In this candid and inspiring episode, host Matt Lucy is joined in conversation by Pam Ruegg, DVM, MPMV, ADSA fellow and David J. Ellis Chair in Antimicrobial Resistance and Large Animal Clinical Sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State University. Pam shares her remarkable and diverse path in dairy science, from working in private practice to corporate technical service at Monsanto and extension appointments to roles in academia. Throughout her career, she has remained focused on improving dairy animal health, milk quality, and farm sustainability. She and Matt discuss her professional passion: understanding, treating, and preventing what she calls the most interesting disease in dairy, mastitis. She explains what we know now about responsible antibiotic use on dairy farms, and her work to identify animal, environmental, and pathogen factors that reduce disease risk. Through her journal publications, worldwide talks, and outreach work (don’t miss her  YouTube channel, @TopMilkQuality), Pam provides evidence-based recommendations for mastitis treatments that factor in animal welfare, the economic health of the farm, and social responsibility. She dives into the evolution of US dairy farms over her career, the economics of milk quality, and her views on service and mentorship. Along the way, we hear about why she loved being a section editor for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications, plus her advice for young scientists: Align your career with what you want to do with your day—and don’t let pushback and self-doubt stop you. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or industry pro, Pam’s story is a masterclass in persistence, progress, and purpose.

Episode Thirty Show Notes

Learn more about Pam Ruegg, DVM, MPVM, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on YouTube. 

Want more dairy health science and connections with mentors? Join us at the ADSA 2026 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, next June!

Start earning rewards and journal savings via the ADSA Loyalty Rewards Program for the Journal of Dairy Science and JDS Communications.

Catch up on the papers discussed in the episode:

The future of udder health: Antimicrobial stewardship and alternative therapy of bovine mastitis, JDS Communications (2025)

Making Economically Efficient Treatment Decisions for Clinical Mastitis, Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice (2025)

A focus group study exploring necessary competencies and contextual factors for effective antimicrobial stewardship on dairy farms, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

Impact of training dairy farm personnel on milking routine compliance, udder health, and milk quality, Journal of Dairy Science (2025)

Economic impact of subclinical mastitis treatment in early lactation using intramammary nisin, Journal of Dairy Science (2024)

Mastitis in Dairy Cows, pages 339–365 in Production Diseases in Farm Animals: Pathophysiology, Prophylaxis and Health Management (2024)