IAFP Announces 2026 Travel Award Recipients

Thursday, April 23, 2026

Des Moines, Iowa – The International Association for Food Protection (IAFP) will present Travel Awards to the following individuals at IAFP 2026, July 26–29, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sponsored by IAFP and the IAFP Foundation, the Travel Award for Health or Agricultural Department Employees in North America and the Travel Award for Food Safety Professionals in a Country with a Developing Economy will provide funding to enable recipients to travel to and participate in IAFP 2026.

The Travel Award for Health or Agricultural Department Employees in North America will be presented to the following individuals:

Amelia Ballserves as a Health & Environmental Investigator in Public Health with Seattle & King County Public Health in Bellevue, Washington, where she supports public health protection through retail food safety and foodborne illness response efforts. In this role, Ms. Ball conducts retail food and recreational water inspections; reviews Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans for specialized processes; leads foodborne illness investigations; and supports recall verification and traceback activities.

Justin McConaghy is the Produce Safety and Cottage Foods Program Coordinator for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry (ODAFF) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Mr. McConaghy oversees outreach, education, inspection, and enforcement for the U.S. FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule and the Oklahoma Homemade Food Freedom Act. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mid-Continental Association of Food and Drug Officials (MCAFD), which provides professional development opportunities for members.

Tania Nur, REHS, serves as a public health professional and Environmental Health Sanitarian with Franklin County Public Health in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Nur works at the intersection of regulatory compliance, disease prevention, and health equity with an interest in preventive food safety systems, including risk-based inspection models; HACCP principles; and the application of science-based policies to reduce foodborne illness across diverse communities.

Jeff Veesenmeyer is a Public Health Scientist with the State Agricultural Laboratory (SAL) of the Arizona Department of Agriculture in Chandler, Arizona. SAL currently performs routine regulatory testing of dairy products, ensuring conformance with the FDA’s Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, as well as raw and ready-to-eat meat products, environmental samples, and pet food. As a designated Laboratory Evaluation Officer, Mr. Veesenmeyer also provides oversight of dairy testing laboratories throughout Arizona on behalf of the FDA.

Bonnie Waldemarson is a Sr. Environmental Health Specialist for Public Health–Idaho North Central District in Lewiston, Idaho. As one of seven full-time general EHSs who cover five counties, Ms. Waldemarson is involved in all areas of the environmental health program at the local level as well as helping food operators grow their businesses, which includes plan reviews; compliance and enforcements; and education and training. She also acts as the lead for the childcare program and the drinking water program. Proficient in HACCP plan reviews, she aids operators in creating proper control points and standing operating procedures.

The Travel Award for Food Safety Professionals in a Country with a Developing Economy will be presented to the following individuals:

Selim Adewale Alarape is a Senior Lecturer and an Aquatic and Wildlife Disease Epidemiology and Toxicology Researcher in the Aquatic and Wildlife Unit of the Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Dr. Alarape’s current research areas focus on the prevalence, characterization, and antibiotic resistance profiles of Vibrio species in culture and feral/wild-caught fish in Nigeria; isolation and characterization of zoonotic bacterial and viral pathogens in fish; and implications of animal welfare on animal health.

Hussein Hassan is a Full Professor of Food Science and Technology and the Director of Academic Compliance in the Provost’s Office at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon. Dr. Hassan’s work is centered on strengthening food safety systems; reducing chemical and microbiological risks; and advancing evidence-based practices that protect public health. His primary areas of interest include food safety management; risk assessment of chemical contaminants; food processing optimization; and the development of sustainable food system solutions that remain functional during emergencies.

Shraddha Khanal serves as a Gazetted Food Research Officer in the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC), Nepal’s central regulatory authority for food safety, with the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu. Ms. Khanal is responsible for overseeing food safety and manufacturing compliance across establishments within the Kathmandu Valley, impacting millions of consumers daily. Her work spans regulatory inspections; laboratory investigations; risk-based reporting; and the initiation of legal and policy actions to address contamination, adulteration, and food fraud.