We All Need to Vote | Message from the Dean

Message from the Dean | November 2018

We All Need to Vote

The election is next Tuesday, November 6, and I want to encourage everyone to vote. Regardless of your political persuasion, each of us has the duty and obligation to vote -- a central core and strength of the United States' democracy.

Following the election, the school, in cooperation with the university and UW System leadership, will continue working with the governor's office and the legislature to successfully enumerate the school's building expansion project in the 2019-21 biennial budget. Our hope is that we will be included in the governor's capital budget when it is released in March of 2019. I'd encourage each of you to reach out to your local legislators and encourage them to support this important project, not only critical for the School of Veterinary Medicine but for the citizens of the state of Wisconsin. Please visit animalsneedheroestoo.com for more.

I hope that everyone has a terrific fall. It is hard to believe that in three weeks Thanksgiving will be here and the holiday season will be fast approaching .

UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director

Last month we celebrated National Veterinary Technician Week, a special opportunity to recognize the critical contributions of our veterinary technicians. Each year, two honorees are chosen by UW Veterinary Care technicians to receive our Veterinary Technician Recognition Awards for commitment to the profession and service to our patients, clients, students and clinicians. Congratulations to Tammi Walsh and Jennifer Wagner, this year's recipients in the Early Career and Legends categories, respectively. Throughout the week we also honored several technicians in a series of posts on the UW Veterinary Care Facebook page -- take a moment to view these posts to learn more about your colleagues and their work .

Celebrating UW Veterinary Care veterinary technicians

Welcome to new employees Kacey Briley, a medical program assistant in phone reception; Amanda Judd, CVT, with the Orthopedic Surgery service; Jordan Sapiro, a new greeter/cashier in reception; and pharmacist Shelby Williams. Welcome also to Omer Lerman, who in October arrived from Israel to begin a three-year residency in clinical pathology.

Congratulations to small animal surgery resident Georgia Bosscher, who last month earned the runner-up award in the Small Animal Residents' Forum at the American College of Veterinary Surgeons symposium for her scientific abstract for research into chylothorax in dogs, and to David Amrhein, a valued member of our reception staff who has been granted emeritus status in anticipation of his retirement in spring 2019.

To close, here is a recent note of appreciation for many in the hospital from a client who traveled from Minnesota:

" The end of my visit brought some bad, unexpected news, but I had a really positive experience at the clinic and left feeling like my rabbit received the best care possible and I received the information and support I needed. When I called to schedule my appointment, the person on the phone was incredibly empathetic to the fact that I would be driving from over three hours away even though I didn't bring it up or complain. They were able to get me an appointment earlier than they or I thought they would and the whole scheduling process was friendly, quick and easy. I arrived at the appointment over 20 minutes early, but the vet student was able to see us right away. The front desk staff were helpful, personable, friendly and kind. The vet student was very friendly, professional and capable. The discussions I had with her and the whole team (veterinarian and vet tech) ... established great rapport, let me be a substantial part of the decision-making process and made me feel like all of my concerns were heard and questions answered. Every step of the process was carefully explained to me and I never felt rushed. "

- Emily, Rochester, Minnesota

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

School News

Partners in Giving, the annual combined campaign of Dane County for state, university and UW Health employees, is running now through November 30. All employees should have received information packets and pledge forms in their mailbox with details about pledging and charities. To make a contribution, visit giving.wi.gov or give your pledge form to any of these contacts: Rebecca Black, Kendra Kearney, Maggie Hutchison or Lisa McQueen (all at the SVM), Linda Gauer (Hanson Labs), or Amy Kuehn (Yoshihiro Kawaoka's lab).

The school's 2018 Annual Report, highlighting the impact of our accomplishments in the last year across teaching, research, clinical care, public service and fundraising, is now available online to view in a screen reader or as a PDF download. A limited amount of hard copies have also been distributed throughout the Veterinary Medicine Building and Hanson Labs.

A lunch and learn event, Immigration Law and Latinx Health, will be held November 5 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Health Sciences Learning Center. The program is part of a lunch and learn series that the SVM has partnered with the university's other health sciences schools to offer to build understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion across all health sciences faculty, staff and students on campus. Please register in advance.

On November 15, from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., the Wellness Committee will host a fall harvest potluck open to all SVM and Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) employees in the WVDL multipurpose room. Participants are encouraged to make a dish to pass and there will be supplies to make to-go plates. Donations will be gathered for the UW-Madison student food pantry, The Open Seat. For more information and to RSVP.

Student News

Charlotte Mintie, a PhD candidate in Comparative Biomedical Sciences, traveled to Xi'an, China, as an invited speaker at the fifth International Conference of Resveratrol and Health October 18-19. She was invited to present data outlining skin cancer chemoprevention by dietary grape .

Faculty and Staff News

Welcome to Karenne Giguere, a new accountant in Business Services and Research Administration. Located in the Business Services Office (room 2153), Karenne will assist with accounts receivable reconciliation, purchasing card site management, pre-award back-up for proposal preparation, and other duties.

Farewell and best wishes to Vicki Kalscheur who retired in October after 31 years of service to the university, most recently as a senior research specialist in the SVM's Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, and to Cathy Goelzer, who has departed the Department of Pathobiological Sciences as department administrator.

At the recent International Veterinary Simulation in Teaching (InVeST) conference, a gathering of veterinary educators dedicated to promoting and advancing the use of simulation in veterinary medicine, Kristen Cooley, Sara Colopy and Robb Hardie earned the award for most innovative abstract for "Cutting the Cheese: Using Personal Pizzas as a Model for Teaching Wound Management in the Veterinary Curriculum."

Congratulations to Rob Lipinski in the Department of Comparative Biosciences, who has been promoted to associate professor with tenure; Karen Mier, who has achieved emeritus status in recognition of her accomplishments and contributions to the school and the university; and the following faculty and staff members recognized for their milestone years of service to the SVM. Ten years of service: Liddy Alvarez, Doerte Doepfer, Thomas Friedrich, Chungyi Hansen, Lindsey Hernke, Joan Jorgensen, Patricia Kierski, Amy Kuehn, Gillian Mclellan, and Erin Plisch; 20 years: Kim Holman, Alexander Karasin, Suresh Marulasiddappa, Brett Nemke, Simon Peek, Lucy Jenkins, and Lori Pike; 30 years: Faye Hartmann, Raymond Sommers, Timothy Yoshino; and 50 years: Oliver Ginther.

Research News

Researchers gain clearest ever image of Ebola virus protein

Assistant Professor Graham Banes led an international workshop on orangutan husbandry, veterinary care, conservation and other topics October 25-30 in Nanjing, China, featuring orangutan experts and keepers from various zoos in China and the United States.

Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka is among the researchers who have for the first time imaged the structure of a central component of the Ebola virus at near-atomic resolution, providing a clearer understanding of the viral mechanics.