Vet Cetera 2020

VET CETERA The official magazine of the College of Veterinary Medicine

TARGETING CANCER

OSU VETERINARIANS ARE TREATING A CAT’S TUMOR AS PART OF THE NEW INTERACT INITIATIVE

Offering Strategic Input

CVM’s Malayer named to Science and Innovation Council

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ov. Kevin Stitt appointed Jerry Malayer, Ph.D., associate dean of research and graduate education at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, to serve on the Governor’s Council on Science and Innovation.

The council reviews all aspects of science and technology within Oklahoma including science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and economic development and capital investment in science and technology.

“Our goal is to provide productive input to the state government and higher education leadership that promotes science, technology and innovation across our industries and universities,” Malayer said. “We want to promote partnerships, break down barriers to collaboration and advancement, and help communicate Oklahoma’s capabilities and achievements.”

CVM Dean Dr. Carlos Risco said, “I am delighted about Dr. Malayer’s appointment to serve on the council. His vast experience in research and in his position of associate dean of research in our college will provide innovative ideas to advance science and technology across Oklahoma universities.”

“There is measurable value to Oklahomans in innovations in science and technology,” Malayer said. “We have strengths in our state to deliver on innovation that improves people’s lives and helps drive our economy. We also believe it is important to stress the value of education. We need scientists and engineers, as well as writers, musicians and artists, to deliver and communicate these innovations in the future. There are smart people born everywhere, all the time, and our children deserve the opportunity to excel through high-quality experiences in education.

“Oklahoma needs to invest in future innovation through our schools, colleges and universities. This would benefit the business community and the state’s economy.

COVID-19 has been a shock to the system, and we’ll recover, but we had ground to make up before, and it will be even harder now.”

Malayer said the council currently meets monthly but that could vary depending on the agenda. As part of its responsibilities, the council defines and periodically reviews a Science & Innovation Strategic Plan for Oklahoma. The plan and any proposed changes to existing plans will be presented to the governor.

Dr. Jerry Malayer

“We have strengths in our state to deliver on innovation that improves people’s lives and helps drive our economy.”

DR. JERRY MALAYER

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

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On the Cover

COVID Complications The pandemic hit home for OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine in many ways, but the faculty, staff and students stepped up to the plate.

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As part of Oklahoma State University’s new INTERACT initiative, Rhino the cat is getting cutting-edge treatment for his tumor. The results may end up benefiting human patients as well. (Cover photo by Gary Lawson) 40

Saliki Returns

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Dean’s Letter

Dr. Jerry Saliki has returned to OSU to take the reins at OADDL.

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New Faces

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Student Awards

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Class of 1963 Lecture

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Distinguished Alumni

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In Memoriam

Bradshaw’s Horse OSU veterinarians repaired a cleft palate on a show horse owned by Terry Bradshaw (yes, that Terry Bradshaw).

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Shelter Expansion OSU’s shelter medicine program is getting a new suite and expanding to help more animals find their forever homes.

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Einstein Partnership The College of Veterinary Medicine has entered into a research partnership with Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York to benefit both animals and people.

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O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 1

FROM THE DEAN

Greetings from the Dean 2020 has been quite a year!

COVID-19 challenged us to find creative ways to continue to operate, educate our students, and provide veterinary services to the public. I am proud of the way our students, faculty and staff adapted and succeeded to serve during this pandemic.

OADDL went above and beyond making quick adjustments that enabled our lab to process human samples for COVID-19 PCR testing. Our Veterinary Medical Hospital staff and faculty kept the hospital open throughout the pandemic by first offering emergency services only, then opening for all services and finally allowing limited numbers of clients inside the hospital once again. In spite of COVID-19, during the first two months of fiscal year 2021, the hospital continued to see a rise in its caseloads and was at 90 percent of its caseloads this time last year. (Read more about our COVID-19 response on Page 4.)

The Minimally Invasive Procedures Suite is under construction. The renovated space will allow clinicians to have the space and the cutting-edge equipment they need to perform minimally invasive procedures in one place. The equipment includes various endoscopes and arthroscopes and integrated 4K medical monitors, various lasers, ultrasound and fluoroscopy technology.

