Interviewing our New Dean
As you know, the UW is in the process of searching for our new Dean and up to four prospective candidates for the position will be interviewed at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine on February 19, 21, 27 and 29. I encourage each and every one of you to participate in these interviews in any way that you can. I would also encourage you to watch and listen to the presentations they'll give at the school and provide your input to the search and screen committee, chaired by Dr. Kristen Bernard, and to the Provost following these interviews. Our next Dean will likely lead the school for the next five to 10 or more years, and the more input you can provide to the search and screen committee, the Provost, and Chancellor the better. I look forward to seeing who the finalists are and then learning, likely sometime in early March, who our new Dean will be. From what I understand, the next Dean will likely start sometime this summer.
As referenced in the Teaching and Learning News update below, we are actively moving forward with our curricular revision process. There will continue to be a series of Town Hall meetings prior to a projected Faculty Meeting in April. Please continue to actively participate in this process in any way that you can. I am certain that our new curriculum, which will hopefully launch in the fall of 2025, will significantly enhance the education we deliver to our students.
This week is International Laboratory Animal Technician week. Please join me in thanking our animal care technicians for all that they do for our animals, our students, and our scientists. We would not be able to conduct the research or deliver the education to our students that we do without their dedication and hard work.
Last but not least, Chad Vezina will become the new Chair of the Department of Comparative Biosciences effective April 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. He will succeed Jyoti Watters who is planning to retire later this year. I want to thank Jyoti for all of her dedication and hard work in leading such an outstanding department.
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Mark D. Markel
Dean, UW School of Veterinary Medicine
Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor
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UW Veterinary Care News
Update from Chris Snyder, director, UW Veterinary Care, and associate dean for clinical affairs
Please join me in welcoming the following new employees who joined our team in January:
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Jennifer Gall, CVT, started her new position as the Surgery Ward/Night Ward/Neuro Veterinary Nurse Supervisor. Jen has been a dedicated nurse with UWVC ECC for nearly 8 years.
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Erin Baker joined the Anesthesia team this week as a new veterinary nurse assistant. Erin comes to UWVC from VCA, and has several years’ experience working with both animal and human patients.
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Brian Tomno joined the Large Animal team as a new veterinary nurse. Brian comes to UWVC from Kenya, where he’s been studying to be a DVM.
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Michelle Lindaas, MT(ASCP), joined the UWVC clinical pathology lab as a new med lab scientist. Michelle comes to UWVC from Catalent Biologics in Madison, where she worked in vaccine production. She also has over 15 years’ experience in blood bank and cell therapy.
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Eden Bitner joined the call center team as a new client services specialist. Eden comes to UWVC from Filament, Madison, where she was a project manager.
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Satara Wenger joined the histology team this week as a new histology technician. Satara comes to UWVC from SSM Health, and she brings with her over 7 years of histology experience.
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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.
"Beyond wonderful staff = kind, caring, respectful, knowledgeable, professional, able to help direct me during my grief. Everyone from the staff that greeted me at the door to the kind and caring housekeeper that guided me to the desk and everyone in between. Doctors Pochal and Ward were patient with me as I fumbled with my thoughts as I was traumatized by this sudden health change in my dog. I have met with a lot of veterinarians and they were 2 of the most well spoken, knowledgeable, respectful and understanding docs I have worked with in a long time."
Thank you for all that you do!
Chris
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Connector installed between North and South Buildings
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Marking another milestone in our building expansion and renovation project, the connector between the school’s South building and the new North building was recently raised into place! This bridge will ultimately provide a two-story covered connector between the two buildings for students, staff, and faculty. |
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Teaching and Learning News
An update from Peggy Schmidt, associate dean for professional programs
Curriculum Revision
Throughout spring semester, all-SVM Curriculum Revision Town Halls will provide the school with detailed progress on development of modules and courses in the revised curriculum. The Town Hall on January 22nd included updates from the Professional Skills Course and Barriers and Defense Module development working groups:
The Professional Skills working group is making steady progress on the plans for a comprehensive 6-credit course that spans all three phases of the revised DVM curriculum. Ruthanne Chun and Joanie Jorgenson lead the charge, with Dan Pell (Sr. Consultant, CTLM) and Jim Narlock (DVM Curriculum Manager) lending their expertise in course design and strategy. The group recently presented a comprehensive course map for all three phases to the faculty. The course will cover 12 key topics like Career, Communication & Feedback, Mentorship, and Wellbeing/Wellness. The Professional Skills course design group recognizes becoming a Day One Ready veterinarian is a developmental process. That is why they employed a design strategy that begins by asking the question, "what do the students need to be able to do to demonstrate they have the professional skills to be successful at graduation." The group has been working backwards from there, incorporating authentic learning activities and assessments that will help students build skills overtime.
The Barriers and Defense module co-leads Lara Tomich and Laurie Larson began their module development process by sifting and winnowing all the topics that are currently taught, then integrating and aligning those topics with the learning outcomes. They are currently working with a team of additional faculty members to sequence how content will be delivered to the students, how students will practice using that content in a clinical context, and how content and concepts integrate with other body system modules. Next steps for the Barriers and Defense development team include mapping their content and delivery into a weekly rhythm. This involves using a proposed schedule to determine when and how all the refined content (units, topics, activities, and labs) will be presented to students. We are looking forward to reviewing the progress from the other modules and the new Clinical Skills Course very soon.
Like the teams Drs. Chun, Jorgenson, Tomich, and Larson are leading, we would like to commend the educators for giving their already-stretched time to this process and for their dedication and commitment to creating a curriculum that sets our students up to be ready on day one of practice.
