DVM
Jehadi is a veterinarian, consultant, entrepreneur with a passion for research and teaching. He obtained his DVM in 2016 from the University of Ghana and is currently enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to pursue his PhD in Veterinary Pathology and Pathobiology. Before joining our lab, Jehadi worked as a state veterinarian in the Volta Region of Ghana, where he was a district director of veterinary services and was one of only two veterinarians working in the region. He also serves as a consultant veterinarian and director of Akosombo Lakeview Farms, one of the largest swine farms in the Eastern Region of Ghana and BuyPork Ghana, a pork distribution business in Ghana.
Throughout his professional years, Jehadi has practiced in several areas of veterinary medicine, ranging from clinical and field practice to meat inspection and other public health regulatory activities. His career has been eventful, including investigating and controlling outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF), Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Rabies, Newcastle Disease and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). He also served on the Public Health Emergency Management Committee implementing and evaluating control measures for Covid-19 and other diseases of public health importance in the Volta Region of Ghana.
Jehadi has a passion for continuous professional development. He is a USDA Cochran fellow and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Trainer of Trainers in Good Emergency Management Practices (GEMP) in Africa. He has recently been trained as a field epidemiologist, by the Ghana Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program and his training was sponsored by the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC). He currently has ongoing collaborations with scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Services on their ASF vaccine development programs and is an access to market program with the US Livestock Genetics Export (USLGE) and National Swine Registry to improve Ghana’s livestock breeds.
In his leisure time, Jehadi enjoys watching sports and traveling to new places.