Dr. Ashish Ranjan, professor and Kerr Foundation Chair in the Department of Physiological Sciences, was named director of the Institute for Translational and Emerging Research in Advanced Comparative Therapy. Conceptualized in 2019 as a CVM critical One Health mission objective, INTERACT was founded to strategically focus on developing and translating novel discoveries for patient therapy. Our longestablished history in conducting clinically relevant research potentially provides significant opportunities to conduct government- and industry-sponsored research in translational medicine across a range of disciplines benefitting veterinary patients and humans. (See Page 40 for more details.)

The College of Veterinary Medicine finalized an agreement with Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a research-intensive medical school in the Bronx, New York. At the core of the agreement are OSU’s Ranjan and Chandan Guha, vice chair of radiation oncology and professor of radiation oncology, pathology and urology at Einstein. The partnership aims to advance knowledge in the therapy, diagnosis and research of oncology, hopefully heralding new treatments for cancer patients — both humans and animals (see Page 44 for the full story).

The Roger J. Panciera Education Center opened in the 2020 fall semester. Faculty and students are pleased with this state-of-the-art classroom building that houses classes for CVM years one through three. The dedication of this building, named in honor of the late renowned Dr. Roger Panciera, has been delayed due to COVID-19.

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PHOTO GARY LAWSON

VET CETERA OSU President: V. Burns Hargis Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine: Carlos A. Risco, DVM, Dipl. ACT Public Relations and Marketing Coordinator: Derinda Blakeney, APR Alumni Affairs and Events Specialist: Sharon Worrell Assistant Director of Development: Ashley Hesser Editor: Dorothy Pugh Art Director: Paul V. Fleming Contributing Writers: Derinda Blakeney, APR The Roger J. Panciera Education Center opened in the fall of 2020.

Inside the magazine, you will meet new faculty including Drs. LI-Jen Chang, Rudra Channappanavar, Giselle Cino, Dale Kelley, Fabio Pinaffi, and Brianne Taylor (see Page 20). We continue to seek two small animal internists, two small animal emergency and critical care specialists, a second emergency doctor, two small animal surgeons, a radiologist and two oncologists. The ER doctor, the criticalists and the oncologists are new positions in the veterinary college.

The CVM raised $6,486,055 — 216 percent of our $3 million fundraising goal.

We appreciate our generous donors who continued to give throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, I anticipate with much enthusiasm the next steps for us as a college and for the profession. I am very grateful for the support of our alumni and friends, and we look forward to 2021!

Sincerely,

Carlos A. Risco, DVM, Dipl. ACT Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine Oklahoma State University

Photographers: Gary Lawson, Phil Shockley, Derinda Blakeney, APR, Genesee Photo, JTorresPhoto.com, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Anna Dudkova via Unsplash, Dr. Rosslyn Biggs, Dr. Burke Healey.

The College of Veterinary Medicine graduates competent, confident, careerready veterinarians — a tradition it has proudly carried forward since the day the veterinary college opened its doors 72 years ago. Please join us at the CVM website: vetmed.okstate.edu. The OSU homepage is located at go.okstate.edu.

VET CETERA magazine is published each Winter by Oklahoma State University, 305 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078. The magazine is produced by the Office of Brand Management and the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Its purpose is to ­connect the college with its many alumni and friends, providing information on both c­ ampus news and pertinent issues in the field of veterinary medicine. Postage is paid at Stillwater, OK, and additional mailing offices.

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran, in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity, 408 Whitehurst, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; Phone 405-744-5371; email: eeo@okstate.edu has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies. Any person (student, faculty, or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator 405-744-9154. This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Veterinary Medicine, was printed by Royle Printing at a cost of $7240.56 5.4M /Dec/20. #8430

PHOTO DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 3

Operating in a New Environment Veterinary college adjusts to adapt to working in a pandemic COVID-19 has changed our world forever and touched all of our lives in some way. Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is no different.

Early in the pandemic, faculty, staff and students sheltered in place and went online (except for the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital). Faculty faced the challenge of teaching a very hands-on curriculum via Zoom. As is the OSU Cowboy way, our faculty members conquered the challenge, and our students adjusted well.

