a One-on-One with Dr. Larry Barrett

the Department of Homeland Security selected Dr. Lawrence Barrett, class of 1981, director of the Plum Island animal Disease Center in 2007. Vet Cetera recently had an opportunity to go one-on-one with the new director.

Q What position did you hold prior to coming to Plum Island?

A I worked in the California Department of Health Services as the state veterinarian for public health, most recently serving as division chief for food, drug and radiation safety. Those positions worked closely with the Universit y of California at Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. I supported student residents, served on the curriculum committee, was an adjunct instructor and a founding member of the Western Food Safety and Security Institute. I am also an Air Force Reserve colonel following three years of active duty in the Air Force as a base veterinarian and public health officer.

Q Were you striving for the directorship or did it just develop as your career played out?

A As a colonel in the Air Force Reserves, I worked with the Surgeon General’s office. When Homeland Security was established, I was working on a food defense project for the Air Force. Using an operational risk management tool created for security at the Department of Defense, I developed an operational risk management model for food safety, which became the Air Force standard. The Food and Drug Administration heard about the program and contacted me. As a result, the FDA developed new programs for food security based on operational risk management, and I received an FDA director’s