NEWS
Walid Alali
Creative Research Medal 2014
Walid Alali, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Center for Food Safety, conducts critical research focused on the epidemiology and control of Salmonella in poultry production. Poultry meat is a significant source of Salmonella infections, and Alali’s research provides an improved understanding of the pathogen’s frequencies and transmission dynamics. He led a project funded by the USDA to collect data on Salmonella in poultry from emerging market countries, such as China, Russia and Colombia, where there was little data or the data did not exist. In addition, Alali investigated the presence of antibiotic resistant strains of Salmonella in these locations and found high levels of multi-drug resistance in these organisms. Alali worked closely with the World Health Organization and local officials to plan and execute a response to this problem. From these experiences, he has published a series of well-reviewed manuscripts in some of the field’s top journals.