Alexia Sampson-Bellot, D.V.M.

She/her

Education: Bachelor of Science in animal sciences and industry (May 2014)

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine

McNair Project: Translation of Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) Mitigation Research to Field Implementation (2013)

Mentor: Christopher Reinhardt, Ph.D.

Shiga Toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a type of bacteria that is currently a threat to food safety and has been linked to livestock production management practices. In collaboration with the Beef Cattle Institute, we will be researching effective ways to implement control and prevention strategies that can be utilized in various stages of beef production in the form of online training modules. The online training modules will be approximately 8-12 minutes long and will include diagrams, images, video, and an end of the module quiz to ensure the information has been understood. The purpose of this project is to bring awareness to the threat of STEC in all stages of beef production and to provide useful training tools to the beef industry that will aid in enforcing safe and effective practices in their facilities or operations, thus improving overall food safety.