Griggsville native Dr. Clayton Johnson receives American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ Meritorious Service Award and elected Vice-President

By Editor | March 19, 2026 |

DR. CLAYTON JOHNSON

Dr. Clayton Johnson was named the 2026 recipient of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ Meritorious Service Award during the association’s 57th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award recognizes individuals who have provided outstanding service to the AASV.
Dr. Johnson’s commitment and service to the AASV are unparalleled. During 2022-2025, he led the innovative AASV Early-Career Swine Veterinarian Development Program, an initiative designed to provide mentorship, communication and leadership training, giving early-career practitioners the tools they need to thrive. He has served for decades on AASV committees, including chairing the Student Recruitment Committee and chairing the Pharmaceutical and Biologics Committee, one of AASV’s most active committees. He delivered the 2025 Howard Dunne Memorial Lecture. Most recently, Dr. Johnson was elected the 2026 AASV Vice-President.
Thankful for the opportunity to serve the association, Dr. Johnson stated, “I’m beyond grateful to receive the 2026 AASV Meritorious Service Award – to be recognized by peers, colleagues and my own mentors is a tremendous honor! The American Association of Swine Veterinarians has given so much to me personally, it’s always been my goal to give back as much as has been given to me and I take this award as a token of gratitude that I’m at least making strides in that direction. To be recognized as having contributed to the development of others is the highest compliment I’ve ever received – thank you again for this generosity and recognition.”
Originally from Griggsville, Illinois, Johnson received his DVM from the University of Illinois in 2008. He credits his veterinary interest and entire career to the foundational knowledge in technical skills, relationship building, and communication instilled by his veterinarian father.
Dr. Johnson is the Director of Veterinary Services at Carthage Veterinary Services in Carthage, Illinois, where he is a globally recognized swine health expert. He leads a team of veterinary professionals and hosts “The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast” a weekly podcast series reaching a global audience of >100,000 listeners serving to distill complex swine health research into actionable insights.
Throughout his career, Dr. Johnson has worked at the forefront of domestic, foreign, and emerging diseases. His career focus has also included mentorship and education, training students, interns, recent graduates, and colleagues in health management strategies and applied disease control. In 2020, Dr. Johnson received the prestigious Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award for excellence in integrating scientific rigor into swine health management.
Dr. Johnson expressed a sincere thank you to his family. “To my parents, Jane & Bill Johnson as well as to my wife and kids, Ali, Nina and Jake Johnson – without their support I couldn’t be in a position to support others!”
The AASV also installed 2026 officers on March 3, during the association’s 57th Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.
Dr. Rebecca Robbins was installed as president of the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.. She succeeds Dr. Locke Karriker. Karriker is now the immediate past president. Dr. Chris Rademacher has ascended to president-elect. The newly elected vice president is Dr. Clayton Johnson.
AASV President Dr. Rebecca Robbins (North Carolina State University ’09) is a health assurance veterinarian for Pig Improvement Company (PIC). Dr. Robbins has served the association as a member of multiple AASV Annual Meeting Program Planning Committees, chair of the Pharmaceutical Issues Committee, and as AASV’s representative on the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Committee on Antimicrobials. She has served the broader swine industry as a member of several other committees and task forces led by the National Pork Board and Swine Health Information Center. She was honored with the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award in 2018.
When asked to comment on her thoughts about the future of AASV and her tenure as president, Dr. Robbins said, “Supported by our members’ commitment to the AASV mission, I see a year ahead where we lean into the profession’s most pressing challenges—recruitment and retention, endemic and foreign animal disease, and ensuring our skill set remains relevant for all pigs, everywhere.”
Dr. Robbins lives in Amarillo, Texas with her husband, Andrew Brown, and their son, Grady. They are active members in their church, Saint Paul Methodist, and enjoy adventuring in the Panhandle.
AASV President-elect Dr. Chris Rademacher (University of Minnesota ’98) is a clinical professor and swine extension veterinarian in the Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine Department at Iowa State University (ISU) and the associate director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. At ISU, he has led programming efforts in the Common Swine Industry Audit, Veterinary Feed Directive, foreign animal disease preparation, strategic antibiotic use, PEDv, PRRS, and Senecavirus A. Since joining AASV as a student, Dr. Rademacher has been an active member of the AASV as the pharmaceutical committee chair, Annual Meeting research topic chair, program planning committee participant, and District 6 Director on the AASV Board.
AASV Vice President Dr. Clayton Johnson (University of Illinois ’08) Director of Veterinary Services at Carthage Veterinary Service in Carthage, Illinois, where he is a globally recognized swine health expert. He leads a team of veterinary professionals and hosts “The Swine Health Blackbelt Podcast” a weekly podcast series reaching a global audience of >100,000 listeners serving to distill complex swine health research into actionable insights. Since joining AASV as a student, Dr. Johnson has been an active member of the AASV as a Student Recruitment Committee member, Pharmaceutical Committee member and chair, and program planning committee participant. During 2022-2025, he led the innovative AASV Early-Career Swine Veterinarian Development Program, an initiative designed to provide mentorship, communication and leadership training, giving early-career practitioners the tools they need to thrive. He delivered the 2025 Howard Dunne Memorial Lecture and was honored with the Allen D. Leman Science in Practice Award in 2020.
Commenting on his upcoming role as vice president, Dr. Johnson said, “It’s a tremendous honor to join the AASV leadership team and give back to an organization that has given so much to me. I look forward to supporting AASV by amplifying member voices, strengthening our collective capacity, and ensuring that AASV continues to be the leading professional association for swine veterinarians worldwide”
Dr. Johnson lives in Quincy, Illinois with his wife, Ali, and their children Nina and Jake.
AASV Past President Dr. Locke Karriker (Mississippi State ‘99) is the Department Chair of Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine, the Executive Director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and Morrill Professor, holding the Dr. Douglas and Ann Gustafson Professorship for Teaching Excellence in Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University. Dr. Karriker has served the association as District 6 Director, co-chair of the Collegiate Activities Committee, member of the Program Planning Committee, member of the Pharmaceutical Issues Committee, member of the AASV-National Pork Board Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance, and member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. He delivered the 2011 Howard Dunne Memorial Lecture and was honored with the AASV Howard Dunne Memorial Award in 2014.