The anesthesia team created an impromptu anesthesia clinical skills lab to help students get additional training while properly socially distancing. The shelter medicine team continued to perform spay/ neuter surgeries, giving students valuable hands-on experience. One instructor — Dr. Lyndi Gilliam (photo below) — even drove miles for the internet service she needed to teach, even though it was from her vehicle.

The Class of 2020 attended a virtual Hooding Ceremony, reciting the Veterinarian’s Oath in unison and listening to Dr. Jerry Ritchey’s class address. Dean Carlos Risco, Dr. Ritchey and class reader Dr. Timothy Snider wore their regalia to try to give the students a ceremony that was as close to the real deal as possible. Family and friends were invited to tune in, and the ceremony was livestreamed on OStateTV and the college’s Facebook page.

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The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital remained open, continuing to treat emergency cases. Curbside admission and discharge protocols were implemented with only authorized faculty and staff allowed inside the building. The hospital opened up for non-emergency appointments in June and welcomed fourth-year veterinary students back to the clinics on a rotating schedule. By November, clients could enter the building on a limited capacity to give our students real-life experience interacting with them.

The Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, in partnership with the OSU Center for Health Sciences, the Office of the Vice President for Research and the Oklahoma State Department of Health, was certified to test human samples for COVID-19. By the time the lab completed its mission of testing human samples, OADDL had processed a total of 111,093 samples, which is about 19 percent of the state’s total testing (Page 6).

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON

The hospital and college also helped our human counterparts. We donated 15,825 pieces of personal protective equipment and lent eight ventilators and 34 IV poles to Stillwater Medical Center and Tulsa’s OSU Health Sciences Center.

Our continuing education team recognized that veterinarians still needed to maintain their licenses to practice — pandemic or not. Online CE courses were created, and several Zoom webinars were hosted. Our OSU/ OVMA Summer Seminar went virtual with 120 participants, who responded positively to the event in a survey afterward. Our annual Fall Conference was also offered completely online (Page 56).

The college also reached out to our referring veterinarians and alumni. We shared our operating procedures to help them set up their clinics to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and keep their staffs safe while continuing to provide vital veterinary services.

Jared Taylor, DVM, MPH, Ph.D., DACVIM, DACVPM and associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, served as the epidemiologist on the OSU team to help curb the spread of COVID-19. The team provided important information to the governor’s office to help state leaders in their decisions regarding COVID-19.

Taylor has since been appointed interim state epidemiologist.

Several faculty members are moving forward on COVID-19 related research.

The college is also working with OSU’s College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, the Center for Health Sciences, and the College of Arts and Sciences on coronavirus-related projects. All of OSU’s biocontainment capacity for this virus is housed at the veterinary college. COVID-19 project areas include viral genomic analysis, host-pathogen interaction in the lung including co-infections and co-morbidities, and detection of the virus in a host and in the environment.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 5

Pitching In When needed the most, OADDL stepped up to test human COVID-19 samples

While the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab has now stopped processing human samples for COVID-19 testing, its work from the very beginning of the pandemic in Oklahoma has been remarkable, processing a total of 111,093 samples.

It was clear early on that Oklahoma needed the capacity to test a high number of human samples. Collaborating with OSU Center for Health Sciences and the Office of the Vice President for Research, and in partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (OADDL) was certified to test human samples for COVID-19.

“OADDL is in the business of veterinary diagnostics — testing animal diagnostic samples in an effort to keep the food supply safe and animals healthy,” said Jerry Saliki, an OSU College of Veterinary Medicine professor and director of OADDL. “We typically process about 400 [animal] tests per day, looking for more than 100 different infectious diseases. A test can range anywhere from analyzing a few droplets of blood to conducting an autopsy on a horse or a cow. In the big scheme of things, humans are just another animal species, so it was relatively easy for us to

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integrate COVID-19 testing into our animal workflow. However, because of the increased risk and the regulations involved in handling human samples, we had to make three important changes.

