Penn Vet’s Dean Andrew Hoffman Highlights Vaccination, Veterinary Support in Fight Against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

As Pennsylvania confronts its largest avian influenza outbreak in years, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s (Penn Vet) Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of Veterinary Medicine, Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM, underscored the critical role of veterinary leadership, research partnerships, and mental health support in combating Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) during a recent roundtable with Governor Josh Shapiro, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, poultry industry leaders, and state officials.

The discussion, held at PennAg Industries Rapid Response Center in Lancaster County, comes as Pennsylvania reports 26 infected flocks and the loss of 7.6 million birds. Governor Shapiro reaffirmed the state’s commitment to working collaboratively with industry, academia, and federal partners to contain the outbreak, backed by additional resources to expand testing, enhance biosecurity, and deploy expert response teams.

Dean Hoffman praised Pennsylvania’s strong animal health infrastructure, including collaboration among Penn Vet, Penn State, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, USDA-APHIS, and industry partners, calling it “phenomenal” and essential to tackling epidemics. He emphasized the coordinated work of pathologists, virologists, and field veterinarians in responding quickly and effectively.

In addition to disease mitigation, Hoffman highlighted the growing mental health strain on farmers, producers, and veterinarians. He pointed to Penn Vet’s accelerated training in veterinary social work and called for expanded support to provide on-farm counseling services, noting veterinarians’ trusted role within agricultural communities.

While reinforcing that biosecurity remains the strongest defense against HPAI, Hoffman urged policymakers to seriously consider accelerating vaccine development and deployment for commercial poultry. With decades of experience as a large animal veterinarian, he advocated piloting a “warp speed” approach to vaccination, citing available virus sequencing data, new vaccine technologies, and successful vaccine introductions in other parts of the world.

“We have the tools and partnerships to move forward,” Hoffman said, encouraging state and federal leaders to weigh the risks and benefits of vaccination as part of a comprehensive response strategy.

As Pennsylvania continues aggressive containment efforts, leaders emphasized that protecting animal health remains a shared priority critical to the strength and stability of the poultry industry.

You can view the recorded live stream and transcript here.