Doug Korver steps in as PSA President, spotlights global poultry nutrition challenges

28 July 2025

5 minute read

By: Sarah Mikesell

Europe

Dr. Doug Korver, a well-known poultry nutrition expert with Alpine Poultry Nutrition and the University of Alberta, added a prestigious third role to his resume recently: President of the Poultry Science Association (PSA). The leadership transition was made at the PSA’s annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, where more than 1,000 scientists, students and industry leaders gathered to advance research and innovation in poultry science.

Dr. Korver, who has been involved with PSA since his undergraduate days in late 1980s, brings both historical perspective and global consulting insight to the role.

“One of the things that I've loved about this organization is the collaborations and the interactions,” said Dr. Korver. “Even as a graduate student, I was able to meet some of the people that had written the papers that I'd been reading, and they always took the time and had the willingness to talk to me. Those connections that I've made here at PSA over the years have been fantastic.”

His leadership and blend of academic rigor, industry insight and decades-long commitment to mentorship make him an ideal guide for the year ahead. Plus, he sees the Poultry Science Association as more than just an academic society.

“Many of my very, very close friends are members of the Poultry Sciences Association,” he said. “It's been really fulfilling professionally and personally.”

Building the next generation of poultry scientists

Dr. Korver emphasized PSA’s deep commitment to student development as a key differentiator. More than just posters and passive attendance, students at PSA take center stage with opportunities to present their research, network with seasoned poultry professionals across the value chain and participate in competitive sessions that prepare them for careers in academia or industry, whether that is in an office or on a poultry operation.

“We really put an emphasis on graduate student development as an organization,” said Dr. Korver. “We encourage our graduate students to enter the student competition. It really gives the students something serious to work for.”

That focus on young scientists was evident throughout the Raleigh event, where even a high school student presented poultry-related research. According to Dr. Korver, these early experiences help cultivate both knowledge and community in the next generation of poultry professionals.

“There are social events for the students,” he added. “One of the things that I appreciated as a graduate student, and I try to do myself and encourage others to do, is really take the time to interact with the grad students.”

Conversations that drive collaboration

While the formal sessions packed with research presentations remain central to PSA, much of the real action happens between those sessions – in the hallways, over coffee, and in the e-poster hall, where spontaneous conversations spark long-term collaboration.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to get together with friends that you've met over the years, but also it's always nice to meet with research sponsors,” said Dr. Korver. “It's a great opportunity to work with collaborators, different universities and institutions.”

This year’s introduction of e-posters (posters could be scrolled through on large TV monitors versus the traditional large, laminated posters) aimed to boost those informal discussions, providing an accessible platform for attendees to better engage with presenters and their findings.

Keeping sustainability in focus

With a background in poultry nutrition and a global consulting portfolio, Dr. Korver is uniquely positioned to speak to the challenges and innovations facing the poultry industry. The common thread, he says, is sustainability.

“I think it all comes down to sustainability, and that covers economic sustainability. It covers environmental sustainability, and it covers social sustainability,” Dr. Korver explained.

Feeding birds more sustainably—by using food processing byproducts or co-products, for example, can reduce waste while producing high-quality eggs and poultry meat. Nutritionists are looking to optimize these alternative ingredients without compromising bird health or performance.

“That's really an opportunity to take a low-value product, run it through a chicken, and produce high-quality products like chicken meat and eggs,” said Dr. Korver.

As the industry continues to move away from growth-promoting antibiotics, maintaining gut health through nutrition has taken center stage. Dr. Korver sees this shift as both a challenge and a promising opportunity.

“There’s a lot of opportunities there for feeding birds in a way that is going to allow them to attain good growth, good egg production, keep them healthy and keep the products safe and wholesome,” he said. “That's an area of interest for me, and I think it's really important for the industry as a whole.”

Inflammation: The double-edged sword

One of the most discussed topics at this year’s meeting was inflammation – a complex and sometimes misunderstood component of poultry (and human) health.

“If you look at the effect of many infectious diseases, heat stress and other environmental challenges, a lot of those negative consequences are mediated through inflammation,” Dr. Korver explained.

Inflammation, while an essential immune response, can also drain energy and reduce productivity when chronically activated. The industry is working to better understand how to modulate inflammatory responses to keep birds healthy without unnecessary immune activation.

“If we can modulate inflammation, we can maintain good health and we can maintain good productivity,” said Dr. Korver. “Because inflammation – if you think about how you might feel after a vaccination – that soreness is mediated by inflammation.”

Adapting to evolving genetics

Another layer of complexity in poultry nutrition is the rapid pace of genetic advancement. Birds are growing faster and laying more eggs than ever before, and their nutritional requirements are evolving just as quickly.

“The challenge we have is that the genetics are always changing,” he explained. “The geneticists are always selecting for faster growth and higher egg production. And we can achieve that, but we also need to have the right nutrition to support it.”

For nutritionists, this means constantly recalibrating dietary formulations to match the bird's physiology and production goals, especially as producers worldwide face varying ingredient availability and environmental conditions.

Looking ahead to PSA in 2026: Two global meetings, one location

As PSA president, Dr. Korver will lead the association through its 2026 annual meeting, which promises to be especially impactful. Next year’s event will be held in Toronto, Canada just ahead of the World Poultry Congress, offering an opportunity to bring an even larger global poultry audience together to learn and collaborate.

“It's going to be a big event,” he said. “We're going to have two different international poultry science societies meeting together consecutively in the same place. I think there will be a good synergy.”

The back-to-back conferences, with the 2026 PSA Annual Meeting scheduled for July 10–13 and immediately followed by the World’s Poultry Congress July 14-17, are expected to draw researchers, students and companies from around the globe. Dr. Korver sees it as a chance not just to share science, but to build bridges.

“It’s a really useful and interesting opportunity to see the science that we're doing and see the science that's being presented at World Poultry Congress as well,” he said.

Learn more about the 2026 World Poultry Congress.