Phone
608-262-9705Website
View WebsiteOffice Location
1675 Observatory Dr
Madison, WI 53706
Office: 632 Animal Sciences
Lab: 634 Animal Sciences
Jimena Laporta is originally from Uruguay, where she earned her B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Animal Sciences from the Universidad de la República. She obtained her Ph.D. in Dairy Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and began her independent career as an Assistant Professor of Mammary Gland Physiology at the University of Florida in 2015. In 2020, she joined the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences at UW–Madison, where she serves as an Associate Professor of Lactation Physiology. Her research emphasizes three synergistic areas: heat stress physiology, mammary gland biology, and perinatal programming. Within this framework, she studies how management practices—during the final trimester of gestation and early postnatal life—shapes calf growth, physiology, and mammary gland developmental trajectory, ultimately influencing lifelong productivity. A large focus of her lab is understanding how heat stress reprograms the epigenome and developmental pathways, with emphasis on tissues and cell populations essential for mammary growth, metabolic regulation, and immune function. Her group also studies calf thermo-physiology, identifying environmental and animal-based indicators of heat stress and examining sweat gland biology to improve early detection and guide the design of cooling strategies for pre-weaned calves. In parallel, her team is exploring new approaches to enhance the drying-off process in high-yield dairy cows by modulating mammary involution to promote a smoother transition between lactations and improve performance.
Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles
Laporta J., M. Guenther. 2025. Making future udders: Mammary development and perinatal programming of dairy cattle. JDS Comm. In Press
Larsen, G., E. tabor, A. Hoerl, K. Reuscher, J.R. Dorea J. Van Os, T. Ollivett., J. Laporta. 2025. Thermo-physiological responses and hutch microclimate of outdoor hutch-housed heifers with or without continuous ventilation during a continental summer. J Dairy Sci. In Press
Guenther, M. C., B. D. Davidson, C. G. Savegnago, C. E. Halbach, A. A. C. Alves, S. Tao, and J. Laporta. 2025. Validation of a positive pressure tube ventilation system for heat abatement of outdoor preweaning dairy heifers. J Dairy Sci doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26747
Davidson, B. D., S. L. Field, B. Dado-Senn, A. D. Beard, P. L. J. Monteiro, K. A. Riesgraf, A. R. Guadagnin, M. C. Wiltbank, G. E. Dahl, J. Laporta. 2025a. In utero heat stress compromises whole-body growth and mammary development from postweaning through puberty. J Dairy Sci 108(7):7837-7850. doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26458
Davidson, B. D., K. Hardy, J. Laporta. 2025b. Transgenerational skin adaptations to late-gestation heat stress in great-granddaughters. JDS Commun 6(5):694-699. doi: 10.3168/jdsc.2025-0786
Field, S. L., L. M. Arendt, L. L. Hernandez, Laporta. 2025. Characterizing serotonin expression throughout bovine mammary gland developmental stages and its relationship with 17β-estradiol at puberty. PLoS One 20(3):e0319914. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319914
Guenther, M. C., B. D. Davidson, C. G. Savegnago, C. E. Halbach, A. A. C. Alves, S. Tao, and J. Laporta. 2025. Validation of a positive pressure tube ventilation system for heat abatement of outdoor preweaning dairy heifers. J Dairy Sci doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26747
Laporta, J., B. Dado-Senn, A. R. Guadagnin, L. Liu, and F. Peñagaricano. 2025. Preweaning heat stress alters liver transcriptome and DNA methylation in dairy calves. J Dairy Sci 108(4):4390-4402. doi: 10.3168/jds.2024-25975
Tabor, E., A. R. Guadagnin, M. Guenther, L. R. Cangiano, F. Panisa, B. Anderson, L. Niehues, C. Marotz, M. Embree, and J. Laporta. 2025. Effects of feeding a rumen-native microbial live supplement during pre- and postpartum on health, performance, and blood metabolites of Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci 108(11):12705-12721. doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26677.
Amato, A., C. Cavallo, A. Minuti, E. Trevisi, P. Engler, H. Bui, E. Gugliandolo, L. Llobat, J. Laporta, G. Emmanuele, L. Liotta, and V. Lopreiato. 2025. Rumen-protected dry grape extract supplementation enhances milk production, behavior traits, and immunometabolism of mid-lactating Fleckvieh cows under naturally occurring heat stress. J Dairy Sci doi: 10.3168/jds.2025-26830
Casarotto, L. T., H. N. Jones, P. Chavatte-Palmer, J. Laporta, F. Peñagaricano, V. Ouellet, J. Bromfield, and G. E. Dahl. 2025. Late-gestation heat stress alters placental structure and function in multiparous dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 108(1):1125-1137. doi: 10.3168/jds.2024-25529
Fabris, T. F., J. Laporta, F. N. Corra, Y. M. Torres, D. J. Kirk, J. D. Chapman, and G. E. Dahl. 2025. Effects of an Immunomodulatory Supplement and Evaporative Cooling on Immune Status, Mammary Gland Microstructure, and Gene Expression of Cows Exposed to Heat Stress During the Dry Period. Animals 15(21):3113.
Negreiro, A., T. Bresolin, R. E. P. Ferreira, B. Dado-Senn, J. M. C. Van Os, J. Laporta, and J. R. R. Dórea. 2025. Computer vision systems for monitoring hutch-housed dairy calves. J Dairy Sci 108(9):9998-10011. doi: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-26267
Selected Book Chapters
Laporta J and Skibiel AL (2024). Heat Stress in Lactating and Non-lactating Dairy Cows. Production Diseases in Farm Animals: Pathophysiology, Prophylaxis and Health Management. Springer International Publishing, 469-492.
