Michael Apicella
Travis Knight
Rod Roberts

The State Hygienic Laboratory Board of External Advisors added three new members at its April 22 meeting at the BioVentures Center at the University of Iowa Research Park in Coralville.

Michael Apicella, Travis Knight and Rod Roberts joined the board, which was created in 2012 to "advise, assess and contribute expertise to the strategic direction of Iowa's environmental and public health laboratory."

Apicella is professor emeritus of Microbiology and Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa. He joined the university in 1993 and chaired the Microbiology Department for 18 years. Since 2006, UI microbiology has consistently ranked nationally in the top 15 departments receiving funding from the National Institutes of Health. Apicella’s research interests include the study of pathogenesis of human infections.

Knight is the laboratory bureau chief for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship where he oversees the regulatory efforts of the Feed and Fertilizer Laboratory, the Meat and Poultry Laboratory, the Dairy Laboratory and the Pesticide Laboratory. Previously, Knight was a scientist at Iowa State University where he earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry, and a postdoctoral fellow at Des Moines University.

Rod Roberts is the director of the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Roberts was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2000, representing Carroll County and portions of Crawford and Sac counties. During his 10 years in the Iowa House, Roberts held various leadership positions, including Assistant Majority Leader, Assistant Minority Leader and chairman of the Administration and Rules Committee.

Charles Helms, the University of Iowa, is the chair of the board. Other members are Charles Brokopp, Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene; William Ehm, Iowa Department of Natural Resources; Richard Hichwa, the University of Iowa; Hector Ibarra, Learning Without Limits; Louis Katz, America’s Blood Centers; Catherine Logue, Iowa State University; Ann-Marie McCarthy, the University of Iowa; Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa Department of Public Health; Corinne Peek-Asa, the University of Iowa; Paul Romitti, the University of Iowa; and Pete Weyer, the University of Iowa.