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Resilience in a Rough Year
What better mascot for 2020, a year of one unprecedented challenge after another, than the tardigrade. These tiny organisms can survive almost anywhere, from freezing ice to boiling water to deep space. "[The tardigrade] is literally one of the most resilient animals on the planet, which is a theme for 2020," says Angie Treinen DVM'93. Each year, Treinen designs the corn maze for her husband Alan's family farm in Lodi, Wisconsin. Now more than ever, she hopes the maze can offer visitors a temporary respite from current events. "In the past, I have often really tried to say to people, 'Hey, come up to the farm. Drop all your baggage or your stresses.' This year, that's even more important."
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School News
The latest updates on research, faculty and staff, and other happenings at the school.
Update on Class Composite Portraits
The school continues to move forward with efforts to highlight class composite portraits on prominent digital displays in the first and second floors of the current SVM building and new building (once constructed), and to integrate storytelling in a more robust, inclusive way in our physical and digital portrait displays. A working group on this topic, comprised of SVM alumni, faculty, staff and students, is assisting providing input on how best to do this.
As a result of their first meeting, the group recommended that the school physically display on the school's walls the five most recent years of graduates, as well as the five-year increments of classes being honored at that year's alumni reunion. In total, 11 years of class composite portraits will be displayed on our walls at any one time -- the five most recent graduating classes and the six reunion classes being celebrated that year. This will happen after all class portraits have been digitized and the digital displays are up and running.
The group is also providing guidance on how to best utilize the digital displays to highlight not only alumni pictures and stories, but also highlight the school's founding, history and leaders. One possibility is that these stories may also connect to the school's website. Planning for this effort is still in its early stages. If you would like to be a part of this working group, please contact Kristi Thorson.
Reunion Update
Due to COVID-19 the school was unable to host its annual alumni reunion this summer. It is our sincere hope that next year we will be able to combine the 2020 and 2021 reunion celebrations, highlighting the classes of 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015 as well as 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011 and 2016. (This means that from 2020-2021 we will hang on our walls a total of 17 years of class composite portraits.) The 2021 reunion is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 26.
Fall Instruction Update  With the start of the fall semester at UW-Madison you may have seen recent updates or news stories related to campus operations and changes made to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The School of Veterinary Medicine continues to operate under a hybrid learning environment for all four years of DVM classes. This includes remote instruction, as well as in-person instruction for essential clinical teaching activities. Our faculty and staff have worked tirelessly to create outstanding learning opportunities in a hybrid format. The school limited in-person activities this fall to essential parts of clinical training that are critical to our students' success and their ability to become veterinarians. Our in-person instruction remains ongoing this semester; for fourth-year students, in-person learning composes about 50 percent of overall instruction and for VM1-3 students approximately 20 percent. Our faculty, instructional staff and students are working incredibly hard to keep our teaching and learning environments healthy and safe for all, and all have shown diligent commitment to safe public health behaviors so we can continue to offer in-person learning activities. Likewise, UW Veterinary Care remains open and is operating under continued strict safety protocols in accordance with public health and veterinary medical guidelines. For broader information about campus operations, visit smartrestart.wisc.edu. In other recent school news: - On September 1 the SVM welcomed Richard Barajas, the school's first director for equity, diversity and inclusion.
- The summer issue of On Call is online and arrived in mailboxes in August, focused heavily on the school's COVID-19 response, exploring research advances and how the school met logistical challenges.
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 Multiple testing sites in Madison have begun a saliva COVID-19 test, which could provide simpler and faster results, according to UW-Madison researchers that include SVM Professor Tom Friedrich. - In a paper published in September, researchers from UW-Madison (including the SVM's Tony Goldberg), the U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service find the first evidence that a virus could be the culprit of massive, unexpected die-offs facing the world's wild freshwater mussels.
- Professor Marulasiddappa Suresh led research that offers new insights into an alternative vaccine approach that provides broader protection against seasonal influenza in an effort to create a universal flu vaccine.
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Alumni Updates
The latest news about your classmates and items of special interest to alumni.
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| | Feeney DVM'13 |
Meghan Feeney DVM'13 has joined the Blue Spruce Animal Clinic in Castle Rock, Colorado. Since graduating, Feeney has completed a rotating internship at Coral Springs Animal Hospital in Florida and was hired as an emergency veterinarian, then also completed a second internship at the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
Lana Fox DVM'17 has been on the front lines as zoos adopt safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic so visitors and animals are safe. Fox works as a clinical veterinarian at the Toledo Zoo, where over 12,000 animals need care including frogs, sharks, elephants and tigers. Her work was recently spotlighted in her hometown newspaper, the McFarland Thistle.