“First, because of the large number of samples, we had to rapidly hire and train a large number of people to help in the testing effort. Second, because of the risk of handling human samples, we had to use enhanced PPE, including wearing N-95 masks, PAPRs [powered air-purifying respirators] and whole-body suits. And finally, because of HIPPA regulations, we had to train our personnel on confidentiality and make changes to our laboratory software so that emails could be sent in an encrypted form. The biggest challenge we faced was recruiting and training enough people quickly enough to handle the increasing number of COVID-19 samples. While we recruited many volunteers from all across the OSU campus, these folks still had to be trained to be diagnosticians as opposed to researchers.”

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON

During the more than five-month span of human COVID-19 testing, OADDL maintained its full animal testing caseload, and test turnaround times remained the same.

OADDL used PCR or polymerase chain reaction, a method of diagnosing a disease through the detection of its genetic material. In the case of SARSCoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the genetic material is RNA. Although there are many technical pathways of detecting the RNA, the underlying principle is the same. If the infectious agent is present, its genetic material is amplified thousands-fold, detected and reported.

“COVID-19 testing was a massive effort,” Saliki said. “Our molecular diagnostics section went from running about 250 tests a day to running an additional 1,500-plus COVID-19 tests per day. It was an all-hands-on-deck approach. The employees who were not directly involved in COVID-19 testing carried the extra animal work left by those who were reassigned to COVID19 testing. COVID-19 testing revealed to me how strong, selfless and dedicated our team is at OADDL. Many worked long hours, weekends and holidays to make this effort successful.

“The manner in which OADDL stepped up to meet the needs of our state at a very critical moment underscores OADDL’s importance as part of the state’s infrastructure in securing both animal and human health,” he said. “OADDL employees demonstrated an extraordinary sense of dedication and selflessness during this testing effort and I heartily thank all OADDL employees and volunteers for supporting our state at a moment of critical need. Over the years, OADDL has built a huge capacity to respond to epidemics in animals. The COVID19 testing experience has proven that this animal testing capacity can be leveraged to support the state’s pandemic response plans. OADDL stands ready to support the state whenever the need arises.”

The lab’s original building was dedicated in 1975 and opened for business in January 1976. By 1978, OADDL received accreditation from the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD).

In 2007, OADDL broke ground for a $12.5 million expansion that included a biosafety level 3 laboratory space to handle high-risk infectious agents.

As the only accredited veterinary diagnostic lab in Oklahoma, the expansion was critical to the center’s mission to serve veterinarians and animal owners in Oklahoma and surrounding states. Today, OADDL maintains its AAVLD accreditation and has achieved the highest status as a Level 1 member of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

WATCH MORE See Dr. Jerry Saliki explain how OADDL got involved with the testing for COVID-19 at okla. st/oaddl3.

In the OADDL lab are (from left) Akhilesh Ramachandran, OSU President Burns Hargis, OADDL Director Jerry Saliki and CVM Dean Carlos Risco.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 7

A World of Change Surviving veterinary college during COVID-19 takes patience, creativity and flexibility The spring semester of 2020 wasn’t what anyone expected — not the faculty and certainly not the students. On March 18, all Oklahoma State University classes switched to online only. Fourthyear veterinary students, who were honing their clinical skills at OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital, had to leave and complete their clinical training online.

How do you learn to evaluate a living, breathing animal without touching or observing it? How do you conduct a lab online? The College of Veterinary Medicine tackled this seemingly impossible challenge and found a way beyond it.

“Our students have transitioned well to this new norm in their education,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Their resolve to complete their studies during this daunting time has been an inspiration to us. I am very proud of them.

Our faculty and staff in their own way are leading by example to inspire others and accepting new challenges to meet the needs of our students. I am glad to have them on my team.”

We spoke with several of the people involved for their takes on this unprecedented time.

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Lyndi Gilliam, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM Associate professor of equine internal medicine

“Online teaching is going OK, but I don’t love it. I miss seeing my students face-to-face,” Dr. Lyndi Gilliam said.

“I could have just loaded last year’s lectures for them to watch, but I wanted to do them live so I could still interact with students the best I could.”

Because Gilliam also had to manage her children’s education, she was working from home. However, the family lives in a dead spot in the country where internet service lags.

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY

“The students couldn’t hear me well, and my lecture slides weren’t working.

