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The Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine honored Dr. Herbert E. Whiteley, dean, as a distinguished alumnus during an awards ceremony on September 25.
Dr. Whiteley, who earned a Purdue DVM in 1977, received the award for his contributions to comparative ophthalmic pathology, his broad influence on veterinary medical education, and his teaching skills that have inspired both his peers and his students.
Awardees are nominated by their peers and selected by a screening committee that includes School of Veterinary Medicine alumni and faculty. Also honored at the ceremony, which was held during the School’s Fall Conference for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians, was Indiana State Senator Dr. Robert N. Jackman.
Dr. Val Beasley, veterinary biosciences, gave invited platform presentations on marine mammal toxicology and on the Envirovet Program at the World Veterinary Congress in September. At the meeting he also chaired a session on pharmacology and toxicology and talked with colleagues about establishing regional Envirovet programs around the world.
Dr. Peter Constable, veterinary clinical medicine, served for the second year on the USDA Animal Health and Well Being grant review panel in Washington, D.C., in May. He also lectured at the 20th Annual Meeting of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in Dallas, Texas, in June and was elected to serve a 3-year term on the Large Animal Internal Medicine committee. Dr. Constable was also a keynote speaker on the treatment of the diarrheic calf at the XXII World Buiatrics Congress in Hannover, Germany, in August.
Steve Dale, a Chicago-based syndicated columnist and radio host who focuses on pet issues, received the AVMA Humane Award at the annual convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association in Nashville, Tenn., in July. The only AVMA award presented to a non-veterinarian, it recognizes exceptional compassion for animal welfare and humane efforts on behalf of animals.
Dr. Jonathan Foreman, veterinary clinical medicine, recently completed a three-year term on the national organizing committee for the Sixth International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology, held in Lexington, Ky., in September. He gave a research paper on forelimb scintigraphy and treadmill training in Thoroughbreds and chaired a workshop on forensic detection of exogenous alkalinizing agents, which are sometimes administered illegally to racehorses.
He also helped organize Equine Sports Medicine 2002, also held in Lexington, where he lectured on equine pain management and chaired a panel on alternative pain therapies for horses.
Dr. Foreman was recently awarded the status of FEI Event Veterinarian by the Federation Equestre Internationale, the international governing body of seven equestrian disciplines, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, and by USA Equestrian (formerly the American Horse Shows Association), the national governing federation for Olympic equestrian sports in the United States. In August he served as an official FEI-licensed veterinarian at the North American Young Riders Championships held in Wadsworth, Ill.
Dr. Rex Hess, veterinary biosciences, gave a number of invited lectures and seminars in July, August, and September, including at the Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Endocrine Disruptors held in South Hadley, Mass.; at the Minisymposium on Effects of Estrogen on Gonadal Function, 35th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, in Baltimore, Md.; at the Society for Theriogenology Annual Conference, Colorado Springs, Colo.; for the Population Council at Rockefeller University and at Mount Sinai Medical School, New York, N.Y.; and at the Woman’s Health Research Institute, Wyeth Research, Philadelphia, Pa.
Dr. Lois Hoyer, veterinary pathobiology, gave a presentation at the Ninth Annual Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Meeting in September in Indianapolis, Ind.
Dr. Vincent (Shih-Hsuan) Hsiao, graduate student in veterinary pathobiology, received a 2002 student travel award to attend the 21st Annual Symposium of the Society of Toxicologic Pathology in June in Denver, Colo., where he took third place in the Young Investigator Award.
Dr. Uriel Kitron, veterinary pathobiology, conducted a workshop on Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial analysis in Kenya in June, along with graduate student Julie Clennon. With graduate student Roberto Cortinas, he presented a paper at the 34th Annual Conference of the Society for Vector Ecology, held in Albuquerque, N.M., in September.
Dr. Stephen Kneller, veterinary clinical medicine, gave a workshop on musculoskeletal radiology to the Kankakee Valley Veterinary Medical Association on November 6 at Joliet (Ill.) Junior College.
Dr. Sheila McCullough, veterinary clinical medicine, went to Nome, Alaska, in March to study the gastrointestinal physiology of sled dogs.
In September she spoke on feline strong ion difference and on the use of steroids in hypovolemic shock at a meeting of the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society, held in San Antonio. With Dr. Marc Raffe, veterinary clinical medicine, she co-chaired the dry and wet labs at the meeting. Also attending the meeting were residents Drs. Jennifer Roberts and Sarah Haldane, and technicians Kim Kensell, Alyssa Galligan, and Glynis Reeves.
Dr. Gavin Meerdink, veterinary diagnostic laboratory, received the E. P. Pope Service Award from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians on October 20. The highest award given by the association, it is presented to one person each year for contributions to the national organization. Dr. Meerdink was noted for his service as vice-president, president-elect, and president; program chair; membership committee chair; newsletter editor; member and chair of the publications board; chair of the Foundation; and member of the toxicology committee.
Dr. Robert Prosek, cardiology resident, presented to the Northern Illinois Veterinary Medical Association in September on his research into the effects of amlodipine in dogs with naturally occurring mitral valve disease. NIVMA provided funding for this work. He is currently researching use of ANP, BNP, endothelin, and troponin blood levels to differentiate cardiac and non-cardiac causes of respiratory distress in dogs.
Dr. R. Dean Scoggins, equine Extension professor emeritus, received the 2002 Benefactor of the Breed Award from the Eastern Crabbet Arabian Horse Society in September. The award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to the preservation, promotion and welfare of the Arabian horse. Dr. Scoggins was recognized for his significant contributions as a veterinarian and trainer and for his promotion of the Arabian horse, particularly during his association with Al-Marah Arabians.
