Alumni Spotlight

  • Dr. Denise Debusk

    Why did you choose to enroll in the DPM program?

    I originally came back to grad school to get enough Master’s credits to become a community college professor after teaching 7th grade science for a year and was taking several plant-related classes. Although most of my science experience is in medical and veterinary practices, students in my classes shared with me about the program and it peaked my interest, mainly due to the diverse job opportunities. I didn’t really have any experience with plants, but I figured that I could learn anything. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Bonnie Wells

    Why did you choose to enroll in the DPM program?

    I ultimately chose to enroll in the DPM program because of its interdisciplinary nature and holistic approach to plant health management. I had plans to pursue a PhD in Plant Pathology, but I began to struggle with the idea of choosing one crop and one disease to focus my studies on. The DPM curriculum covered all the important factors that affect the health of all plants in our biodiverse environment, and that was very exciting to me! I also liked the fact that when training plant doctors, the program focused on holistic and integrated solutions that ensure the health of not only plants, but also people and the environment. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Brianne Reeves

    Featured in the DPM Summer 2018 Newsletter

    Q: Why did you choose to enroll in the DPM program?
    A:     Upon finishing my undergraduate degree in Agronomy Plant Science, I knew that I wanted to pursue even higher education. Looking at the options of a masters, PhD, or the DPM program I knew that the DPM program was the one for me. It is a unique multidisciplinary option to further broaden my knowledge on topics that affect how plants grow. I knew that the DPM program would make me very marketable for a diverse career in agriculture. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Lacey Mount

    Featured in: DPM Spring 2018 Newsletter

    Q: Why did you choose to enroll in the DPM program?
    A: I was always fascinated by plants, their physiology, disorders and diseases. Research can be quite absorbing, but what I enjoy is a career built around symptoms and diagnostics.

    Q: What is your current occupation, and how has your DPM degree aided you in the tasks and responsibilities as sociated with your position?
    A: Currently I am a consultant at Dellavalle Laboratory, Inc. We are located in the heart of California agriculture. In season (February-October), on any given day I may get called to look at symptoms on virtually any temperate or Mediterranean crop you can name: cotton, corn, tomatoes, alfalfa, citrus, almonds, grapes, stonefruit, or walnuts to list the most common ones.
    There is plenty of routine crop health to sustain the business in terms of plant nutrition sampling and recommendations. I diagnose damage from salts and other abiotic disorders, nematodes, diseases, herbicide drift and occasionally insects. There is a whole separate industry for pesticide recommendations here. I get called when farmers and pest control advisors (PCAs) see symptoms they can’t understand or identify. It sounds like the description of a Doctor of Plant Medicine, doesn’t it? Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Chris Ferguson

    Why did you choose to enroll in the DPM program?

    While pursuing my MS in Plant Science, I knew that I wanted to continue my education. I found the DPM program online and after some research on the degree, I knew it was for me. I am a hands-on person who loves to be in the field and the DPM degree trains students to become excellent scouts, diagnosticians, and ultimately managers of crops. The broad scope of the degree allows you to understand multiple areas related to plant growth and health. A DPM can understand literature regarding an insect or nematode affecting plants as easily as plant pathology problems and have the knowledge to apply IPM tools to manage these issues. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Rebecca Barocco

    Featured in: DPM Fall 2017 Newsletter

    Q: Describe your academic background?
    A: I obtained a BS degree in Horticulture at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in the fall of 2009. After graduating, I spent some time in the plant pathology department in Arkansas and then worked on a small CSA farm before deciding to pursue the DPM program from 2012-2016.

    Q: What is your current occupation and how has your DPM degree aid-ed you in the tasks and responsibilities associated with your position?
    A: My current position is a Post-doctoral Associate in plant pathology at the UF/IFAS NFREC in Quincy, FL. I am part of the agronomy and plant pathology team working on carinata and peanut research. One of our current projects is to develop high-throughput phenotyping methods using imagery and computer vision. This data combined with other agronomic and disease management trials will ideally discover the best cultivars and management strategies for growing carinata in the Southeast. The imagery techniques we develop for carinata will be then be translated for use in peanut research in the summer. Because the DPM program is integrated across a variety of fields in applied crop science, it was a great preparation for my current position. Although I am technically in the plant pathology department, I am part of a cross-discipline team in field research. The DPM program also allowed me to take a variety of electives in GIS, precision agriculture, and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), which are directly relevant to my current position. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Tina Bond

    Featured in: DPM Newsletter Summer 2017

    Q: Describe your academic background?
    A: My background is in turf, ornamentals and aquatics. I obtained a BS in Agriculture from the University of Delaware where I majored in Plant Science with a Concentration in Ornamental Horticulture.

