Bradford completed dual BS degrees at Iowa State University and a doctorate in animal nutrition at Michigan State University. He served on the faculty at Kansas State University from 2006 to 2019, and in 2020 he returned to Michigan State as the Clint Meadows Chair in Dairy Management. Bradford’s research focuses on dairy cattle nutrition and metabolism, with a particular emphasis on attempting to translate novel findings in fundamental metabolic physiology to practical applications in animal agriculture. Contributions by Bradford’s group have largely focused on dietary utilization of byproducts in lactation diets, the physiological impacts of systemic postpartum inflammation, and the roles of nutrients as signals. Working closely with 25 graduate students and post-doctoral scholars as well as dozens of collaborators, Bradford has contributed to more than 100 refereed publications and shared those findings in more than 150 invited presentations around the world.

Dr. Laura Hernandez is a Professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin. Her area of research has focused on how serotonin controls the mammary gland and various aspects of lactation. She combines basic research from the cell to whole-animal level in a variety of mammalian species to broaden the focus on the importance of the mammary gland in regulation of a successful lactation in mammals. Her research on the coordination of maternal metabolism during lactation by the mammary gland has numerous applications to periparturient dairy cows and women that are breastfeeding.

Jennifer Van Os is an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare on the faculty of the Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Van Os received her PhD in the interdisciplinary Animal Behavior graduate program at the University of California-Davis and conducted postdoctoral research in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia. The research in her lab at UW-Madison focuses on understanding, evaluating, and improving the welfare of dairy animals from a biological perspective. The goal of Dr. Van Os’ extension program is to promote best practices in management and housing to help the dairy industry adapt as our scientific knowledge about animal welfare continues to grow.