Dr. Larry Barrett is Center Director, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Before his selection as Director, he served as California State Veterinarian for Public Health and conducted the state zoonotic diseases control programs. In this role, he developed the first state-sponsored residency program in the U.S. where veterinarians could obtain formal training in public health. Today, this program is the Califor­nia Epidemic Intelligence Service where residents can obtain training in pre­ventive medicine at the Department of Health services. He also served in a state-appointed position as Chief, Division of Food, Drug, and Radiation Safety at the California Department of Health Services. With a background in veterinary epidemiology, he has served as the lead on numerous zoonotic disease investigations ranging from rabies to Ebola (Reston strain) to nation­wide outbreaks of foodborne illnesses associated with E. coli 0157:H7. Dr. Barrett served on active duty and in the Air Force Reserves as a Public Health Officer and retired with the rank of Colonel.

Dr. Barrett holds a D.V.M. and a M.S. degree in Veterinary Microbiology and Public Health and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine. He has served on numerous committees with the California Veterinary Medical Association and is Past President of the American Association of Public Health Veterinarians. Dr. Barrett is a founding member of the Western Institute of Food Safety and Security at the University of Califor­nia, Davis. He is a member of the staff with a specialty in zoonoses and foreign animal diseases at the University of California, Davis, School of Vet­erinary Medicine. He attained his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the Oklahoma State University.