Professional Development in Teaching & Learning
Twenty-one educators from across the SVM are participating in a Teaching Portfolio collaborative professional development program. When they finish the twelve-week program they will have portfolios that highlights their contributions to the discipline of health profession education at SVM, in the community, and across the profession. This program is unique on the University of Wisconsin campus. The participants in this program are excited to be on the vanguard of exploring a more robust, reliable, and comprehensive way to amplify educational excellence at the SVM and provide guidance to other school and departments across campus.
February 2nd will mark the inaugural Educational Research Journal Club co-facilitated by Margene Anderson and Erin Lashnits. SVM has a highly regarded reputation in biomedical, translational, and clinical research. Many of our faculty are also interested in advancing health professions education scholarship, which plays a key role in informing educational practices that lead to better patient outcomes. Occurring on the first Friday of every month, the Education Research Journal Club will focus on the application of education science, research methods, and innovations on teaching and learning in health professions education.
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School News
The latest updates from faculty and staff, and other happenings at the school.
Following preference balloting by departmental members, Chad Vezina (comparative biosciences) has been elected to serve as chair of the Department of Comparative Biosciences effective April 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. He will succeed Jyoti Watters, who is planning to retire later this year. Thank you to Jyoti for her years of service and congratulations to Chad!!
Freya Mowat (surgical sciences) and her team published a study about screen interaction behavior in companion dogs in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science. The goal of the study was to determine factors that influence a dogs’ interest in interacting with video content and to see if age or vision were related to this behavior. Ultimately, Mowat hopes the information gleaned from this study and others will one day help in developing more sensitive ways for veterinarians to assess vision in dogs. Read more
Barry Hartup (surgical sciences, emeritus) was awarded the L.H. Walkinshaw Crane Conservation Award by the North American Crane Working Group at their 16thworkshop in October. The Working Group recognized his career contributions to the research, management, and conservation of sandhill and endangered whooping cranes.
Peggy Schmidt, associate dean for professional programs, was recently elected to a 3-year term on the inaugural Board of Governors of the Academy of Veterinary Educators (AVE). AVE is a is a non-profit educational organization focused on creating a globally inclusive and diverse community of practice for veterinary education.
Kurt Sladky (surgical sciences/zoological medicine) just returned from India, where he and Dr. Ann Evensen (UW Family Medicine) taught a One Health course for two weeks. The class spent time in urban and rural communities evaluating animal health, human health and the interface between the two. They also evaluated the impact of land use and climate change on zoonotic diseases in India.
Chloe Fouilloux, a postdoc in the Jessica Hite's lab, has won the Wisconsin Initiative for Science Literacy Award for Communicating Postdoctoral Research to the Public.
Finalists in the SVM Dean search will be visiting campus in mid-to-late February. As part of their visit, finalists will be meeting with SVM faculty, staff and students. This is intended as a “Conversations with the Candidate” type of discussion.
The finalist names will be announced publicly 48 hours before their campus visit. We will send out additional information as it becomes available, but for now we are holding the following four dates for finalist meetings (one or more may be canceled depending on how many finalists are advanced).
- Feb. 19, Feb. 21, Feb. 27
- Faculty (pre-promotion): 10:30-11:10 am, Room 2255 SVM
- Promoted faculty: 11:25-12:05 pm, Room 2255 SVM
- Lunch with students: 12:10-1:10, Room 2259
- Staff (Academic and University) 1:30-2:15pm, Room 2255 SVM
- Feb. 29
- Faculty (pre-promotion): 10:30-11:10 am, Room 2350 SVM
- Promoted faculty: 11:25-12:00 pm, Room 2350 SVM
- Lunch with students: 12:10- 1:10, Room 3350
- Staff (Academic and University) 1:30-2:15pm, Room 2360 SVM
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ICTR Announces Spring 2024 Manuscript Writing Series
Good writing requires continuous training for new and experienced researchers alike.
Are you:
- New to writing scientific manuscripts?
- Ready to publish research?
- Brushing up writing and editing skills?
Beginning in February, ICTR will host monthly one-hour webinar (via Zoom) that will teach skills and techniques to help researchers during the publication process, from manuscript planning to the use of generative AI to storytelling techniques to navigating reviewer critiques. The series will also include an in-person workshop in May. While attending every session is not compulsory, each installment contributes toward a comprehensive grasp of essential techniques. To learn more or to register for the series, visit the institute’s site.
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Freya Mowat (Surgical Sciences) was featured in multiple news stories about her research on screen interaction behavior in companion dogs, including the following:
Tony Goldberg (Pathobiological Sciences) was featured in a story on Nature.com about his chimpanzee research at Kibale National Park in Uganda.
Lyric Bartholomay (Pathobiological Sciences) was a guest earlier this month on the Radiolab podcast to discuss the science of mosquito "bites." Her segment starts at 29:41.
Amy Nichelason (Medical Sciences) was interviewed for a New York Times Wirecutter story about how dogs fare in various temperatures, climates, and terrains, and what health risks might be presented by extreme temperatures in either direction. The story will be published later this month.
Rob Lipinski (Comparative Biosciences) was interviewed by a reporter with Wisconsin Public Radio about his team's research on orofacial clefts. Story will air this week.
Mackenzie Pellin (surgical sciences) was a guest on Veterinary Vertex, a podcast of the AVMA journals, to discuss her research on scent detection dogs and how their remarkable noses could revolutionize disease detection
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February 16
Dean's Get Together
4:30-6 pm
Room 2255
February 19
WVC Conference/Alumni reception
Las Vegas, NV
Border Gill in Mandalay Bay
7-9 pm
RSVP by February 12 to Kristi.Thorson@wisc.edu
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March 21
Wiesner Scholars Shelter Medicine presentations
Noon
Room 2360
March 29
Breakfast with Sally
7:30 am
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