
Dr. Sheryl Shaw

Dr. Sheryl Shaw was named chief public health veterinarian for the Office of Public Health Science (OPHS) in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) in January 2025. In this role, she serves as the lead resource for FSIS in domestic and international food safety issues involving zoonoses, antimicrobial resistance and One Health related operations. Drawing from over 30 years of experience in federal service and private veterinary practice, Dr. Shaw provides expertise that advances FSIS’ public health objectives and Strategic Goals — 1: Prevent Foodborne Illness and Protect Public Health, 2: Transform Inspection Strategies, Policies and Scientific Approaches to Improve Public Health, and 3: Achieve Operational Excellence.
Dr. Shaw also serves as the director of OPHS’ Applied Epidemiology Staff, a role she has held since 2018. In this capacity, she oversees the development and implementation of illness cluster surveillance activities, consumer complaint monitoring, coordination of outbreak investigations linked to meat and poultry products and FSIS’ contributions to the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System.
After first joining FSIS in 2000, Dr. Shaw held multiple supervisory field positions within the former Madison and Minneapolis Districts. Prior to returning to FSIS in 2018 to assume her role as Applied Epidemiology Staff director, she held several positions within USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) including export veterinary medical officer, area epidemiology officer, export service center director and area veterinarian in charge. Dr. Shaw also served as a deputy incident commander on National Incident Management Teams.
While working as a deputy incident commander, she provided veterinary and epidemiological expertise to address the 2014 to 2015 outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza and the 2016 to 2017 outbreak of New World screwworm. Dr. Shaw also received training as a foreign animal disease diagnostician at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center during her tenure at APHIS. In 2017, her outstanding contributions to public health were recognized by the National Association of Federal Veterinarians with the prestigious Dr. Daniel E. Salmon Award, reserved for federal employees that show resourcefulness, skill and dedication in applying knowledge of veterinary science to consumer protection and animal health.
Dr. Shaw earned her doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from Washington State University and was a senior executive fellow of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She holds a board certification in epidemiology, a Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Science from Washington State University.