U.S – The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) has once again handed its Presidential gavel to a new face as it culminated this year’s conference at the annual awards banquet.
The outgoing President Dr. Ruth Petran handed over the gavel to the incoming President, Michelle Danyluk of the University of Florida.
Dr. Danyluk is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist of Food Safety and Microbiology in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Florida (UF).
She is situated at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, FL where her current research and extension interests revolve around microbial food safety and quality, emphasizing the microbiology of fruit juices, fresh fruits, vegetables, and nuts.
Dr. Danyluk’s extension program includes teaching processing programs related to FSMA, HACCP, GAPS, and other specialized food safety, security, and beverages to stakeholders.
An IAFP Member since 2002, the Professor has organized, convened, and presented several IAFP symposia. She actively participates in Professional Development Groups (PDGs) and has served on several committees, including the Program Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Food Protection Trends Management Committee, and various Awards Selection Committees, records the Association.
In 2010, Dr. Danyluk was awarded the Larry Beuchat Young Researcher Award and the President’s Recognition Award in 2011, 2013, and 2017. An active member of the IAFP Affiliate, the Florida Association for Food Protection, she served on its board from 2009–2017, including as President in 2011.
She was elected a member of the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Food (ICMSF) in 2016 and to the IAFP Executive Board as Secretary in 2019. She maintains an active lab of graduate students working towards degrees at both the Ph.D. and M.S. levels.
The incoming IAFP President holds a B.S. in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Microbiology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. She earned her master’s in Food Science and Technology from the University of Georgia in Athens, and her Ph.D. in Food Science from the University of California – Davis, where she also completed a postdoc for an additional ten months.
“Congratulations to Dr. Michelle Danyluk, who became IAFP President at the close of this year’s Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh. We look forward to your guidance and leadership over the next year, Michelle!” the Association tweeted.
IAFP is a member-based association of more than 4,500 food safety professionals committed to advancing food safety worldwide.
Ruth Petran, who is a Senior Food Safety Advisor at the Acheson Group, and Founder of Ruth Petran Consulting in Eagan, Minn, assumed the Presidency at the conclusion of IAFP 2021, taking over from Roger Cook.
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