Laporta J, Lemley C, Chavatte-Palmer P (2022). Editorial: The Influences of Early Life Experiences on Future Health and Productivity. Frontiers in Animal Science.
Dahl GE, Skibiel AL, Laporta J (2019). In utero heat stress programs reduced performance and health in calves. Vol. 35, Pp. 343-353. In: Veterinary Clinics of North America: Developmental programming in livestock production, R. Funston and J.T. Mulliniks, eds. Elsevier, PA.
Selected Popular Press Articles
Here’s When Heat Stress Starts To Impact Calves. (2024) Dairy Herd Management Online. By: Maureen Hanson. 05/14/24.
Calf development is temperature sensitive (2024). Hoards Dairyman Online. Katelyn Allen. 03/18/24.
Heat Stress Permanently Impacts Health (2024). AgriView. Carter Jones. 07/25/24.
The impact of heat stress is generational (2024). Hoards Dairyman online. 05/4/24.
Don’t Forget to Cool your Calves (2024) Hoards Dairyman online. 04/01/24.
Farm Progress Wisconsin Agriculturist (2023) Research examines ways to deal with heat stress in dairy cows. By: Jim Massey. 07/09/23.
Dado-Senn B, Laporta J. (2022). Are calves feeling the heat? Leverage your auto-feeder system to detect and abate calves feeling heat stress. Know-how for your calf rearing: CalfBlog.com. 05/ 27/22.
Casarotto LT, Laporta J, and Dahl GE (2021). Financial impacts of late-gestation heat stress of cows and offspring lifetime performance. UF-IFAS, Florida Coop. Ext. Serv., Animal Science Dept., Electronic Data Information Source AN374.
McCarville J., Olson A., Lippert M., Laporta J (2020). Dry Cow Heat Stress Management. In: Animal Welfare and Herd Health Section, Division of Extension, UW-Madison.
Davidson B, Toledo I, Laporta J, Dahl GE (2020). Prefresh heifers need cooling too! Animal Care Section, Hoards Dairyman. Published online 05/10/21.
Dado-Senn and Laporta J (2020). Time of calf cooling matters Hoards Dairyman. April 8 issue.
Laporta J, and Dahl GE (2019) Late-gestation heat stress: lingering impacts on milk production for three generations. Hoards Dairyman. April 25 issue. *Re-printed in Hoards Dairyman in Spanish (May 2019, p. 268-270) and Ex-Dairy-Press in Italian (May 2019 p. 49-51).
Dahl GE, and Laporta J (2019) Dry Period Heat Stress Affects Cows’ Granddaughters. Dairy Nutrition Plus newsletter. Vol 15 (3):3.
Dado-Senn B, Dahl GE, Laporta J (2017) Cooled dry cows outperformed heat-stressed herd mates. Hoards Dairyman. August 10 issue.
Laporta J and Miller-Cushon E (2016). Heat stress has prolonged effects on dairy calves. Hoards Dairyman. October 25 issue.
ANSCI/DYSCI 378 – Lactation Physiology | 3 credits
Role: Instructor (100% responsibility).
Course description: This course consists of 20 lectures and 10 laboratory sessions. It covers the anatomy and physiology of the mammary gland across mammalian species, emphasizing the hormonal regulation of mammary development and lactation, cellular mechanisms of milk synthesis, and the biochemical composition of milk. The course also explores common abnormalities of mammary function, including mastitis in dairy cows.
DYSCI 535 – Dairy Farm Management Practicum | 3 credits
Role: Co-instructor (50% responsibility).
Course description: This capstone course integrates principles of nutrition, breeding, reproduction, and management at the farm level. Students develop skills in decision-making, data collection, and problem-solving through hands-on experience in real-world dairy operations.
Ongoing Service:
Wisconsin’s Dairy Innovation Hub Steering Committee, member.
Wisconsin’s Dairy Innovation Hub Advisory Council, UW faculty representative.
Department High Impact Research Awards for Undergraduates, chair.
Department Service: Social Committee, vice-chair; External Relations Committee.
Section Editor: Journal of Dairy Science Communications (JDSC), Physiology Section.
Reviewer: Journal of Dairy Science, JDS Communications, Domestic Animal Endocrinology, Scientific Reports, PolsOne, BMC Genomics.
Since 2015:
2024 Vilas Associate Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison
2024 Editor’s Choice 01/24 Issue of JDS Communications (Davidson et al., 2024)
2023 Editor’s Choice 12/23 Issue of the Journal of Dairy Science (Casaro et al., 2023)
2023 Editor’s Choice 02/23 Issue of the Journal of Dairy Science (Dado-Senn et al., 2023)
2023 Journal of Dairy Science Top 100 Papers for 2023 (Dado-Senn et al., 2019)
2023 Journal of Dairy Science Top 100 Papers for 2023 (Laporta et al., 2020)
2022 Journal of Dairy Science Top 100 Papers for 2022 (Laporta et al., 2020)
2021 American Dairy Science Association Foundation Scholar Award in Dairy Production
2020 Journal of Dairy Science Top 100 Papers for 2020 (Fabris et al., 2019)
2020 Editor’s Choice 08/2020 Issue of the Journal of Dairy Science (Laporta et al., 2020)
2019 Outstanding Advisor Award, University of Florida
2017 Mentor of the Year Award. Graduate Student Association, University of Florida
2016 Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Award, University of Florida
2015 Young Dairy Scholar. Midwest Branch of the American Dairy Science Association