While working in a diagnostic laboratory as an undergraduate student, Laura Bruner saw firsthand the impact science had on improving animal health and herd performance for swine producers. 

“I thought it was really neat how they would utilize all those diagnostics to make decisions, and that really piqued my interest in herd health,” she recalls. 

Now, Bruner, '07 DVM, relies on those test results and more to help guide decisions she makes every day in her job. Since 2007, she has worked as a veterinarian at Swine Vet Center in St. Peter, Minnesota, where she focuses on advancing swine health, production efficiency, and practical disease management strategies. 

For her contributions to the field, Bruner has earned the 2026 Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award, which recognizes swine practitioners who use science to solve critical health and production problems for pork producers. The award is presented by the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine Swine Group. 

At Swine Vet Center, Bruner works closely with producers and production teams to implement science-based solutions that improve herd performance and animal welfare in real-world farm settings.

“I am always working in prevention mode,” she says. “My goal in my role is to prevent animals from getting sick by continually improving biosecurity practices with my clients, by looking at what they are doing today and what they could be doing better. I’m always trying to prevent rather than treat.”

That work involves staying on top of disease trends and keeping a close eye on herds.

To this end, she regularly shares observations and collaborates with swine researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and other institutions to address issues affecting the pork industry, such as investigating disease outbreaks and strengthening biosecurity protocols. 

“Dr. Bruner goes the extra mile to generate practical knowledge and share it with producers and veterinarians to help prevent and control disease,” says Montse Torremorell, professor and chair of the Department of Veterinary Population Medicine at the University of Minnesota. “Her kindness and generosity are evident throughout her work to help others in the swine industry.” 

Bruner’s ties to CVM run deep. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the college, and its Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory is where she gained valuable experience in disease surveillance and management. She credits the research conducted by the college’s Swine Group with providing insight and solutions she can readily implement in her work. 

“All the research that goes on at the University of Minnesota is exciting because then I can go apply that in the field and use that data and research to make my clients better every day,” Bruner says.

Bruner's contributions to these collaborations from the field have advanced knowledge and practices around swine respiratory viruses, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, influenza, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, and Streptococcus suis. She has presented more than a dozen times at the Leman Swine Conference and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians Conference.

“When I look back over the last 20 years, I'm definitely proud of what I've been able to do for my clients, and what we've been able to do at Swine Vet Center from a disease eradication standpoint,” Bruner says. “We have clients who are progressive. We know how to eradicate diseases, and our clients give us the opportunity to say ‘yes’ and come along for the ride.”

Bruner will receive her award on Sept. 21 at the annual Allen D. Leman Swine Conference, held in September in St. Paul, Minnesota. The conference is the industry’s premier health and production management conference. Details can be found at lemanconference.umn.edu.  

The Science in Practice Award is sponsored by Merck Animal Health, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA, a global animal health business committed to helping its customers solve swine disease and reproductive challenges to enhance operational efficiency and improve animal health and well-being.