Associate Editor’s Message: In pursuit of why (March 2018)

I am very excited to join the Journal of Swine Health and Production editorial team. For me, this new career chapter provides an opportunity to continue my passion for promoting scientific research and the pursuit of knowledge.

My graduate career started at the University of Illinois where, like most animal science majors, I was planning to enter the veterinary profession. However, I quickly changed course when I caught the research “bug.” What began as an undergraduate project in a stress physiology lab gradually morphed into a Master’s of Science degree. My area of focus was exploring how animals perceive various factors in their environment and the impact those perceptions have on their physiology and performance, behavior, and affective states. It was a bonus that I worked primarily with pigs.

I have spent the last 12 years working with US pig farmers to identify on-farm issues that impact them and the well-being of their pigs and building relationships among the academic, veterinary, and farmer communities to work towards solutions. This included using Checkoff dollars to fund research and utilizing outcomes to develop science-based educational materials promoting best practices for pig care and well-being.

On a personal note, my toddler is almost 2 and I often say he is the coolest science experiment I have had the pleasure to be a part of. It is fascinating to watch his physical and mental development; he is the ultimate scientist. “What happens if I grab the cat’s tail? What will dad do if I throw food on the floor?” While he’s not quite to the “why” stage, I’m really looking forward to it. I see it as an opportunity to look at everyday objects and routines through a new lens and have longstanding ideals tested. It’s also an opportunity to find new ways to deliver complex information to a unique audience. He is only 2 after all.

I firmly believe that knowledge is power. Knowledge helps us make better decisions, be better people and ultimately become a better society. As scientists and veterinarians, we endeavor to answer the why’s and how’s that continue to challenge pig health and production. We continue to challenge the status quo in search of improvement.

As scientists, we must remember that the scientific method does not end with data collection and analysis. We must interpret and determine the implications of the data generated. Submitting our data, interpretations and theories to peer review with the intent to publish the work helps to strengthen, enhance, and expand the scientific body of knowledge. Science is a social process, in that peer-review, publication, and replication must occur before information tends to be accepted and implemented by the greater scientific community. Implementation is as fundamental to scientific advancement as the discovery itself.

I look forward to seeing the latest and greatest scientific submissions to the journal and working with authors to refine their work for publication. I also look forward to continuing in the footsteps of my predecessor, Dr Judi Bell. For the past 17 years, she has worked to make JSHAP a high-quality publication allowing readers to glean important information, implement findings on-farm, and generate the next new hypothesis.

–Sherrie Webb, MSc
Associate Editor