Dr. David Scott, veterinary pathobiology, was awarded the 2002 Seymour H. Hutner Prize of the Society of Protozoologists for his discovery of a vacuolar proton pyrophosphatase in acidocalcisomes of early branching eukaryotes. The award recognizes outstanding contributions by young scientists.
John R. Scott, research technologist in the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, was elected to the board of directors of the American Assembly of Men in Nursing.
Dr. Art Siegel, veterinary clinical medicine, serves as the veterinary medicine database representative to the AVMA Committee on Veterinary Medicine Informatics. The group’s fall meeting sought to form a broad-based task force to lead the development of Informatics Standards for Veterinary Medicine into the future. Goals include establishing a common nomenclature (SNOMED and LOINC), adopting HL7 (a data transmission protocol commonly used in human medicine), and otherwise becoming more compatible with human medicine in information exchange standards.
Dr. Phil Solter, veterinary pathobiology, presented a session on teaching pathology case studies via the Internet at the Innovative Technology Center’s Third Annual Best Practices@UT Showcase.
Dr. Deoki N. Tripathy, retired from veterinary pathobiology, presented a paper on the new generation of virus-vectored vaccines for efficient poultry production at the 51st Western Poultry Disease Conference in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in May. With Drs. T-J Kim, Pratik Singh, and Vishi Srinivasan from his laboratory, he also participated in the American Association of Avian Pathologists meeting, held in conjunction with the American Veterinary Medical Association Convention, in Nashville, Tenn., in July. Dr. Singh received the best poster award, and Dr. Srinivasan received the Reed Rumsey Award.
OTS Honored for Service
The Theta Chapter of the Omega Tau Sigma veterinary service fraternity received the Vesper Award at the national OTS meeting in Ithaca, N.Y., in November. Justin Allen, Class of 2005, OTS National Delegate, and Molita Birchen, Class of 2004, OTS Most Worthy Master, display the plaque. The Vesper Award recognizes the club with the most outstanding community service record. The Theta Chapter has consistently ranked within the top three chapters for community service, earning the Vesper Award 19 times in 33 years. Service activities include visiting nursing homes and schools, working with the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, and fundraising work for Canine Companions for Independence, the College’s CARE helpline, and the Champaign and Vermillion county humane societies.
Students Reap Honors at Bovine Meeting
Erin Johnson, class of 2004, received an American Association of Bovine Practitioners Amstutz Scholarship, a $1500 award given annually to 10 to 12 veterinary students from North American veterinary colleges. Harold Amstutz was a long-time AABP member and the past executive director. The award is based on scholarship, bovine interest and activities, and letters of reference.
Molita Birchen, class of 2004, won the $500 AABP Student Case Presentation Competition with her talk titled “Development of DNA Amplification Assay for Detection of Mycoplasma Species in Bulk Tank Milk.” She competed against 10 other students and recent graduates from North American veterinary colleges. Judges noted the quality of her project and her poise and professionalism.
Amber Detwiler, class of 2004, also gave a presentation, entitled “Management Practices Contributing to Contagious Mastitis Spread in a 300-Cow Central Illinois Dairy.”
Students Excel in Intramural Athletics
Seventeen DVM students representing all four class years won the campus intramural flag football co-rec division on November 5, 2002. The team went undefeated throughout the regular season and playoffs. This is the team’s second title and its fourth consecutive appearance in the championship game since 1999.
Michael Adkesson, class of 2004, won first place in the Wildlife Pharmaceuticals veterinary student manuscript competition sponsored by the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. His paper, titled “Atoxoplasmosis in Tanager Species,” reported on research he did over two summers working with Dr. Jackie Zdziarski at Brookfield Zoo. He presented his work at the AAZV’s annual conference in Milwaukee in October.
Hill’s Committee Helps Students
The following student activities were funded in part by the Hill’s Student Feeding Committee. Thank you, Hill’s!
Nine Illinois students from the student chapter attended the 8th Annual International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society Symposium was held in San Antonio, Texas, in September. The meeting offered quality education on current advances, wet labs, and an opportunity to network with practitioners and technicians in the field.
Julie Barr, Brooke Bartell, Amy Berliner, Leila Marcucci, and Vanessa Teresi—all members of the class of 2004 and of the International Veterinary Student Association—traveled to Sydney, Australia, for an International Wildlife Symposium. Twenty-six veterinary students from all over the world, including Finland, Greece, Portugal, and Denmark, took part in a 16-day conference on wildlife management, conservation, and veterinary medicine. The conference featured behind-the-scenes tours at Taronga Zoo and Western Plains Zoo, visits to the veterinary facilities, and lectures by Australian experts. A highlight of the trip was the Aurthersleigh property, which belongs to the University of Sydney and covers hundreds of hectares out in the bush. The students went on trapping excursions, took radio-tracking trips, and watched a partial necropsy of a wombat. Another highlight was nighttime spotlighting to see lizards, possums, and wombats as well as a highly elusive platypus in the wild.
Jodi Lane Echternkamp, class of 2003, attended the 2002 SAVMA Veterinary Economics Symposium, hosted by the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine, in April. Speakers included Illinois alumnus Dr. Peter Weinstein (’86), Michigan State veterinary dean Dr. Lonnie King, and Dr. James Wilson, author on topics of legal issues in veterinary practice.
Jennifer Jordan and Nadine Langston, class of 2003, spent three weeks on a senior externship at the New York City American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the oldest humane society in the United States. They spent one week in the Henry Bergh Memorial Hospital, one week in the adoptions facility, and one week in the behavior department.
Judie Walker, class of 2003, spent three weeks in August working at the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago. She performed routine care and testing of animals, focusing on feline and canine spays and neuters and managing patients after surgery. In October, she completed a two-week small animal theriogenolgy rotation at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, working with Dr. Root-Kustriz.