Jennifer Gander DVM'20 has joined Badger Veterinary Hospital as a small animal practitioner. During veterinary school, Gander studied acupuncture and herbal medicine at the Chi Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine. She enjoys alternative and holistic medicine, surgery, nutrition, dermatology and preventative care.
Douglas Kratt DVM'98 began his term as American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) president in August. In his inaugural remarks as AVMA president, Kratt, of La Crosse, Wisconsin, said his mission as AVMA president is to connect, serve and listen to AVMA members, to bring together shared interests and to be inclusive. He will serve as president through August 2021. "The AVMA is committed to making sure everyone feels welcome, included and an important part of this great profession," Kratt said. "I am making, and will continue to make, an intentional effort to listen more, learn more and do more. The same is true for the AVMA."
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| | Mattick DVM'04 |
Kathryn Mattick DVM'04 of Cats Exclusive Veterinary Center in Shoreline, Washington was named the AXIS Pharmacy Northwest September 2020 Vet of the Month. Speaking about the challenges of veterinary medicine and the COVID-19 pandemic, Mattick said, "The most difficult aspect is discussing end-of-life with clients. Especially during the pandemic, pets are even more important to our health and well-being. Too many people feel isolated and alone right now. I try to ensure pet owners have resources for grieving before and after their loss, and we have a compassionate staff member check in on clients we think might need extra care."
In Memoriam
The UW School of Veterinary Medicine regrets to announce the loss of two alumni.
 Joseph Herzog DVM'97, 58, of Kailua, Hawai`i, died in April of metastatic prostate cancer. After a short career as a veterinary technician in emergency medicine, Herzog attended the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. He worked for several years in emergency medicine in California before relocating to Hawai`i with his wife, Brenda Machosky. In Hawai`i, Herzog worked at VCA Family and O`ahu Veterinary Specialty Center, then at Makai Animal Hospital and Surf Paws Animal Hospital, and volunteered at the Hawaiian Humane Society. He was also deeply involved in establishing, building, teaching in and gaining AVMA certification for the first veterinary technician training program and associate's degree in the state. This March, the program dedicated the surgery suite in his honor. He also served on the board of the Hawai`i Veterinary Medical Association and was active in the local veterinary community. Classmates are welcome to join a Facebook memorial group for Herzog to share memories and messages.
 Rossana Pérez-Freytes DVM'10, 37, of San Juan, Puerto Rico passed away in an accident in Florida in July. Pérez-Freytes served as medical director at Veterinary Healthcare Associates in Winter Haven, Florida. She earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees from UW-Madison. While pursuing her MPH degree, she acquired further training in epidemiology and risk analysis at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. She also completed a rotating small animal internship at the University of Tennessee Veterinary Medical Center. Pérez-Freytes also served as an emerging infectious disease research fellow in 2007 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. She went on to win the Edith Hambie Excellence in Public Health Award for her research into the therapeutic treatment of rabies. In 2019, she completed her specialty board certification (ABVP). Her passion lied in educating pet owners and empowering them to make the best choices for their pets. Online condolences can be offered on the website of the Porta Coeli Funeral Home. In addition, a Rossana Pérez-Freytes Memorial Scholarship Fund has been established at the SVM. Gifts to the fund can be made at supportuw.org/giveto/PerezFreytesMemorial.
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Ongoing Clinical Trials
The Small Animal Neurology Service is enrolling canine patients with a history of seizures that are receiving end-of-life treatment at UW Veterinary Care in a study evaluating the cause and effect of seizures on the brain in dogs. This study will investigate the clinical signs and physical changes to the brain that are caused by seizures. The aim is to determine if temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common type of epilepsy in humans, occurs in dogs. This will allow better understanding of epilepsy in dogs and will advance treatment options for dogs with epilepsy.
Learn about other clinical trials. |
Upcoming Events
COVID-19 Cancellations
The university continues to recommend that events be held virtually to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 to the campus and broader community. In addition, Public Health Madison & Dane County restrictions cap indoor gatherings at 10 people and outdoor gatherings at 25 people, with limited exceptions. School of Veterinary Medicine in-person events, including the Alumni Reunion and annual SVM Tailgate, are postponed until further notice. We look forward to gathering in person when it is safe to do so and in the meantime are exploring opportunities for virtual get-togethers.
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