College of Veterinary Medicine Commencement Ceremony Speaker

Steve Carlson

A man wearing a red polo stands in a classroom.

Dr. Steve Carlson received his Bachelor of Science in Animal Science and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Iowa State University. After three years as a private practice large-animal veterinarian, he returned to school and received a Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology at the University of Iowa. Following postdoctoral training in pathogenic bacteriology focusing on Salmonella, Dr. Carlson worked as a Veterinary Medical Officer with the U.S. Department of Agriculture where he solved a major problem regarding antibiotic resistant Salmonella with enhanced disease-causing capabilities.

He now is an Associate Professor of Molecular Pharmacology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University, where he teaches Pharmacology and Reproductive Physiology and is a six-time teaching award winner. Dr. Carlson has published over 70 papers and is considered the international expert on the virulence of multiple antibiotic-resistant Salmonella in livestock. He is also the co-founder of two small biotech companies, both of which are aimed at identifying livestock that resist infectious diseases.