    Q: What is your current occupation and how has your DPM degree aided you in the tasks and responsibilities associated with your position?
    A: I currently work for Helena Products Group as a Product Specialist. I support Helena’s adjuvant and Value Added product lines in all specialty markets across the U.S. Some of my responsibilities include product registration and label amendments, new product development, and technical support. The markets I support are forestry, aquatics, IVM, golf, greenhouse/nursery, and turf/ornamentals (basically anything that isn’t Ag). Since I travel the country, it is important to be able to look at an issue in the field and be able to help in a va-riety of situations. I’ve looked at forestry tracks in Weed, CA, to bermudagrass lawns hit by extreme weather in Greenville, Texas, to aquatic weed pressures in Coeur d’Alene, ID, to fertility issues in my own front yard in Florida. From weed identification to pesticide application and everything in between, I use the knowledge I obtained in the Plant Medicine Program in all aspects of my job, every single day. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Tatiana Sanchez

    Featured in: DPM Newsletter Spring 2017

    Q: Describe your academic background?
    A: I completed my Bachelor’s in Biology at the Military University in Colombia. After graduation, I worked for about a year as a research assistant and then as a science teacher until I decided to apply to grad school. I completed my Doctorate in Plant Medicine and my Postdoc in Plant Pathology, both at UF.

    Q: What is your current occupation and how has your DPM degree aided you in the tasks and responsibilities associated with your position?
    A: I currently work with UF/IFAS Extension as the Commercial Horticulture Extension Agent for Alachua County. I help small and large growers identifying and resolving a number of issues that affect crop production in vegetables, ornamentals, fruits, nuts, and sod farms. The DPM degree helps me on a daily basis as I use all the disciplines we learned during the doctorate to help growers troubleshoot nutritional prob-lems, pest and disease management among others. The pesticide research conducted during my degree provided me with an understanding of the application, the handling, and the risks of pesticides. This knowledge allowed me to quickly assume the responsibility for the pesticide and licensing training for the public, commercial, and limited pesticide licenses in the county. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Stacy Strickland

    By Nicole Casuso | DPM Fall 2016 Newsletter

    Q: Describe your academic background?
    A: B.S. in biology and chemistry from Valdosta State University (GA). I grew up on a farm in Georgia. It was in my childhood that I learned animal husbandry. My work today includes, cow-calf management as well as crop production.

    Q: What is your current occupation and how has your DPM degree aided you in the tasks and responsibilities associated with your position?
    A: I’m currently the County Extension Director of Osceola County. I have been an Extension Agent since graduation also serving as the Extension Director of Hernando and Sumter Counties simultaneously. I would encourage DPM students to look at Extension as a potential career. I enjoy bringing the newest agricultural
    techniques and technologies to our producers in Florida. The training in the DPM program has proven extremely valuable to those producers. On a daily basis, I use the knowledge gained through the DPM program in plant pathology, entomology, and weed science. I currently supervise 35 individuals. You may think I didn’t learn leadership in the DPM program, but there were always electives. As an elective, I had Extension Administration taught by Dr. Nick Place. Nick would later become the Dean of IFAS Extension. Continue Reading →

  • Dr. Clay Pederson

    by Nicole Casuso | DPM Summer 2016 Newsletter

    Q: Please describe your academic background.
    A: Being a Gator through and through, I received my undergraduate and DPM degree at The Great University of Florida. My undergrad studies were in Plant Science with an em-phasis in Plant Pathology and a specialization in Biotechnology.

    Q: What is your current occupation and how has your DPM degree aided you in the tasks and responsibilities associated with your position?
    A: Currently I am the Farm Manager for the Black Gold Farms’ Florida location. The farm is in Live Oak, FL and is the largest chipping potato farm in the state. However, I just accepted a new job as Manag-ing Director of Agromillora Florida, and will start this new endeavor on August 1st. Agromillora has a new citrus tissue culture lab and greenhouse that just became operational this year. The facility is located in Wildwood, FL. The all-encompassing interdisciplinary training by the DPM program provided me a tremendous leg up in the pro-duction Ag industry. Growing a successful crop requires knowledge in all aspects of plant care from soils, fertility, water and disease management and beyond. This type of education is exactly what the DPM program provides. Continue Reading →