I want to thank everyone involved in last week's AVMA Council on Education site visit. The site visit team was impressed with all that the School of Veterinary Medicine does to educate our students, creating the next generation of leaders in this amazing profession.
Many of you helped prepare our spaces for the team's tours, our self-study and our site visit meetings, and all of us appreciate your efforts and support. We should hear from the Council on Education in September regarding our accreditation status. Again, I want to thank all of our faculty, staff and students for participating in this important process.
I'm excited to let you know that the school’s Admissions Committee is actively evaluating the applicants for our class of 2026. We have received almost double the number of applicants (1,936) from the previous year and I want to thank the Admissions Committee for its hard and diligent work in selecting our next entering class.
I also wish all of our students, faculty and staff well as we navigate the landscape of omicron while trying to maintain as much in-person instruction as possible throughout the semester. The good news and hope is COVID-19 case numbers should begin declining precipitously this month.
I hope your semester progresses well and you enjoy your February.
|
|
UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director |
Welcome to new UW Veterinary Care employees Susan Abel in the call center; Lukas Dietz, a financial specialist with hospital administration and purchasing; Amy Doan, a pathology grossing technician with Necropsy; Crystal Haddinger, a veterinary technician assistant with the Large Animal Hospital; Nikki Kilcullen, a radiology technologist who has rejoined Diagnostic Imaging; Emma Leith, a veterinary technician assistant in Emergency and Critical Care; and Crashton (Crash) Warring, a greeter/cashier with the reception team. And congratulations to Molly Sehloff, who is transitioning to a new CVT role with Emergency and Critical Care.
Also, congratulations to Richard Brooksby and Sara Tolliver (Diagnostic Imaging) on becoming diplomates of the American College of Veterinary Radiology.
I know January brought several COVID-related changes amidst the usual stressors. Thank you for your continued patience, perseverance and dedication to our clients, patients and colleagues. Daily you make a difference, as evidenced by this recent client comment and so many other instances.
"Thanks so much to you and your team for saving Malachite's life a few times over. He is a joy and every minute we get with him is a testament to your skill and wisdom."
Christopher Snyder, DVM, DAVDC
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
|
|
Who's that climbing the construction of the original School of Veterinary Medicine building? None other than founding dean Barney Easterday! 💪💪 Remember, you can get an up-close look (no ladders required) at construction progress on the school's expansion through an on-site camera. This time-lapse video, taken from the new parking garage adjacent to the school, compiles images of the site taken every hour of the workday.
|
|
Several updates have been shared recently related to campus health and safety measures for the spring semester around testing, masking, vaccination, key resources and more. View the latest information at covidresponse.wisc.edu. Related: Chancellor Rebecca Blank outlines what’s been learned as the university has adapted to deal with COVID-19, how it’s informing the newest campus actions, and answers common questions about the upcoming semester.
Corpus Callosum, Ebling Library’s online arts journal, is accepting original visual, written and multimedia art from students, faculty and staff in UW-Madison’s health sciences departments and schools. Submissions are welcome until March 7; view details.
|
|
Teaching and Learning News
An update from Peggy Schmidt, associate dean for professional programs
|
If you have not already registered for the UW Teaching Academy virtual winter retreat, Assessment and Belonging, to be held Feb. 4 from 9-11 a.m., you can still register here. This event will explore the connection between assessment and belonging, and how assessment can be made more equitable.
Also this month, the Office of Academic Affairs will host a virtual seminar titled Design Principles for Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment with Dylan Wiliam, an international expert in formative assessment and curriculum design, on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m. via Zoom (the Zoom link is available in the seminar announcement sent to the SVM-all email list). A recording will be available for members of the SVM who are unable to join the live seminar.
|
|
Congratulations to Kim Plummer, senior lecturer in the Department of Comparative Biosciences, on her retirement in January after many years of distinguished teaching and service to the School of Veterinary Medicine.
Welcome to Mike Biggers, who joined the SVM Information Technology team in January as a desktop and medical systems support specialist. And congratulations to Stella Molde, previously an administrative assistant in the Office of Academic Affairs, who now begins a new role as the office's student services coordinator.
|
|
Welcome to several new Ross and St. George’s University students who began their clinical year with the SVM in January and join the Class of 2022: Emily ‘Millie’ Donoghue, Angela Grahn, Alexandra ‘Allie’ Hameline, Cassidy McCarthy, Danica McGuire and Ashley Vasel.
Today, Feb. 1, is the deadline to apply for the 2022 Summer Scholars program. This program is open to current first-, second- and third-year veterinary medicine students to work with mentors on a wide variety of research projects. Learn more about the program and application details.
|
|
School of Veterinary Medicine Professor of Pathobiological Sciences Yoshihiro Kawaoka will lead a research collaboration, the Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine consortium – one of three teams the National Institutes of Health announced it was investing in that are working to develop a vaccine that would simultaneously work against a broad range of coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, and their variants. Related: Kawaoka and colleagues published two new studies in January related to COVID-19, finding that omicron causes less severe illness in animal models than previous variants and current anti-COVID pills work well against omicron, but antibody drugs are less effective.
Hannah Carey, an emeritus professor in the Department of Comparative Biosciences, published a new study Jan. 27 in the journal Science showing that microbes help hibernating animals — like the 13-lined ground squirrel — recycle nutrients and maintain muscle through winter. The discovery could help people with muscle-wasting disorders and even astronauts on extended space voyages.
|
|
Don’t be rattled! In January, third-year DVM students in the Special Species Health course participated in a physical exam and handling lab with rats, chinchillas, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and other small mammals whose owners volunteered their pets’ service. The lab helps students gain vital hands-on experience, learning to handle and conduct wellness exams on a variety of little creatures. |
|
Feb. 7
Design Principles for Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
3 p.m.
Virtual seminar held via Zoom
Feb. 9
School of Veterinary Medicine Spring Faculty Meeting
Noon
Virtual; link to follow
Feb. 18
Dean’s Get Together
4:30-6:30 p.m
School of Veterinary Medicine
|
|
March 18
Dean’s Get Together (breakfast)
7:30-9 a.m.
School of Veterinary Medicine
March 23
Career Exploration Day
1:30-5:30 p.m.
Second floor, School of Veterinary Medicine
May 20-22
2022 Iverson Bell Midwest Regional Diversity Summit
School of Veterinary Medicine
|
|
|
|
Science News
WKOW-TV 27
Healthline
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
|
|
“This pan-coronavirus vaccine is basically preparing for the future.” |
|
-Yoshihiro Kawaoka, describing the Pan-Coronavirus Vaccine consortium. The project led by Kawaoka and his collaborators, totaling about $7 million in funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is looking for a vaccine or vaccines that could train our immune systems to respond to a broader array of coronaviruses and their variants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
