What’s the Big Idea? or, How Clinician Scientists Are Shaping the Future
By Herbert Whiteley

I write in praise of the “big thinker.” When I look at the advances in the veterinary profession, as well as in other biomedical and agricultural fields, over just the 56 years since our College began, I am inspired and grateful.

Big thinkers with big ideas generate the breakthroughs that make our world better. In veterinary medicine, the big thinker is often a clinician scientist.

These are the people who will shape the future of the profession. They are researchers who are seeking the next big ideas, asking basic and applied biomedical questions, and discovering where we are going and how we will get there.

The College has addressed questions about its future by preparing, and actively refining, a planning document that maps out our goals and our path. “Shaping the Future: A Collective Vision for the College of Veterinary Medicine” was created with input invited from every department and faculty member.

Our vision is that Illinois will be recognized as one of the top colleges of veterinary medicine. Our clinician scientists who are moving the art and science of veterinary medicine into the next frontier are an important means for advancing the College to the next level we envision.

As Dr. Tim Fan points out in the article on the veterinary oncology program at Illinois, conducting innovative cancer research not only advances the standards for cancer treatment but also raises the profile of the service, the hospital, and the College.

Dr. Fan is one of an outstanding group of young faculty in our Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine. Many of them were brought on board through the effort of Dr. Warwick Arden, who is moving on to become dean at North Carolina State University. He rightly considers our cadre of young faculty among the best in the country.

Because they represent the future for the profession and for our institution, we need to foster and reward clinician scientists. The clinical medicine department has begun adding faculty members whose primary appointment is research.

For example, Dr. Matthew Stewart, an assistant professor in small animal surgery who came on board in January 2003, leads the orthopedic biology research program. He conducts his own research and encourages the research done in this area by surgeons who are also devoting time to clinical service, including Drs. Dianne Dunning, Dominique Griffon, and Allison Stewart. Together—and in conjunction with other researchers on this campus in Bioengineering and elsewhere—this group is teasing out basic questions of cartilage biology and exploring such applications as the use of mesenchymal stem cells and biomaterials for cartilage repair.

Dr. Thomas Graves, an assistant professor in small animal medicine, recently adjusted his appointment to reflect a primary responsibility in research. He too is forming alliances with researchers across campus. His work on diabetes and obesity has led him to connect with the Division of Nutritional Sciences, a multidisciplinary group of research-focused faculty based in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

Dr. Sherrie Clark, one of our newest faculty members, has already embarked on research collaborations . She’ll be working with Dr. Rex Hess, veterinary biosciences, on a USDA-funded study on swine reproduction.

Established researchers such as Drs. William Tranquilli and David Sisson have taken on the role of mentoring new clinician scientists. Dr. Tranquilli, an international leader in the pain management movement, has helped establish the teaching hospital’s Veterinary Interdisciplinary Pain Service and has facilitated funding for more than a dozen clinicians beginning research on pain management. Dr. Sisson, professor in cardiology, has contributed greatly to his field not only through his own research discoveries but also through the legacy of those he has mentored, in particular assistant professor Dr. Mark Oyama. Together they are doing important work to establish the basis for exciting clinical breakthroughs, such as biochemical tests to screen for early detection of cardiovascular disease.

Another established researcher, Dr. Peter Constable, will be taking the reins of the clinical medicine department as interim head. I feel confident he will provide strong leadership to clinicians conducting basic or applied research.

As dean I want to provide our clinician scientists with the resources they need to succeed. With declining support from state dollars, we are turning more and more to national agencies such as the USDA and National Institutes of Health as well as to individuals, foundations, and corporations for funding. In my communications with friends and alumni I am eager to spread the word about the fine faculty we have and the invaluable work they are doing, work that will enable the profession to progress over the next 50 years.

Progress involves the work of many. It could not happen without those who test ideas, those who disseminate them, and those who implement them. The discoveries made by researchers at the basic level will be put to use in clinical trials and will ultimately bring benefits to many.

Our friends and alumni play a vital role by supporting the research component of the College’s work. Only by supporting a continual process of discovery can we achieve the future.