I was so discouraged; then a former colleague, Dr. Laura Nafe, said I could park at her house and use her internet access.” Gilliam delivered lectures in her vehicle from Nafe’s driveway. In a single day, she gave three lectures, led a lab class and held two rounds meetings with fourth-year students.

“It’s been challenging, but the students have commented several times that they appreciate my efforts to stay with them live,” she said. “I think it keeps us all feeling like we are still together, although we are isolated.

These veterinary students are like my children to me. I care about their wellbeing and getting them what they need to be successful in their careers.

They’ve put too much in and come too far to have an obstacle like COVID-19 derail them.”

“These veterinary students are like my children to me. ... They’ve put too much in and come too far to have an obstacle like COVID-19 derail them.”

DR. LYNDI GILLIAM Gilliam teaches all four years of the DVM curriculum. Working with fourthyear students is particularly challenging because they are used to hands-on experiences and directly interacting with clients.

“I contacted the barn where my daughter rides horses,” Gilliam said.

“Four horse owners agreed to let my students create a wellness plan for their horses and filled out surveys about their horses. My students evaluated the information and created a vaccine, deworming and dental care plan for each client. We then met via Skype or Zoom. Students introduced themselves and went over the client’s plan. The clients enjoyed getting the information, and the students enjoyed the reallife experience while building their communication and clinical skills.

“We have to be creative and flexible and stay positive. With a recording stethoscope, I recorded heart sounds of our teaching horses and did a lab with the students so they could listen to the sounds and tell me what they were hearing. It’s never going to be the same as real life, but technology is better than it would have been 10 or 20 years ago. There are days when I didn’t feel like talking to the computer, but I remembered those eager minds on the other side of the screen. It drives me to do my best for them, to stay upbeat and encourage them along the way. We are in this together.”

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 9

Timothy Snider, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP Professor of veterinary pathobiology

While I miss the students and most enjoy lecturing face-to-face, I am enjoying online teaching. Students have been very flexible and forgiving of my many mistakes — some of which have been funny. I have learned to call on students during discussion times to help keep them engaged.

Being untethered to the physical classroom allows us to try new means and environments for teaching. During an evening exam prep session at my ranch, we reviewed pathology concepts with a dozen baby goats and their mothers frolicking in the background.

I took ITLE’s inaugural “Preparing Online Instructors” course in spring 2009, wondering if I would ever use it. Completing that course gave me a built-in comfort level to begin online teaching immediately.

“Being untethered to the physical classroom allows us to try new means and environments for teaching.”

DR. TIMOTHY SNIDER

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Shane Lyon, DVM, MS, DACVIM (SAIM) former associate professor of small animal internal medicine

Faculty had the option to show up when they would normally teach and deliver their lecture to an empty room.

Echo360 would record it as usual and post it online for students to access.

Lecturing to an empty room was uncomfortable for me, so I elected to give my lectures over Zoom. It is still a little odd, but students have the option to ask questions or obtain clarification, which I think helps with engagement.

As bad as this situation has been, I am excited to see what will ultimately develop from being forced to teach in this way. I know that my skillset in a virtual learning environment has increased. I am already thinking of how I can integrate these newly acquired techniques into my historical teaching methods once we return to the normal method of instruction.

We tell our students all the time that you need to be pushed out of your comfort zone for real learning and growth to occur. This has pushed me beyond my comfort zone as a teacher, and ultimately I will be a better educator because of this experience.

Jessie Clough Class of 2023

Savanna Smith Class of 2023

Stephanie Kline Class of 2020

The picture (below) shows Dr. Megan Williams fixing her daughter’s hair while simultaneously providing us with excellent interactive case discussions on lameness cases. Here they are, trying to adjust to a new daily life themselves and still taking time to make sure we get a valuable education during our last months as students. It warms my heart more than I can say.

Drs. Kelsey Jurek, Hugh Duddy and Evan Crisman (house officers) have also gone above and beyond to Skype us in on all procedures and take pictures for case discussions. And I love that they still quiz us to keep us sharp as if we were standing right there! Everyone who has been part of the equine surgery virtual rotation has been rocking it out, and I’m forever grateful!

