-largest producer and consumer of pork in the world, the U.S. relies heavily on its swine population, and threats to swine health can harm producers, consumers and the economy. To protect this vital industry, FFAR partnered with the Swine Health Information Center (SHIC) to develop innovative, cost-effective technologies and practices that improve biosecurity, particularly in the critical wean-to-harvest phases of swine production. This partnership has funded 23 projects, many of which have already delivered valuable insights and tools. These findings are transforming the way pork producers and veterinarians manage the health of swine herds, with immediate, practical applications for farms and transportation systems alike.”
SHIC’s mission focus on emerging disease is unique among other livestock industry organizations. “SHIC fulfills a unique need to constantly evaluate emerging disease trends and focus on finding unique solutions to address these needs. The use of multiple reporting programs to monitor and track diseases objectively through the Morrison Swine Health Monitoring Program, the swine disease reporting system, and the global disease reporting system, are unique to our industry. These programs are a cornerstone to many of our swine health actions, because if we aren’t aware of what’s going on in the field, then it makes it very hard for the industry to respond. These disease monitoring systems inform us of research needs and provide alerts for potentially emerging challenges. I think that’s something unique and very valuable,” said SHIC Associate Director Dr. Lisa Becton.
Building a successful organization able to move quickly, react appropriately, and broadly disseminate critical information requires vision, focus, and resiliency. “Among SHIC’s strengths are nimbleness and having a very specific focus and mission. Nimbleness allows SHIC to adjust research priorities to emerging threats as they arise. Having a very specific mission allows us to remain focused on emerging disease threats, whether these are occurring within the US or internationally,” said Mark Schwartz, outgoing SHIC founding board member and chair. “Although there is a long list of SHIC projects that I am proud of, I would say that the work that SHIC directed and funded in response to emerging situations are at the top of my list. These include the work in Vietnam with ASF and with CFIA in Canada, and the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza.”
Telling SHIC’s Story
Sharing SHIC’s work involves a complex assortment of communications tools. This includes the SHIC website, a monthly enewsletter, eblasts, webinars, podcasts, articles shared with industry, events, presentations, interviews and work with media. Each project, research results, program, and disease monitoring report are deployed to stakeholder audiences so SHIC’s work is amplified and reaches those it’s designed to benefit.
“We want to ensure that any of our knowledge of swine health and disease outcomes is communicated back to producers so it can provide value to pork producers, to the US pork industry, and allow for utilization of that information to protect the health of their herd,” Dr. Becton said. “SHIC has both a veterinary and producer audience. We incorporate direct feedback received from swine producers and their veterinarians during active listening sessions into our day-to-day activities and ensure that the information that is generated is always communicated with that audience.”
SHIC Staff Drive Mission
Dr. Paul Sundberg was SHIC’s founding executive director and served in the role until his retirement in December 2023. “The goal of the original board of directors of SHIC was to find that perfect individual to oversee the entity. Someone who was passionate about protecting the North American swine population from an introduction of any foreign animal disease, was respected and extremely well connected with all facets of the industry and had knowledge and experience in swine health and research,” said Daryl Olsen, DVM, AMVC and former SHIC board member and chair.
In April 2022, Dr. Megan Niederwerder joined SHIC as associate director. Upon her hiring, Olsen said, “SHIC continues to deliver beyond expectations to the swine industry. As the scope of our efforts in prevention, preparedness, and response to emerging and potential foreign swine disease issues grows, so does our need for qualified leadership for the organization. Megan will be an outstanding addition to SHIC with her experience, passion, and knowledge.”
When Dr. Sundberg announced his retirement, Dr. Niederwerder was tapped to become executive director and the search for a new associate director culminated in the hiring of Dr. Lisa Becton who began her position with SHIC in January 2024. At the time, Dr. Niederwerder said, “Lisa is an outstanding addition to the SHIC team who brings a wealth of knowledge from directing producer-led swine health initiatives during her tenure at the National Pork Board. Her vast experience will enable her to hit the ground running as the new associate director and immediately start advancing mission-focused objectives to help lead SHIC into the future.”
