Associate Professor
jovana.kovacevic [at] oregonstate.edu

Food Innovation Center

Food Innovation Center Suite 154

Food Innovation Center 1207 NW Naito Parkway

Food Innovation Center

1207 NW Naito Parkway

Portland, OR 97209

Dr. Kovacevic's program focuses on food microbiology and safety, with emphasis on traditional and novel molecular microbiology and genomic approaches to study the mechanisms underlying pathogenesis, stress survival, persistence and antimicrobial resistance of foodborne pathogens. Extension activities involve FSMA training, education and outreach through the Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety, and food safety training and client service support through the Food Innovation Center.

SUMMARY

My research interests are in the application of molecular methods and genomics in food safety. In particular, my lab researches how these methods and tools can be used to improve pathogen tracing, to advance our understanding of pathogen survival and contamination events in the farm-to-fork food chain, and to aid the development of targeted interventions. Current areas of interest include: i) survival, stress response mechanisms, and prevention of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in food processing environments; ii) antimicrobial resistance in the food chain; iii) pathogen stress survival and biofilms; and iv) understanding and prevention of foodborne outbreaks. As Director of the FSMA’s Western Regional Center, I am also very much interested in working with food industry to develop effective food safety training, education and knowledge transfer initiatives.

Current and Recent Research Projects

Characterization of genotypic and phenotypic properties of Listeria spp.
Antimicrobial resistance and sanitizer tolerance of Listeria spp. and other foodborne microorganisms.
Prevention of contamination events in produce handling and processing environments.
Mitigation strategies and monitoring for environmental pathogens in produce, dairy and other food handling and processing environments.
Food safety on produce farms.

Extension Projects

Directing activities associated with the Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety
Directing food safety program at the Food Innovation Center
Basic and advanced food safety training, consultations, and troubleshooting for the food industry
Development of the Listeria HELPR initiative

At OSU

Affiliated with:

Food Innovation Center

Headquarters:

Experiment Station

Career Links:

Food Innovation Center

Department of Food Science and Technology

Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety

Student(s):

Courses Taught:

FST 507/607 Graduate Seminar

Professional Accomplishments

Professional Affiliations:

International Association for Food Protection (2006-present)
Member of the American Society for Microbiology (2014-present)
Canadian Society of Microbiologists (2012-2017)
B.C. Food Protection Association (2008-2017)

Education:

B.Sc. in Food Science and Technology, University of Alberta (2005)
M.Sc. in Food Science and Technology - Food Microbiology, University of Alberta (2007)
Ph.D. in Food Science - Food Microbiology, University of British Columbia (2014)

Service:

University Service

FST Leadership Committee, Committee Member (2020 - present)
FST DEI Committee, Committee Member (2020 - present)
FST Graduate Committee, Committee Member (2018 - present)
FIC Building Safety Committee, Committee Member (2017 - present)
Food Safety Team – OSU Extension Web Upgrade, Team Leader (2017)

Selected service to the profession

Ad Hoc reviewer
- Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 2020 - present
- Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2016 – present
- International Journal of Food Microbiology, 2016 – present
- Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2015 – present
- Food Microbiology, 2015 – present
- Letters in Applied Microbiology, 2015 – present
- Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2014 – present
Membership in Professional Organization Committees
- Journal of Food Protection Management Committee, 2020 – 2023
- International Association for Food Protection Student Travel Scholarship Awards Selection Committee, 2020 – 2022
- Local Food Safety Collaborative Steering Committee, 2019 – present
- Alliance for Listeriosis Prevention, 2019 – present
- Food Safety and Sanitation Workshop advisory and organizing committee, 2016 – present
- Oregon Department of Agriculture Food Safety Program advisory committee, 2016 – present
Mentorship of High School Students
- Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering (ASE) Mentor for Saturday Academy and University of Portland, 2018 – present.

My Awards

Honors and Awards:

OSU Extension Association (OSUEA) Newer Faculty Award (2021)
OSU Extension Association (OSUEA) Search for Excellence Award awarded to Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety (2020)
Promising Scholar Award, Awarded by the Faculty Senate, Oregon State University (2020)
OSU Extension Association 2019 Team Award awarded to Oregon Farm Food Safety Team (2019)

My Publications

Google Scholar

Outreach and Extension

Extension Service Site Publications

(2020) Sanitizer Basics for the Food Industry Cleaning and sanitation are critical to maintaining quality and safety in your food industry operation. Make cleaning and sanitizing programs part of your food safety culture. Here's how to make sure those doing your cleaning and sanitizing are invested in safety, adequately trained and supported in their work.
(2019) Add-on Exercise for Produce Safety Alliance Module 6 v1.2– Post-harvest Handling and Sanitation The intent of this add-on exercise is for PSA grower course trainees to think through various harvest and post-harvest scenarios and consider implications related to produce safety in the context of real production environments. Each group of trainees (4-6 per group) is given a set of the printed photos to work through. They are asked specific questions, and given 15-20 minutes to work in their groups. Following group discussions, trainers go through the slide deck and ask participants to share what they discussed in their groups about each scenario.
(2018) Produce Safety Alliance The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) is a collaboration between Cornell University, FDA, and USDA to prepare fresh produce growers to meet the regulatory requirements included in the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.
(2018) On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRRs) On-Farm Readiness Review (OFRR) is designed as a tool to help regulators and educators effectively prepare farmers for compliance with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)'s produce safety rule.