COURTESY STEPHANIE KLINE

All of our professors, at least for first-year students, have absolutely risen to the challenge and are doing great with the resources they have. Dr. Snider held a review session with his baby goats to enrich his class and had fun putting new backgrounds up during his Zoom lecture. Dr. (Jerry) Ritchey (interim director of the diagnostic lab conducting COVID-19 sample testing) is doing fantastic, especially regarding the circumstances he’s under. Dr. S (Madhan Subramanian) has been great at looking for resources to overcome the insurmountable task of teaching us comparative anatomy without cadavers.

Dr. (Josh) Butcher is still his usual funny self and gives the class memes during his lecture. He always tries to relate the physiology that he is teaching us (and that he learned) to animal examples, a feat that causes him to take time away from his family to research. Drs. Allen and Saleh have been very punctual in giving us our lectures and are doing a great job of being available for questions.

While I would prefer to get back in the classroom with my peers for hands-on learning, our professors have facilitated this in a way that I do not think my education will be drastically impacted in a negative manner. Props to them!

Shout-out to all of the secondsemester first-year instructors. They are absolutely amazing! I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to teach solely online. I am so grateful for the extra time they have spent trying to come up with solutions that make it easier for us to learn.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 11

REGENTS DISTINGUISHED TEACHING AWARD

Dr. Jill Akkerman

F WATCH MORE Dr. Jill Akkerman discusses her career and the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award at okla.st/ teaching2020.

or the past five years, Jill Akkerman, DVM, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Physiological Sciences, has been wowing veterinary students and her peers. She has earned a reputation as an outstanding teacher in both classroom and laboratory instruction.

“Her student evaluation scores have consistently been above the department and college averages in all categories,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the veterinary college. “Students not only praise her teaching ability but also commend her approachability, mentorship and compassion. The high regard that students have for Dr. Akkerman is clearly evident by being selected as Freshman Class Teacher of the Year three times and voted Teacher of the Year for the entire College of Veterinary Medicine once since joining our faculty.”

Cody Blalock, class of 2022, benefited firsthand from Akkerman’s teaching skills.

“Dr. Akkerman’s teaching is student-focused and data-based,” Blalock said. “She goes above and beyond to ensure all questions are answered, inside and outside of her anatomy course and lab sections.

She is also part of many crucial committees at the college including Curriculum and Effective Instruction, Admissions, Wellness, and Awards/ Scholarship, and she is involved in the Phi Zeta Nu Chapter, the Achievement through Mentoring Program and the Academic Behaviors in FirstYear Veterinary Students: A Pilot Study. Her professionalism, encouragement and involvement make her extremely deserving of this award.”

“This award is quite an honor,” Akkerman said. “It’s excellent that the Regents and the university have this award to recognize the importance of teaching to the mission of the college, and I feel honored to be included in such a group of recognized educators at Oklahoma State University.”

Akkerman grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and knew at a young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian. In high school, she enrolled in a

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work-study program and got a job at the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. That experience solidified her career choice in veterinary medicine. After earning her DVM degree from North Carolina’s veterinary college, she went into private practice.

“I found that educating clients was something I was really good at,” she said. “One day, my anatomy professor from NC State called saying they needed somebody to teach anatomy and was I interested?

I did it and absolutely loved it. I’ve been teaching anatomy ever since.

“It’s really nice to be able to take young and enthusiastic minds and teach them the relevance of anatomy as it applies to their career. I think my favorite thing is when I can see the lightbulbs go off, when they make a connection to something that they have done before and really get how anatomy is so important for them.”

Akkerman has played a role in almost 2,000 students becoming veterinarians.

“To me that connection to them and the future of their careers makes me feel special. I hope I’m remembered for being enthusiastic; the students know that I am,” she said. “I genuinely care about their success in my class as well as the whole program, and they know that. I also want to be remembered for all the things that I can make out of a pair of socks for anatomical models.”

Akkerman attributes her success as an educator to being enthusiastic about her subject, engaging students in the classroom, having clear expectations for what she wants them to achieve and assessing those fairly.

“Be creative, and think outside the box. Every year I try something new — some things work, and some don’t. But keeping that creativity will keep you engaged and the students engaged as well.”

The OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching Award is bestowed upon full-time faculty who have shown unusually significant and meritorious achievement in instructing students for a significant period of years.