As SHIC’s effort, reach, and mission continue to grow, the need for an additional staff person became clear in 2024. After a wide search and careful consideration, Rhea Schirm was hired as SHIC’s grant and contract administrator in April 2025. In announcing the position and Schirm’s hiring, Dr. Niederwerder said, “We are thrilled to have Rhea join the SHIC team. Her experience in the pork industry and knowledge of the grant lifecycle will help our organization grow in efficiency.”
Volunteers Inspire and Encourage
Along with staff, SHIC has been guided by industry stakeholders sharing their time, expertise, and passion for the health of the US swine herd. The SHIC Board of Directors consists of nine members; six directors are appointed and three directors are elected. The NPB, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC), and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians (AASV) each appoint two members and three are elected by the appointed directors. The three elected directors must be active pork producers or representatives of producing companies that have an interest in the mission of SHIC. Responsible for SHIC governance, the following have served or are serving on the SHIC Board of Directors:
Matt Anderson, DVM
Kent Bang*
Joseph Dykhuis*
Mark Greenwood
Howard Hill, DVM
Alayne Johnson*
Brett Kaysen, PhD
Seth Krantz, DVM*
Bill Luckey
Jay Miller, DVM*
Gene Noem
Russ Nugent, PhD
Daryl Olsen, DVM
Sarah Pillen*
Jeremy Pittman, DVM*
Paul Ruen, DVM*
Mark Schwartz
Mike Terrill, DVM
Pete Thomas, DVM*
Matthew Turner, DVM
*Current board members
Two working groups also provide stakeholder input into SHIC’s operations: Monitoring and Analysis Working Group and Preparedness and Response Working Group. These groups include practitioners, allied industry partners, pork producers, academic researchers, diagnosticians, federal and state animal health officials, packer/processors, and industry association veterinarians from AASV, NPPC and NPB. Each working group meets regularly to review and select research projects as well as engage in SHIC programming activities.
A Decade of Service, Growth, and Value
Over the past decade, SHIC’s core pillars have evolved over time to address current challenges and strengthened the industry’s response to a dynamic disease landscape. SHIC has played an instrumental role in fostering a proactive mindset within the US pork industry, shifting the paradigm from purely reactive measures to a more anticipatory and prepared stance. The goal for proactive surveillance continues to include prevention of potential outbreaks, safeguarding the livelihoods of producers and ensuring a stable supply of pork for consumers.
The challenges to swine health will continue to change and new diseases will emerge. Coupled with novel disease emergence, the complexities of global trade and travel will demand sustained surveillance and response. As the Swine Health Information Center embarks on its second decade, it does so with a proven track record, a robust mission, and the unwavering support of the US pork industry. SHIC’s dedicated efforts ensure that the health and vitality of the US swine herd remain protected, allowing the industry to thrive and continue its essential contribution to the nation’s food security.
In reviewing SHIC’s first 10 years, gratitude comes to the fore. “We want to thank everyone who has been involved in SHIC activities. Whether that’s board members, board officers, staff, working group chairs, working group members, task force members, all the producers that have supported the organization through the Pork Checkoff – thank you. We are only here because of the individuals who have supported the organization, who helped us carry out our mission over the last 10 years, who helped provide us with input and insight to ensure our activities are directed towards providing producers the most value, and really the service of the industry enabled SHIC to maintain its focus on emerging diseases,” Dr. Niederwerder said. “I offer a big thank you to all of those people who have been involved in SHIC’s formation and existence over the last 10 years.”
The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the US swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data, and targeted research investments. As a conduit of information and research, SHIC encourages sharing of its publications and research. Forward, reprint, and quote SHIC material freely. For more information, visit http://www.swinehealth.org or contact Dr. Megan Niederwerder at [email protected] or Dr. Lisa Becton at [email protected].
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