Winter Is Upon Us | Message from the Dean

Message from the Dean | February 2019

Winter Is Upon Us

Over the last couple of weeks, southern Wisconsin has finally gotten its snow coverage (and record-breaking cold!) for those winter sports lovers among us.

Wisconsin's legislature is in session and we at the school remain focused on working with the governor and the legislature to include our building expansion project in the 2019-21 capital budget. Two weeks ago, the solicitation for proposals from architects and engineers for our expansion opened, with the goal of selecting an architect by mid-spring.

Construction of the five-story parking ramp across Linden Drive from the school is still slated to begin this coming fall. The garage should be completed in the fall of 2020, with the school's expansion project hopefully beginning in early winter of 2021. As I've highlighted in previous messages, if you have an opportunity, please talk to your local legislators about the importance of this project to the school's ability to provide an outstanding education to our students and to train the next generation of veterinarians to serve the state of Wisconsin.

As mentioned below, the school has begun a process to evaluate workflow in the small animal hospital in order to better serve our clients' needs as well as more effectively train our veterinary medical students. I want to thank the committee for all of its efforts on the school's and hospital's behalf.

We are also in the middle of 12 separate faculty searches, further highlighting the rejuvenation and growth of the school over the past five years. It is an exciting time and I look forward to the new cohort of faculty who will join us in the next year.

Enjoy the rest of your winter and stay warm!

UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director

Working with the campus Office of Strategic Consulting, we have initiated a process in the small animal hospital to evaluate our work flow and processes. As part of this effort, team members may be in touch over the next few months to identify needs, observe your work or ask for feedback. Thank you in advance for your support of this initiative.

Congratulations to Alexane Durand and former resident Jessica Malberg on passing the American College of Veterinary Radiology board certification examination and becoming ACVR diplomates, and to Jennifer Dreyfus DVM'09 on passing the American College of Veterinary Pathologists board to become an ACVP diplomate in veterinary anatomic pathology.

Welcome to a number of new employees who joined us recently: certified veterinary technicians Christina LeRoy and Marie O'Dell in the CCU/ER and Anna Arenz in Anesthesia, and, in the large animal hospital, Chantel Wilhite and Nicole Brisky. And congratulations to Ashley Onsager, who will start this week in Radiation Oncology, transitioning from her previous role in Anesthesia.

To help stave off the frigid temperatures that we're currently experiencing, here is a recent heartwarming comment from a client :

" Everything was so exceedingly well as always. You are kind and make me feel like my horse is most important. The staff always act like they have time, there is no rush, and everything is explained clearly. Thank you so much . "

- Joanna, Madison, Wisconsin

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

Faculty and Staff News


	Credit: Rob Streiffer

Professor Hannah Carey spoke with the Wisconsin State Journal and ScienceNews, and penned an op-ed for Scientific American, about how the recent partial federal government shutdown stalled distribution of her grant money from the National Science Foundation. Carey had to pull from a university fund that helps researchers bridge funding gaps. "My ground squirrels don't go on hiatus because of the government shutdown," she said.

Chad Vezina , professor of comparative biosciences, has assumed the role of director of the Molecular and Environmental Toxicology Center, an interdisciplinary graduate training and research program at UW-Madison.

Congratulations to Nate Haas, instructor in the Department of Comparative Biosciences, on passing his final board exams to become a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiology.

Kim Keil, who is completing postdoctoral training in the labs of Dale Bjorling here at the SVM and Pam Lein at the University of California, Davis, was chosen to receive the 2019 Women in Toxicology Postdoctoral Achievement Award. This annual award from the Society of Toxicology recognizes a postdoctoral fellow who has demonstrated outstanding scientific achievement in the field of toxicology and provided leadership and service.

Student News

Last month the SVM hosted its ninth annual career fair, welcoming more than 30 employers to network with students and share shadowing, externship and employment opportunities.

Welcome to four new students from St. George's University and Ross University who started in the clinic in January: Abby Fitzgerald and Samantha Parent (SGU) and Farren Billand and Bianca Ferlisi (Ross).

Abigail Engel DVMx'22 was awarded a $500 Love of Learning Award from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi to help fund post-baccalaureate professional development.

Seven students from the UW School of Veterinary Medicine -- Emmie Asrow, Michael Dupor and Melissa Farquhar, from the class of 2020, and Devon DeLallo, DeAnna Kosanovich, Priscilla Marroquin and Morgan Siewert, from the class of 2021 -- attended the CDC's Veterinary Student Day January 13-14 in Atlanta, accompanied by Clinical Associate Professor Kurt Sladky, exploring topics such as emerging zoonotic and infectious diseases, challenges and strategies for global health, career and training opportunities, and more.

The Morris Animal Foundation selected as exemplary a research project by Rachel McNally DVMx'20 that was part of their 2018 Veterinary Student Scholars program. McNally will now present her research, "Use of RNASeq to Enhance Cruciate Ligament Rupture Candidate Locus Discovery in Dogs by GWAS," at the foundation's 2019 Scientific Advisory Board Meeting in Denver in June. She is mentored in this research by Peter Muir, the Melita Grunow Family Professor of Companion Animal Health.

Research News

chimp named Betty succumbed to a human common cold virus in Uganda

Less than two years after the first report of wild chimpanzees in Uganda dying as a result of a human "common cold" virus, a new study led by Professor Tony Goldberg, an expert on emerging pathogens in animals, has identified two other respiratory viruses of human origin in chimpanzee groups in the same forest.

Abstracts for poster and podium presentations are now being accepted for the 2019 Global Health Symposium, "Health in the Balance: Acting Now for a Healthy Tomorrow." Faculty, staff, clinicians and students from all disciplines are invited to present their work in global health research, education and outreach. The deadline for submissions is February 18.