Dave Theno Fellowship Awarded to UConn Alumna
Michigan State University’s Online Food Safety (OFS) program is collaborating with Stop Foodborne Illness (Stop) through the creation of the Dave Theno Food Safety Fellowship. The Fellowship was created to celebrate the life of food safety advocate, Dave Theno (1950-2017), whose leadership in responding to the 1993 outbreak of E. coli 0157:H7 has been recognized by numerous scientific and industry organizations. Funding for the Fellowship has been provided through generous donations from family and friends who believe in keeping Dave’s commitment to food safety alive.
This year’s Fellowship has been awarded to Emily Forauer, University of Connecticut alumna. For the next year Emily will live in Chicago working closely with the Stop office and will complete a 12-credit Online Food Safety Certificate through the MSU OFS Program.
“Being chosen to receive the first Dave Theno fellowship is an incredible honor,” said Emily. “I look forward to learning about food safety communication from Stop Foodborne Illness and I am eager to learn more about specific food safety topics within the MSU Online Food Safety program. I’m very interested in topics such as food safety toxicology and food defense.”
Emily will work 35 hours per week for Stop, complete two projects defined by Stop and MSU OFS, will attend conferences on behalf of Stop, attend Creating a Food Safety Culture Executive Education on MSU campus in June and many other responsibilities. Emily is provided with a stipend, tuition support, a fully furnished apartment, health benefits and paid days off as a part of the Fellowship.
“We are so excited about Emily joining the Stop Foodborne Illness team and for being part of this first-year collaboration with MSU,” said Deirdre Schlunegger, Stop Foodborne Illness CEO. “All this would not have been possible without the many generous donors.”
Emily has a Bachelor of Science in Pathobiology and Bachelor of Science in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology both from the University of Connecticut where she worked in a food microbiology lab under Dr. Dennis D'Amico. Working under Dr. D’Amico was where her interest in food science began. Emily attended IAFP in Salt Lake City, UT in July and presented her undergraduate research which she completed while working for Dr. D’Amico.
“After the fellowship I hope to enter into a graduate program where I can continue expanding my knowledge of food safety, and help to ensure a safe food supply.”
A big thank you to all of the generous companies and individuals who have donated to this initiative, continuing Dave Theno's food safety legacy.
For more information on Stop Foodborne Illness please visit, http://www.stopfoodborneillness.org/ and for more information on the Michigan State University Online Food Safety program visit, https://foodsafety.msu.edu/.