Happy 2024!
I hope everyone's holidays are going well, and I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy New Year. On December 17, I had the opportunity to attend my last winter Commencement where five of our scholars graduated with their Master’s or Doctoral degrees as detailed below. As I'm certain many of you know, our top ranked Comparative Biomedical Science Graduate Program provides a path to an MS or PhD degree through exceptional graduate research training in core areas of animal and human health. One of those graduates, Srikanth Aravamuthan, served as the SVM’s flagbearer for the ceremony. Congratulations all!
I was also honored last month to recognize Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, who has held the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Professorship in Recumbent Influenza Viruses since 2006. The CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Erik Iverson, and I attended Yoshi’s Investiture Ceremony at the Influenza Research Institute where we were honored to present Yoshi with his professorship medallion.
As many of you heard, the Wisconsin legislature has approved pay raises for employees of the University of Wisconsin, effective this month. On the next paycheck, all eligible employees will receive retroactive pay to July 2, 2023. This was a hard fought and difficult negotiation, but I want to acknowledge the importance of these compensation increases given the inflation we have faced over the past two years. More information about the pay increase can be found here.
I hope you have a wonderful remaining winter break and I look forward to seeing our students when the spring semester starts. Again, have a fantastic holiday and Happy New Year.
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Mark D. Markel
Dean, UW School of Veterinary Medicine
Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor
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UW Veterinary Care Updates from the Director |
Please join me in welcoming the following new employees who joined our team in September:
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Elham Lalani, CPhT, joimed the UWVC as a new pharmacy technician. Elham comes to UWVC from Human Health Services with nearly 20 years of experience in the pharmacy technician field.
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I’m also proud to share the following client comment, which highlights the excellent care and customer service delivered by all members of our team. From the reception staff to the students, nurses, clinicians and everyone behind the scenes, we all play an important role in delivering compassionate care to our patients.
"It has been a few months since my visit to UW Veterinary, but to this day, I am still astounded by the level of care, attention to detail and LOVE that was provided during my experience at UW Veterinary. My dog went from spending several months on the verge of blindness to almost completely back to normal within just a week of first stepping foot in the UW Veterinary clinic. To say UW Veterinary saved my pup's life would be a bit of a stretch, but the team brought her BACK TO LIFE, and CHANGED MINE with the level of care we were given.
We were at a loss for almost 6 months, unsure of what was wrong despite seeing several vets in Chicago - until the day we stepped into the clinic. I drove 3 hours from Chicago with no appointment, and was seen within 20 min of my arrival to the emergency hospital. Within an hour, we had a proper diagnosis. A few days later, my dog was back with Dr. Heyward and her team in surgery, and the next day was running and playing again, able to see the world around her! She healed beautifully and the staff remained available to comfort, console and advise us through the whole process from diagnosis to recovery. I am tearing up just writing this because I am still so moved by the experience we had! I wish I knew about this place sooner and I wish every animal hospital was like this. UW Veterinary Hospital is just truly incredible."
Thank you for all that you do!
Christopher Snyder, DVM, DAVDC
Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
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Kawaoka honored during investiture ceremony |
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Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka (center) was recognized last month by SVM Dean Mark D. Markel (left) and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation CEO Erik Iverson during an investiture ceremony. Kawaoka, an internationally recognized infectious disease researcher, has held the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Professorship in Recombinant Influenza Viruses since 2006.
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School News
The latest updates from faculty and staff, and other happenings at the school.
Congratulations to the following five scholars who graduated this December with their master’s or doctoral degrees from our top-ranked Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program:
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Hannah Martin Brinkman, Ph.D (Mentor Dr. William Murphy)
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Rachel Hildebrand, Ph.D (Mentor Dr. Adel Talaat)
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Srikanth Aravamuthan, Ph.D (Mentor Dörte Döpfer)
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Ashley Peterson, Ph.D (Mentor Dr. Anna Huttenlocher)
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Brian Anton, MS (Co-Mentors Drs. Joan Jorgensen and Gavin Dehnert)
Czar's Promise presented SVM medical oncologists Xuan Pan and Han-Yun Cheng with a gift to continue their clinical research on treatments for feline lymphoma. Czar’s Promise has supported companion animal cancer research at the SVM since 2018, supporting six research projects.
The National Academy of Inventors named Yoshihiro Kawaoka (pathobiological sciences) to its 2023 class of fellows. Kawaoka holds an impressive portfolio of 52 U.S. and 171 international patents related to virology and infectious diseases. He joins seventeen other inventors from the university who have previously received this honor. Read More
Rob Lipinski (comparative biosciences) and his team published the following article in PNAS: "Disruption of DNA methylation-mediated cranial neural crest proliferation and differentiation causes orofacial clefts in mice." This study has uncovereduncovers new information about orofacial development in mice that researchers believe could one day help reduce the risk of these birth defects in humans.
Joan Jorgensen (comparative biosciences) is the co-PI of a new 3 year grant from The Wisconsin Partnership Program Collaborative Health Sciences Program. The title of the grant is “Effects of Puberty Blockade on Behavior, Brain and Reproductive Physiology in an Animal Model.” The project aims to understand the biological mechanisms of adolescent anxiety and depression during puberty, as well as the physiological, developmental, and behavioral impacts of hormone treatment.
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SVM and WVDL host panel on canine respiratory illness |
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Experts from UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) joined colleagues from the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL) for a panel discussion about the atypical respiratory illness in dogs and to share what's being done to further define the illness and determine a cause. |
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Keith Poulsen, clinical associate professor of large animal internal medicine and director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, and Jessica Pritchard, SVM clinical assistant professor of small animal internal medicine, were interviewed by various news outlets about the atypical canine respiratory illness impacting dogs across the country:
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January 19
Dean’s Get Together
4:30-6 pm
Room 2255
February 16
Dean's Get Together
4:30-6 pm
Room 2255
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March 29
Breakfast with Sally
7:30 am
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