John Morris Fairbrother, BVSc, PhD

Professor, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal
Director of the Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli (EcL)

Dr. John Morris Fairbrother graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 1972 from the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, Australia. He completed a doctorate in veterinary microbiology at the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York in 1981. He then joined the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, Canada, building up a research program on pathogenic mechanisms and control of E. coli causing disease in animals. Professor in the department of pathology and microbiology, he has been a member of several grant selection committees and scientific advisory boards and published over 100 scientific articles and has contributed chapters on colibacillosis in swine and cattle for several books. In 2003, he co-founded Prevtec microbia, a spin-off biotech of the Université de Montréal, specialized in the development and commercialization of preventive methods in animal production, including Coliprotec®, a live vaccine for swine production developed at the EcL. In 2006, Dr. Fairbrother was named as OIE Expert for E. coli and his laboratory was officially designated as the OIE Reference Laboratory for Escherichia coli by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). As part of his OIE Reference Laboratory mandate, Dr. Fairbrother is now carrying out diagnosis, episurveillance, R&D, and training, such as initiating collaborations worldwide on characterization and surveillance of E. coli.