Dairy in Human Health and Disease across the Lifespan

Ronald Ross Watson, PhD, is Professor of Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Arizona, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Dr. Watson began his research in public health at the Harvard School of Public Health as a Fellow in 1971 doing field work on vaccines in Saudi Arabia. He has done clinical studies in Colombia, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States which provides a broad international view of public health. He has served in the military reserve hospital for 17 years with extensive training in medical responses to disasters as the chief biochemistry officer of a general hospital, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He is a distinguished member of several national and international nutrition, immunology, and cancer societies. Dr. Watson’s career has involved studying many lifestyle aspects for their uses in health promotion. He has edited over 100 biomedical reference books and 450 papers and chapters. His teaching and research focuses on alcohol, tobacco, and drugs of abuse in heart function and disease in mouse models.

Robert J. Collier received his B.S. degree in Zoology from Eastern Illinois University in 1969. After service in the Army Medical Corps he obtained his Master’s Degree in Zoology from Eastern Illinois University in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Dairy Science from the University of Illinois in 1976. His dissertation research was on the endocrine regulation of lactogenesis in the dairy cow. In 1976, Dr. Collier accepted an NIH post-doctorate at the Dairy Science Department of Michigan State University in the laboratory of Dr. Allen Tucker. His research was on the regulation of cortisol uptake in mammary tissue of cattle. In September, 1976, Dr. Collier joined the Dairy Science Department at the University of Florida as an Assistant Professor and continued his research on the endocrine regulation of lactation in cattle . . In 1985, Dr. Collier joined the Monsanto Company as a Science Fellow and initiated a discovery program in lactation and growth regulation. Dr. Collier was responsible for all pre-clinical and clinical research in North America required for the commercialization of Bovine Somatotropin as well as research on novel factors regulating growth, development and lactation of domestic animals.. In 1999, Dr. Collier joined the faculty of the Animal Sciences Department, University of Arizona as Professor of Environmental Physiology and later was Head of the Animal Sciences Department. He is presently Professor Environmental Physiology and Director of the Agricultural Research Complex in the Animal Sciences Department. in 2008 was awarded the Land O Lakes Award from the American Dairy Science Association for his contributions to the field of Dairy Research. He has also served on the Biotechnology Advisory Board for the European Economic Community as well as the University of Iowa. He has also served on both the Nutritional Sciences Advisory Committee and the Animal Sciences Advisory Board for the University of Illinois and the College of Life Sciences at Eastern Illinois University. In 2009, Dr. Collier and Dr. Nelson Horseman of the University of Cincinnati cofounded Amelgo Corporation in Covington, Kentucky. Amelgo provides patented discovery and innovation for the dairy industry. Dr. Collier is author or coauthor of 210 journal articles, chapters and reviews, 1 book, 170 abstracts, 60 popular articles and 9 U.S. Patents. His areas of expertise include environmental and lactation physiology, endocrinology and molecular biology.

Dr. Preedy is a senior member of King's College London and Director of the Genomics Centre and a member of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. Professor Preedy has longstanding academic interests in substance misuse especially in relation to health and well-being. In his career Professor Preedy was Reader at the Addictive Behaviour Centre at The University of Roehampton, and also Reader at the School of Pharmacy (now part of University College London; UCL). Professor Preedy is an extremely experienced book editor, having edited influential works including but not limited to The Handbook of Alcohol Related Pathology, The Neuropathology of Drug Addictions and Substance Misuse, The Handbook of Cannabis and Related Pathologies, The Neuroscience of Cocaine, and upcoming titles The Neuroscience of Alcohol, The Neuroscience of Nicotine, and more (all Elsevier).