VDL section leader gets ‘best of both worlds’

When a veterinarian needs help interpreting a test result, Dr. Phil Gauger can relate. 

Gauger heads the molecular diagnostics section at Iowa State's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL), but for the first 12 years of his career, he worked at a mixed animal clinic in northwest Iowa. He spent years in the shoes -- boots, more like it -- of a practicing veterinarian, an experience that ingrained in Gauger an ease with after-hours client calls.

"I know what their lives are like when problems arise. They often don't have time to get back to their computer until the end of a long day, and I can appreciate their urgency," said Gauger, professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine. "So, if they have questions, I don't mind giving some answers."

Helping practicing colleagues whenever they need it is just one aspect of Gauger's duties, which include leading the VDL's 30-person molecular team, working as a diagnostic pathologist on the lab's necropsy floor and juggling a busy roster of research projects and graduate students. But consulting directly with fellow veterinarians is his favorite part. 

"You get the best of both worlds," he said. "It's a way to stay connected to the hard work that goes on out in the field and still be involved with discovery and research."

Gauger's commitment to maintaining that connection was a big piece of why he was selected for a 2024 university Award for Outstanding Achievement in Extension or Professional Practice -- recognition he said was surprising and gratifying.

National reputation

"The immediate impact of a veterinary diagnostic lab is all about service, so this is definitely a huge honor," he said. "We take a lot of pride in the multitude of stakeholders who rely on us for the services we provide through diagnostic testing and quick turnaround times."

In addition to his direct work with clients, Gauger's research and leadership in the VDL have helped make the lab's molecular diagnostic section the best in the nation if not the world, said Dr. Patrick Halbur, professor and chair of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine and the executive director of the VDL.

"There are likely few current or former faculty at ISU that have had a bigger impact on advancing the health and profitability of Iowa's $32.5 billion livestock and poultry industries," Halbur said.

A leader with deep impact

Gauger has run the molecular section since 2012, a timespan with exponential growth in caseloads, attributable in large part to increased PCR testing -- the same genetic-based diagnostic method used prominently during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In nominating him, Halbur said the basis of Gauger's success is a unique ability to efficiently and effectively coordinate up to 1,000 pathology cases and 35,000 molecular cases each year, leveraging the heavy caseload at the nation's busiest food animal diagnostic lab to drive innovation and discovery. 

For example, Gauger led efforts to build two web-based tools -- FLUture and PRRSview -- for sharing anonymized test and sequencing data for two of the most significant swine diseases, influenza A and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus. The idea sprang from producers and veterinarians often asking the VDL for information about specific viral lineages, which can inform decisions about vaccines and pig placement.

"We thought, 'Well, let's find a way to make this accessible to the public so they can do these sequence comparisons themselves,'" said Gauger, who noted that talented graduate students were essential to both projects. 

When the VDL has needed to adapt or ramp up testing capacity, Gauger has led the charge, Halbur said. In the past decade, that has included the emergence of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), highly pathogenic avian influenza and even COVID-19. 

The lab's response to those outbreaks shows that "when new diseases emerge, the Iowa and U.S. livestock and poultry industries will look to ISU to solve those problems, in part because of the record of sustained success of Dr. Phil Gauger and his group."

‘I have never been disappointed’

In letters submitted with his nomination, VDL clients who work with Gauger praised his expertise, accessibility and efficient problem-solving skills. 

Dr. Thomas Petznick, an Omaha-based swine veterinarian, said knowing he can contact Gauger is like having another veterinarian on staff.

"I have been in a field practice setting in veterinary medicine since 1995. In all those years I have had extensive interaction with multiple diagnosticians from multiple diagnostic laboratories. Within that large group of peers and colleagues, there is no one who exemplifies the qualifying characteristics of such an award more than Dr. Gauger," Petznick said. 

Dr. Grant Allison of Walcott Veterinary Clinic hired Gauger as an intern back in the early 1990s, when the veterinary school student showed him how to submit his case reports to the VDL by email. Three decades later, Allison sends cases to Gauger regularly. He appreciates Gauger's eagerness to discuss lab results and contribute to field trials on Allison's clients' farms, such as a study that confirmed flies could spread PEDV.

"What makes Dr. Gauger truly outstanding is his willingness to share his expertise and knowledge in a consistent, reliable manner," he said. "I have depended on Dr. Gauger for years to help me provide the best care possible for my clients and their animals. I have never been disappointed."