ALUMNI E-NEWS
May/June 2019
Equitarian Initiative veterinarian agent group in Haitii
'We Get More Than We Give'

Judith Batker DVM'95 travels annually to South Dakota, Haiti and Costa Rica with Equitarian Initiative, a nonprofit that provides volunteer care for working equids and teaching to their caretakers. "We treat horses that receive no veterinary care and more importantly we teach local owners and local veterinary students," she says. According to Batker, this work has re-energized her career. "All of my colleagues who do this with me agree, we get more than we give."
Also In This Issue
School News
The latest updates on research, faculty and staff, and other happenings at the school.
 
LIMITED EDITION MINI TERRACE CHAIR _ COW PRINT Moo-ve over, orange, green and yellow. 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. It can be purchased in the Badger Markets at Memorial Union and Union South, or online in the Terrace Store.

Day of the Badger thank you Thank you to all who showed their School of Veterinary Medicine pride -- by wearing red, giving back and reaching out -- during the inaugural Day of the Badger in April. Alumni and friends contributed more than 100 gifts to support the school's building expansion campaign and other SVM initiatives. Thanks to a generous match to all building gifts from the 512 Wingra Street Fund, the day had an overall impact for the school of more than $48,000. If you missed the chance to participate, there will be another opportunity for alumni to make a difference starting in June.

In the coming months, the Wisconsin legislature will begin voting on the 2019-21 budget, with the goal of passing their full budget by the end of June. Hearing from constituents now about the need to include the School of Veterinary Medicine's expansion project in the final budget is critical. We recently emailed you about contacting your state elected officials and we appreciate your help.

Research and outreach updates:
  • On May 2, a Gordon setter named Trilly received the very first shot in the Vaccination Against Canine Cancer Study, a five-year clinical trial at the SVM and two other sites to evaluate a vaccine strategy for the prevention of cancer in dogs. 
  • A new study involving Professor Jorge Osorio shows 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.
  • New technology developed by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka may make flu vaccine development easier. In Nature Microbiology, Kawaoka and his team describe a new cell line that enables better growth of H3N2 for vaccine use.
  • The UW Shelter Medicine Program is working closely with Wisconsin animal shelters and rescue groups on quarantine procedures after two dogs transported from overseas to Wisconsin tested positive for canine brucellosis.
Continuing Education
Upcoming courses to help advance your career.

June 21-23
Computed Tomography Course
UW School of Veterinary Medicine

June 29-30 yellow lab dog
Basic Small Animal Ultrasound
UW School of Veterinary Medicine

August 23
Hot Topics in Veterinary Anesthesia
Great Wolf Lodge Wisconsin Dells

September 13-15
Translational Research Immersion Program
UW School of Veterinary Medicine

Continuing Education via Distance Learning
On-demand courses on a wide variety of topics also are available through our distance learning site .
 
Alumni Updates
The latest news about your classmates and items of special interest to alumni.

The SVM's Comparative Genetics Research Laboratory -- which includes Lauren Baker MS '14, DVM'16 , Emily Binversie MS'16, DVM'18 and Susannah Sample MS'07, DVM'09, PhD'11 -- will use a grant from Pacific Biosciences to assemble the genome of a German shepherd for the first time and research diseases affecting the breed.

surgery on crane Barry Hartup DVM'93, the International Crane Foundation's director of conservation medicine and clinical instructor at the SVM, was awarded a Global Health Institute staff travel grant to assist the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association as part of a collaboration between that organization and UW Veterinary Care's Zoological Medicine unit. The trip included field captures of cranes for research monitoring, quarantine exams and field surgeries. 

Heidi Jahnke DVM'06 has joined Bristol Veterinary Service in Salem, Wisconsin, bringing 12 years of equine clinical experience. Fun fact: Jahnke has two FEI level dressage horses.  

Michael Lawrence DVM'03 and Lisa Tepp DVM'03 opened CreekWood Veterinary Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Treat clients how you want to be treated and good things will come, Lawrence told The Murfreesboro Post. "If you have compassion for their pets ... these are their children. If you do that, people trust you, word gets around and I think you're going to grow."

Shana Loomis DVM'09 recently opened Milwaukee Vet Clinic, a full-service facility with Fear Free certification. "I have loved animals and science since I was a kid," Loomis said in OnMilwaukee. "I decided in high school I wanted to be a veterinarian and that never changed."

Troy Semandel DVM'95 and James Voss DVM'95 have an award to celebrate: the Spirit of 76th Veterinary Clinic was named a  Shepherd Express Best of Milwaukee 2018 winner.

In Memoriam
Guy Roger Spencer MS'44, a retired professor of veterinary pathology at Washington State University, passed away in April at the age of 102. Spencer considered his best professional contributions to be his research on the control of mastitis in cows and the development of a training program for veterinary pathologists at Washington State.

Ongoing Clinical Trials

Recurrent Skin Infections  
The Dermatology Service is recruiting dogs with recurrent pyoderma (three or more episodes of staphylococcal skin infection in the last six months) for a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of a new vaccine product. The vaccine is intended to prevent recurrent skin infections, helping alleviate the need for repeated courses of antibiotics. 

Examinations, follow-up visits, diagnostic evaluations, cultures, blood and allergy tests, and medication costs are paid by the study. The trial for each dog will last approximately 18 weeks, with visits to UW Veterinary Care every six weeks. Patients enrolled in the study are prescribed injections, skin sprays and shampoos for home use .
 
Learn about other clinical trials.

Upcoming Events

June 22
SVM Alumni Reunion
11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
UW Veterinary Medicine Building

SVM alumni reunion

SAVE THE DATE
September 28
SVM Tailgate and Continuing Education
Wisconsin vs. Northwestern (time TBA)
 
  
On Call magazine spring 2019 Animals Need Heroes Too