Message from the Dean | June 2019
Off and Running

This past month saw the UW School of Veterinary Medicine's Class of 2019 graduate to now pursue the many exciting career opportunities available in this profession. I wish each member of the class continued good luck and success in your respective careers. Please remember to stay in touch and join us at our alumni receptions that we hold at national meetings around the country. Also, please plan on attending your alumni reunions at the school so we can keep in touch and you can reconnect with your classmates.
 
I'm excited to announce that the UW School of Veterinary Medicine has exceeded its comprehensive campaign goal of $100 million. As a reminder, we have increased our goal twice in the past five years, from the original $35 million to $70 million and now $100 million. Much of that dollar amount is in estate plans of friends of the school, but we have also raised significant gift support for our building project (now in excess of $24 million) and we have significantly increased scholarship support for our students. The school remains committed to maintaining the affordability of the education that we provide, with our students' indebtedness upon graduation ranking among the lowest in the United States for veterinary medical students.
 
Over the course of the next few months, we hope to hear positive news about the school's building expansion project through incorporation of our building in the upcoming 2019-21 state budget. We continue to progress with planning for the new parking ramp, with construction scheduled to start this coming fall.
 
I hope everyone has an enjoyable summer. As exciting developments occur here at the School of Veterinary Medicine, I'll be sure to keep you updated.

UW SVM Class of 2019
UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director

Congratulations to Sarah Holman, second-year resident in small animal surgery, on passing Phase 1 of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons board examination.
 
Welcome to several new employees: Amanda Brooks (Simons), CVT, who rejoins small animal surgical services to provide support over the next few months; Kylie Krumwiede, a technologist in Radiology; Emily Vander Zanden, a microbiologist with the Clinical Pathology Service; Jacqueline Vargas, CVT, supporting several services in the Small Animal Hospital; and Alie Whicker, a veterinary technician in the CCU/ER.
 
As part of the SVM and UW Veterinary Care's ongoing efforts to serve law enforcement animals, we will provide care for Milwaukee Police Department Mounted Patrol horses and equine-assisted therapy horses housed at MKE Urban Stables, a new facility that broke ground in April.

As the warmer weather brings joy, so too should this recent comment from a client:

" I will not consider going anywhere else! The genuine concern, expertise, graciousness cannot be matched. Anywhere! Exceeds expectations every time. It's been a long road for my pony, but we happily found answers to many questions regarding her health and behavior. The doctors and staff take time to listen. And explain all possibilities/solutions. Superb in all ways! "

- Barb, Fitchburg, Wisconsin

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

SVM_ Wisconsin Union Partner on Limited Release Mini Terrace Chair
The Wisconsin Union and School of Veterinary Medicine recently unveiled a dairy-inspired, limited edition mini Terrace chair, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the SVM's building expansion. The chair will be available for sale through October, or while supplies last, in the Badger Markets at Memorial Union and Union South, and online in the Terrace Store.
 
On June 14 at noon in room 2360 of the Veterinary Medicine Building, join Ruthanne Chun, Lyric Bartholomay and Kristi Thorson -- the SVM contacts for hospital, research and school matters, respectively, related to the building expansion project -- for a brown bag discussion of the expansion plans.
Faculty and Staff News

Welcome to Fariba Kiana-Anaraki as the SVM's director of financial services, responsible for directing the Business Services team in the school. Fariba brings into the position a wealth of knowledge and expertise at UW-Madison, having previously served in the Bursar's Office and the Wisconsin School of Business.

Congratulations to the following faculty on their recent promotions. Promoted to clinical associate professor, Sandra Newbury (Department of Medical Sciences) and Ken Waller (Surgical Sciences); to clinical professor, Becky Johnson and Sabrina Brounts (Surgical Sciences); and promoted to professor, Lyric Bartholomay and Tom Friedrich (Pathobiological Sciences).
 
Barry Hartup crane surgery
Barry Hartup DVM'93 , SVM clinical instructor and director of conservation medicine at the International Crane Foundation, was awarded a Global Health Institute staff travel grant to assist the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association as part of a collaboration with UW Veterinary Care's Zoological Medicine unit. The trip included field captures of cranes for research monitoring, quarantine exams and field surgeries.

Hannah Carey, president-elect of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, was a featured exhibitor at the Coalition for National Science Funding Capitol Hill Exhibition in April, presenting her research of hibernating ground squirrels as models for adaptation to extreme changes in physiology and nutrition.
 
Professor emeritus Sheila McGuirk will receive a Pioneer recognition award from the National Dairy Shrine for her contributions to strengthening and energizing the dairy industry. Honorees are inducted into the National Dairy Hall of Fame in Fort Atkinson.
Student News

Alexis Daggett and Kelly Manion are among the recipients of 2019 Winner's Circle scholarships, co-sponsored by the American Association of Equine Practitioners' Foundation, Platinum Performance and The Race For Education.

Eight UW SVM students were honored as recipients of the 2019 Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholars Award , a $2,000 scholarship given to second- and third-year veterinary medical students. Recipients from the Class of 2020: Emmie Asrow, Alexis Daggett, Shaile Gehrke and Kyle Granger. And from the Class of 2021: Marit Bakken, Emily Gregg, Jennifer Mathe and Austin Wenck.

Comparative Biomedical Sciences doctoral student Maia Gumnit has been awarded a 2019 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship . Gumnit studies in the lab of Tracy Baker, researching microglia (resident innate immune cells of the central nervous system) and their role in the neural control of breathing.

Diya Binoy Joseph, who carried out her thesis research in the lab of Chad Vezina, received the 2018 Cellular and Molecular Biology Exceptional Thesis Award. During her studies, Binoy Joseph discovered that Wolffian duct cells are able to regenerate bladder epithelium -- a surprising source of stem cells with important implications for regenerative medicine
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Research News

Professor Jorge Osorio contributed to new research showing that vaccination may reduce the impact of white-nose syndrome in bats, marking a milestone in the international fight against one of the most destructive wildlife diseases in modern times.

Technology developed by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka may make flu vaccine development easier; Kawaoka and his team describe in Nature Microbiology a new cell line that enables better growth of H3N2 for vaccine use.

Kawaoka also co-authored a study showing that antiviral antibodies produced by survivors of Ebola infection continue to evolve and improve after recovery. The findings could establish a benchmark of immune protection after vaccination and have implications for the design of antiviral therapies and vaccines that provide long-lasting protection against Ebola
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Upcoming Events

SVM Building Expansion Brown Bag Discussion
June 14
Noon
Room 2360, Veterinary Medicine Building

Dean's Get Together
June 21
4:30-6:30 p.m.
Veterinary Medicine Building, under the overhang

SVM Alumni Reunion
June 22
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Veterinary Medicine Building

For more SVM-related events, visit the school's online calendar .
SVM in the News
For more media coverage of the SVM, visit the school's In the News page.
University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine
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