From the First Class To the Next |
Bradley Poff DVM’87 couldn’t be more excited. After approaching UW School of Veterinary Medicine administration in early January about creating a class gift, now, just a few months later, the effort is a success, having established the SVM Charter Class of 1987 Scholarship Fund. Yet, even though the scholarship fundraising came together quickly, the impetus was years in the making. Since retiring, Poff has had time to proverbially count his blessings.
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School News
The latest updates on research, faculty and staff, and other happenings at the school.
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Spring magazine: The spring issue of On Call mailed earlier this month and is also available online, highlighting several examples of the school and hospital’s national leadership -- in advancing COVID-19 and other infectious disease research; through a unique patient case that required novel, collaborative reconstructive surgery; continued strength in radiation therapy with a new cutting-edge machine; and more.
Honored: The UW School of Veterinary Medicine's VOICE chapter received the VOICE National Chapter of the Year Award for 2020-21. This award honors a VOICE chapter for programming in support of a positive and welcoming environment and an understanding of diversity and inclusivity within the local and academic community. This is the second time the school's VOICE chapter has received this honor (previously in 2019).
Student survey: Annie Pankowski DVMx’23, a second-year veterinary medical student, is gathering information from practitioners, hospital managers and client care specialists through a short survey (less than five minutes) about how clinics/hospitals currently communicate referral information and handle transferring between professionals. If you are interested in the project or would like to speak further with Pankowski, please contact her by email.
Recent research advancements:
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A new study published in Nature Communications by researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine, Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and an international team of colleagues reveals that an overlooked bacterial group known as Sarcina is linked to a mysterious illness in chimpanzees. Professor Tony Goldberg led the research and doctoral student Leah Owens was also involved.
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As the tallies of COVID-19’s effects have mounted to a dizzying scale, a team of UW–Madison scientists, including SVM Professor Thomas Friedrich, has kept its focus on the tiniest shifts in the virus’s genetic material. Beginning with the first known case of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, researchers have been sequencing the genomes of as many virus samples as they can process. Their most pressing concern is surveillance, keeping watch for the arrival of virus variants.
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Alumni Updates
The latest news about your classmates and items of special interest to alumni.
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William C. Campbell MS'54, PHD'57 is the recipient of the 2021 Science Foundation Ireland St. Patrick’s Day Science Medal for Academia for his ground-breaking research and contribution to combatting global diseases. The medal celebrates U.S.-Ireland scientific relations and the countries' history of collaborating across a diverse range of sectors.
Terrence Clark DVM'87 spoke with the Wisconsin State Journal in February about his veterinary research and homing pigeon hobby. Since 2008, Clark’s Madison company, Nexcyon Pharmaceuticals, has been researching and developing medications for dogs, cats and other animals.
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Amber Mayne DVM’11 has joined Token Creek Veterinary Clinic in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Mayne has been a certified veterinary acupuncturist since 2014. When not practicing veterinary medicine, she spends her time practicing pilates, doing agility training, and spending time with her family and numerous pets.
Brian Schnell DVM’18 joined Champion Embryo Transfer Service in Lipan, Texas. After graduation, Schnell moved to Oklahoma where he was an associate veterinarian at Performance Equine Associates, followed by roles as resident veterinarian at Kansas Dairy Development and herd veterinarian at Equine Embryo Transfer Facility in Texas.
Meghan Schuh DVM’16, veterinarian and co-owner of Precision Veterinary in Madison, and Kelly Schultz DVM’15, medical director at Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education and Social Services (WisCARES), spoke with WISC-TV News 3 in February about the impacts of the increased patient caseload facing veterinarians.
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Mimi Tran DVM’18 is the newest full-time veterinarian at Spicewood Springs Animal Hospital in Austin, Texas, where she previously worked as a veterinary technician while completing her education. Tran's special interests include preventative medicine, dermatology and internal medicine. In her free time, she enjoys exploring state and national parks, camping and spending time with her dog, Oakley.
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“It is kind of a balance. It would be no small thing to take the Denmark approach and say we’re going to depopulate all the mink farms. Because that’s a situation where you’re taking away somebody’s livelihood. You’re depopulating healthy animals as well as potentially infected ones.” |
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-Wisconsin state veterinarian Darlene Konkle DVM'93, MS'97 discussing with Wisconsin Watch the response to COVID-19 outbreaks on Wisconsin mink farms. Keith Poulsen DVM'04, PhD'12, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, also shared his expertise in the article.
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Alumni Reunion Update
While the current campus events policy allows up to 50 people to gather indoors and up to 150 people outdoors, facial coverings and maintaining physical distancing are required. In addition, no food or drinks are allowed at events, only individuals who can participate in the Safer Badgers program can attend university-sponsored events, and no guests or visitors are allowed.
Due to this policy and the ongoing pandemic, decisions about in-person alumni events, including the alumni reunion and fall tailgate, are on hold as public health guidelines continue to evolve. The school is currently considering shifting the alumni reunion to late summer or early fall to allow for a more typical in-person event. We anticipate making a decision later this spring. Updates will be provided as available. If you have any feedback in the meantime, please feel free to contact Kristi Thorson.
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Boxers with Lymphoma
Any purebred Boxer dog diagnosed with lymphoma by a veterinarian performing cytology or biopsy, and any healthy unaffected Boxers of the same age and sex to act as controls, are eligible. Owners will collect a voided urine sample at home using a kit that is provided. Owners will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire about the dog's household and collect drinking water and air samples from the home using materials provided by the study.
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In the fiscal year 2019-20, the UW School of Veterinary Medicine was awarded more than $28 million of research grant support to address critical animal and human health challenges -- the highest award amount the school has ever achieved and 45 percent higher than the previous fiscal year.
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