Jan E. Leach, Colorado State University
Candidate for President
Plant pathologists around the globe confront
common challenges, including a future of
unpredictable environmental and societal
changes. Several common issues would benefit
from open discussions among the international
community of plant pathologists. Together, we
will need to increase capacity to recognize and
manage endemic, emerging and re-emerging
diseases. Yes, the discipline of plant pathology
is dynamic, and we adopt new technologies and
approaches when needed and relevant. Yet, our
academic partners struggle with how to train the
next generation of plant pathologists to have
the balance of specialized/deep knowledge and
general/broad knowledge to meet future
challenges. Our discipline is, by necessity,
collaborative, because of the difficulty of
understanding the complex interactions in a
phytobiome context and using that knowledge to
develop effective and sustainable management
strategies. However, as we embrace
interdisciplinary approaches to solve complex
problems, concern mounts that we will lose our
rich disciplinary identity. The capacity of our
regulatory agencies is stretched by increased
global exchange of plant-based products and
germplasm, which amplifies the risk of
introducing pathogens. New or revised policies
and regulations will be needed to cope. These
are but a few of the many challenges plant
pathologists are facing.
Our best hope to finding solutions to these
challenges are through the international
alliances fostered by the International Society
for Plant Pathology (ISPP). The ISPP alliances
increase awareness of the interdisciplinary
approaches needed to solve problems related to
plant health, provide broader recognition for
participating societies among practitioners and
researchers, and establish a common forum for
discussion of issues and policies that impact
all areas of plant health management. I am
honored to be considered as a candidate for the
Presidency of The International Society of Plant
Pathologists (ISPP). If given the opportunity to
serve ISPP as president, I will promote the
international alliances essential to ISPP,
advocate integration of plant pathology’s best
science to meet the global societal and
environmental challenges, and work to ensure
that ISPP has a voice on the relevance of plant
health in international policy and funding.
Leach cv 2017.pdf