STORY AND PHOTO DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 13

REGENTS DISTINGUISHED RESEARCH AWARD

Dr. Susan Little

S WATCH MORE See Dr. Susan Little discuss her career and the Regents Distinguished Research Award at okla.st/little3.

usan Little, DVM, Ph.D., DACVM, Regents Professor and Krull-Ewing Professor in Veterinary Parasitology at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a 2020 Regents Distinguished Research Award in recognition of her research excellence.

“It means so much to me. I was very honored to receive the 2020 Regents Distinguished Research Award,” Little said. “You know researchers, we’re passionate about what we do. We really enjoy answering the questions that we’re most focused on, exploring the concepts in depth, sharing that passion and energy with our students and with others in the field who are interested in similar things and trying to move the field forward. Trying to find solutions to problems that society may not even know it has yet. So, we’re really proactive about it. To be recognized by my colleagues at Oklahoma State University for research excellence was really humbling, and I’m very grateful for that honor.”

Little knew from the age of 5 that she wanted to become a veterinarian.

When she started veterinary college at Virginia Tech, Little planned to go back to central Kentucky as a mixed animal practitioner. However, the first semester of her second year of study, one class changed all that.

“When I took parasitology, I just fell in love with parasites. I loved the stories that they tell and the way they make their way in the world moving through animals and then, of course, you learn how important parasites are to the health of animals, to the health of people, and so I was really hooked on parasitology.”

During vet school, Little got a job in the parasitology research lab and started doing diagnostic parasitology. From there, it was a natural transition to research. Today, Little’s research focuses primarily on ticks and tick-borne diseases.

“Ticks are at that interface between wildlife and domestic animals and human health. They really are the true One Medicine vector in North America. By understanding ticks and tick biology, how they transmit infections and how they survive and thrive in the environment, we have the ability to influence health in a really positive way — the

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health of domestic animals and the health of people — and understand the changes happening in the environment.”

Little leads the Krull-Ewing Laboratory, where several simultaneous research projects are underway.

“We’re working on a project funded by the National Science Foundation to understand tickborne infections in the southern Great Plains and how those are evolving and changing as habitat change and climate change continue,” she said.

“We’re also funded by the National Institutes of Health to understand infections in ticks that are removed from dogs and cats across the country.

We use the ticks as a sentinel to try and better understand infection risk to people. And then we do national tick surveys. Veterinarians all over the U.S. mail us their ticks, and we identify the ticks removed from pets. We give the veterinarians that information so they have that for their patients, but it also helps us understand when and where the ticks are active and what risk they may be causing for veterinary health and human health.

“Finally, we’re working with heartworm diagnostics and have some really interesting projects going on trying to determine how to identify heartworm infection in dogs earlier so we can intervene with appropriate treatment and management to help the health of those dogs.

And we want to better understand heartworm transmission dynamics so we can develop strategies to block transmission and prevent dogs from getting infected in the first place.”

Little said that if there were one thing she could tell people about her research it would be that the concept of One Medicine is absolutely true, especially when it comes to vector-borne infections.

“The health of animals, of people and of the environment are all intricately tied together.

We really have to study them as a unit, how they interact, the interplay between those systems, in order to understand what changes are coming.

Parasites are dynamic and ever changing. That’s why I find them fascinating. To understand the system as a whole, you really have to look at people, animals and the environment and how they all interconnect.”

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 15

FACULT Y CHANGES

Rizzi named to head Veterinary Pathobiology

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heresa Rizzi, DVM, DACVP, has been named head of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology in Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Rizzi, who joined the OSU faculty in 2005, remains active in teaching veterinary students and residents at the College of Veterinary Medicine, veterinary technician students at OSU-OKC and rotates through cytology service as an attending clinical pathologist in the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. She is the first woman to head the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at OSU. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, she completed a bachelor’s degree in biology from the State University of New York at Old Westbury in 1993. She earned her DVM from OSU in 1998 before going into general small animal medicine and emergency medicine for several years. In 2002, Rizzi entered a residency in veterinary clinical pathology at OSU and became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

“It is an honor to be appointed department head of Veterinary Pathobiology, and I am looking forward to working hard for our department and toward the goals of the College of Veterinary Medicine,” she said.

