Dean, UW School of Veterinary Medicine

Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor

Chris

From left: SVM students Cady McGee (VM2), Caroline Berge (VM1), Nicolette Leston (VM1), 

and Ethan Elazegui (VM2) participated in the AVMA legislative fly in February 5th in Washington, D.C. The program is designed to help future veterinarians learn how to develop relationships with their elected officials and become trusted voices of veterinary medicine. 

In February, three module co-lead teams presented updates on their respective development journeys during two all-SVM Curriculum Revision Town Halls.

Co-leaders Jessica Rippe-Martinez and Lindsey Snyder began their update by outlining their initial development process. They started with learning outcomes honed by the Nimble Group, then organized content from the Topic Inventory into a workable document. Utilizing drafted unit learning outcomes from previous working groups, they refined all outcomes and streamlined the topic list by removing redundancies. They then expanded their team by inviting additional faculty and clinicians to join and collaboratively develop the module. The larger team further refined learning outcomes and began to organize content into CNS, PNS, and Special Senses blocks and a delivery sequence. This process involves communication with other modules and looking ahead to connect Phase 1 and Phase 2 of their module, fostering both vertical and horizontal integration. Jessica and Lindsey highlighted a draft of the first week of the CNS block demonstrating how they are populating and developing didactic materials, active learning activities, and labs.

Following the established pattern, co leaders Heidi Kellihan and Steve Johnson presented their development progress during the second February Town Hall. Mirroring the format of previous updates, they presented their module and unit learning outcomes alongside a draft of the first week. This initial week included detailed breakdowns of didactic material, active learning activities, and labs, each associated with corresponding learning outcomes and estimated timeframes.

Johanna Elfenbein presented updates on the Eating and Eliminating module while co-lead Grayson Doss was absent due to a teaching conflict. Similar to the previous presentations, Johanna outlined their module and unit learning outcomes alongside the four content blocks they've established. She shared the module and unit-level outcomes, providing estimated timeframes for all four blocks. To conclude, Johanna presented a comprehensive list of didactic materials, active learning activities, and labs for the module.

These Town Hall presentations provide a brief glimpse into the amazing work of many dedicated faculty and staff working diligently to create an “adaptable, relevant, evidence-informed, and competency-based educational program to develop current and future veterinarians.” (2021-2025 Strategic Priority)

John Svaren (comparative biosciences) was appointed as a Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor, which reflects the high esteem in which he is held by his colleagues.

Masa Suzuki (comparative biosciences) received a pilot grant from Roslin Technologies, a stem cell company located on the University of Edinburgh campus. The project aims to develop ES/iPS progenitor cell lines derived from livestock to facilitate cell-based meat production. The plan is to continue/expand the project in the future. 

The next Iverson Bell Midwest Regional Diversity Summit will be hosted by the University of Minnesota from May 21-23 and the SVM will be taking a small group of interested individuals and providing registration and accommodations. This group will travel to Minneapolis on the afternoon of May 20th and return the evening of May 23rd. If you are interested in participating, contact Richard Barajas at barajas@wisc.edu for more details.

The SAVMA Chapter at UW-Madison welcomed SVM professor Lisa Forrest for a conversation about her experiences in the field of veterinary medicine with a disability. With a career spanning over three decades, she has been at the forefront of TomoTherapy research, advancing our understanding of radiation therapy as a treatment for cancer. She currently holds the role of Chair of the Committee on Disability, Access, and Inclusion on campus, advocating for inclusivity and accessibility for all.

Residents from the University of Wisconsin Department of Anesthesiology at the School of Medicine & Public Health recently attended a workshop at the School of Veterinary Medicine on emergency invasive airway management, facilitated by SVM clinical assistant professor Carrie Schroeder. In this training, residents improved their clinical ability to perform key airway access techniques. Although these high-risk cases are rare, they necessitate specialized equipment and training, which the residents gain through this partnership.

Learn more about comparative oncology clinical trials, including examples of studies from the SVM, that demonstrate the potential positive impact these trials may have on the health of our pets and how clinical research discoveries in dogs and cats might translate to advances in human oncology research and treatment. Registration required.

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.