The University of Minnesota (UMN) Office of Academic Clinical Affairs (OACA) has selected five College of Veterinary Medicine educators for lifetime membership to its Academy for Excellence in Team Science.

Drs. Lauren Bernstein, Peter Larsen, Roxanne Larsen, and Tiffany Wolf and epidemiologist Marc Schwabenlander were awarded the honor for their work with the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO). 

• Bernstein is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. She is a MNPRO research associate. 
• Peter Larsen is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. He is co-director of MNPRO. 
• Roxanne Larsen is an associate professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. She is a MNPRO research associate.
• Schwabenlander is a research project specialist in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences. He is associate director of MNPRO.
• Wolf is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine. She is co-director of MNPRO. 

Eleven members of MNPRO, a multidisciplinary center established in 2019 to study the biology and epidemiology of human and animal prion diseases and related human protein-misfolding disorders (PMDs), were announced as the recipients of the OACA Excellence in Team Science in December 2022. 

The OACA Academy for Excellence in Science is intended to acknowledge the valuable and significant contributions made by an exemplary interdisciplinary team conducting biomedical or health care research to address significant health challenges. Those selected enhance the reputation of the UMN through their scientific work, which would not be realized without the team's collective effort.

MNPRO leads Minnesota’s chronic wasting disease research and control efforts by advancing diagnostic technology and providing outreach and education. The selected members will be inducted into the OACA Academy for Excellence at an April award ceremony.