A Busy September | Message from the Dean

Message from the Dean | October 2017

A Busy September

September is always a busy yet enjoyable beginning to the academic year. Between starting classes and welcoming the Class of 2021, hosting our Board of Visitors meeting, inviting the many friends of the school to the Dean's Luncheon, and our annual tailgate prior to the Northwestern game, we had many events to prepare for and enjoy.

I also want to thank everyone who attended the Dean's Get-Together on Sept. 22 in Marshall Park. We had almost 300 people in attendance, where we highlighted the Morrie Waud Match and its importance in engaging the entire SVM family, whether it's our faculty and staff, our students and their families, or our alumni.

This past month, Gov. Scott Walker signed the 2017-19 state budget, which includes the lot 62 parking ramp -- an important first step of the planned addition to the Veterinary Medicine Building. Our plans call for the expansion to be included in the 2019-21 budget. Construction of the parking ramp is anticipated to begin in 2019.

I wish everyone a great fall and hope that your semester goes well.

UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director

In September, UW Veterinary Care ( UWVC) once again helped to run the canine first aid station at the Capital K9s Dog Paddle at Goodman Pool. We always enjoy assisting at this annual fundraising event for the Madison Police Department's K9 unit .

Congratulations are in order for two UWVC clinicians who recently passed their American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analagesia (ACVAA) board certification examination, Allan Williamson, our new clinical instructor in Anesthesia and Pain Management, and ACVAA resident Ben Liao. Congratulations also to those who passed the American College Of Veterinary Pathologists board certification exam -- Kate Irvine of Clinical Pathology and Tamara Chamberlin, Jaimie Miller, and Melissa Graham of Anatomic Pathology -- and to our current and recent residents who passed their American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR) certifying exam: Shahrzad Heidari and Elisabeth Peters of Diagnostic Imaging and MacKenzie Pellin and Noopur Desai of Radiation Oncology . Radiology resident Jessica Malberg also passed her ACVR preliminary exam.

A number of remodeling projects continue at UW Veterinary Care. The remodels on Room 1403 (across from Clinical Pathology) and the TomoTherapy/Physical Rehabilitation reception area are well underway; the oxygen bulk tank work is moving along; the Food Animal Production Medicine teaching and staging space is being renovated; we are awaiting the final design to remodel the cage (the work space used by students on Large Animal rotations); and paperwork has been signed approving the design of remodels to the Large Animal reception area and a clinician workspace.

Here's this month's selected comment from a happy client:

"I love the UW Teaching Hospital. They always make me feel like Hans isn't just a pet, but a member of my family, which he is. The students and Dr. Verbrugge obviously love animals and I appreciate their care, concern, and dedication to making sure he has the healthiest life. I love the separate waiting area for cats; it's perfect to help them calm down and relax before their appointment."

- Francesca, Madison, Wis.

Ruthanne Chun DVM'91
Director, UW Veterinary Care
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs

School News

For the first time this year, the SVM's Engagement, Inclusivity, and Diversity Committee, in partnership with the UW-Madison Department of Counseling Psychology, will offer small-group Diversity Dialogues to first year students, allowing students to come together to discuss their personal experiences with diversity and learn from their peers' experiences. In September, the school also held two Diversity Dialogues for SVM faculty and staff, continuing our personal and professional development around diversity and inclusivity.

Last month, the SVM's UW Shelter Medicine Program worked closely with the Dane County Humane Society to diagnose and stop the spread of a contagious respiratory illness among dogs. Expedited testing services by the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) helped to speed the reaction.

As more than half a million hunters take to Wisconsin's woods and fields this fall in pursuit of white-tailed deer, hunters should strongly consider testing their deer for chronic wasting disease says Keith Poulsen DVM'04, PhD'12, diagnostic and case outreach coordinator for WVDL and clinical assistant professor at the SVM .

During the annual meeting of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP), retired veterinarian Darrel Johnson was honored as the 2017 Dairy Inductee of the Cattle Production Veterinarian Hall of Fame. Johnson was an active supporter of the establishment of the UW SVM and served on Dean Barney Easterday's first Board of Visitors. SVM Clinical Professor Ken Nordlund accepted the award on Johnson's behalf .

Student Updates

Melissa Farquhar was in Houston, Texas, Sept. 13-21 to trap and identify mosquitoes following Hurricane Harvey, helping to monitor for disease-spreading species of mosquitoes and determine the effectiveness of control efforts.

Miranda Braithwaite, a dual DVM-MPH candidate, was recently spotlighted by the National Network of Public Health Institutes for her public health field experience linking pet care and the well-being of pet owners through Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education and Social Services (WisCARES).

Five SVM students were honored with an American Association of Bovine Practitioners Bovine Veterinary Student Recognition Award, as well as a $5,000 scholarship, at the AABP Annual Conference: Alex Gander, Rachel O'Leary, Morgan Randall, Brian Schnell, and Kendra Wells.

Faculty and Staff News

Welcome to neuroscientist Jayshree Samanta, who joins the school's Department of Comparitive Biosciences as an assistant professor. Jayshree comes to the SVM from New York University's Department of Physiology and Neuroscience.

Calico Schmidt, who has served with UWVC's Primary Care since 2007, now joins the Department of Pathobiological Sciences as a clinical instructor, where she will help to coordinate the Active Integrative Learning course and the laboratory sections of the bacteriology and parasitology courses.

Emeritus Professor Christopher Olsen was elected to the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Public Health and Regulatory Veterinary Medicine.

Theresa Ollivett, assistant professor of food animal production medicine in the Department of Medical Sciences, is one of several industry experts leading Calf Care Connection workshops throughout Wisconsin in October, sharing the latest calf-raising research, techniques, and ideas.

Congratulations to the following faculty and staff members recognized for their milestone years of service to the SVM. Ten years of service: Laura Allen, James Budde, Sara Cockroft, Kristen Friedrichs, Troy Hornberger, Rebecca Johnson, Sara Kennedy, Julie Krcma- Peterson, Lynn Maki, Marie Pinkerton, Calico Schmidt, Kristi Thorson, and Amanda Volden; 20 years of service: Stephanie Dilocker, Angela Dixon, Martha Grimm-Bertrang, Jerome Harms, Yoshihiro Kawaoka, Yan Lu, Rebecca Sandee, Kim Sherman, Lesley Smith, Lauren Trepanier, and Krisna Wells; and 30 years of service: Terri Gregson, Adnan Elfarra, Vicki Kalscheur, and Laurel Kinosian.

Research News

The SVM's Fall Research Day will be held Oct. 13, beginning at 3:15 p.m., featuring posters by summer scholars, students, post-docs, and faculty. If you wish to present a poster, please contact Dale Bjorling. The event will also include a presentation by Tom Cherpes DVM '89, at 3:15 in room 2360, sharing details of his career path and his research program investigating the hormonal influence of infectious disease. After five years in veterinary practice, Cherpes received his MD in 1998 and now holds a faculty appointment at Stanford University.

Read a Q&A with Matt Reynolds, assistant professor of immunology in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences, about his research into methods to design HIV vaccines, cure HIV infection, and, potentially, develop immunotherapy for cancer.

A new directory for UW-Madison researchers is now online, providing a centralized, publicly searchable directory of shared research resources, services, and cores on campus.