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON

OTHER PROMOTIONS Joao Brandao, LMV, MS, DECZM (Avian), promoted from assistant professor to associate professor with tenure in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Dr. Brandao instructs students in avian, exotics and zoological medicine. His research interests include endocrinology, coagulation, sedation/anesthesia and clinical diagnostic tests.

Kimberly Carter, DVM, promoted from assistant professor to associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Dr. Carter instructs veterinary students in the shelter surgery program. Her research interests include pediatric spay/ neuter and non-surgical contraception.

Dr. Joao Brandao

Veronique Lacombe, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM, ECEIM, promoted from associate professor to professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences. Dr. Lacombe leads the Comparative Metabolism Research Laboratory (okla.st/metabolism), where her team investigates glucose metabolism during metabolic diseases such as diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity and novel metabolic therapeutic strategies that benefit both veterinary and human patients.

Dr. Kimberly Carter

Ashish Ranjan, Ph.D., BVSc, Kerr Foundation Endowed Chair, promoted from associate professor to professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences. Dr. Ranjan leads the Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Targeted Therapy, which specializes in the synthesis of imageable and stimuli sensitive nanocarriers for devicedirected chemo-immunotherapy of cancerous tissue. The goal is to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research and ease the clinical translation of nanopharmaceutics.

Dr. Veronique Lacombe

Robert Streeter, DVM, MS, DACVIM, promoted from associate professor to professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Dr. Streeter teaches veterinary students in food animal medicine and surgery. His research interests include diagnostic ultrasonography, management of lameness, and gastrointestinal and urologic surgeries.

Dr. Ashish Ranjan

Lara Sypniewski, DVM, DABVP, CVA, CCRP, Patricia Henthorne Clinical Professor in Small Animal Medicine, promoted from associate professor to professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Dr. Sypniewski is a trained acupuncturist and canine rehabilitation practitioner in the hospital’s community practice service. She uses a balanced approach to encourage wholeanimal wellness throughout each stage of life. She is also co-founder and the veterinarian for Pete’s Pet Posse, OSU’s therapy dog program. Her research interests focus on pain relief in small animals and the impact of nutrition on canine health.

Dr. Robert Streeter

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON AND PHIL SHOCKLEY

Dr. Lara Sypniewski

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 17

Saliki returns to OSU to head up OADDL

J SEE MORE Dr. Jerry Saliki shares his thoughts on returning to Oklahoma State at okla.st/saliki.

erry Saliki, DVM, Ph.D., DACVM, has returned to the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine to serve as director of the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (OADDL).

“Stillwater and OADDL have always been like my home,” he said. “I came here in 1993 as a young assistant professor and worked through the ranks all the way to full professor in 2005. I will never forget the support that I received from this facility and also from the College of Veterinary Medicine.

I have always thought that I needed to come back to this place in order to use my experience to help maintain and grow the lab.”

“We are excited to have Dr. Saliki on board,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the veterinary college. “He has extensive post-Ph.D. technical and administrative experience in two American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians-accredited veterinary diagnostic laboratories over the past 26 years.”

Originally from Cameroon in central Africa, Saliki earned his DVM degree from the University of Liege in Belgium in 1984. He came to the U.S. in 1989, earned a Ph.D. in veterinary virology from Cornell University in 1993 and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiologists in 1994. From 1993 to 2005, Saliki was an assistant professor (and subsequently associate and full professor) in OSU’s Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. He also served as the section head for virology, serology and molecular diagnostics at OADDL. In 2005, Saliki went to the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Georgia to serve as section head for virology and serology until 2007 when he became director of that laboratory until returning to OSU in 2020.

Saliki returned to Stillwater at the end of April with the COVID-19 pandemic in full gear.

“From day one, COVID was the name in town,” he said. “I just had to get into the trenches and work with everyone on the effort.”

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Shortly after the onset of the pandemic, the veterinary college began working with partners from the OSU Center for Health Sciences and others to get OADDL certified by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to run the tests for COVID-19. In partnership with the Oklahoma State Department of Health, OSU’s diagnostic laboratory processed approximately 19 percent of the state’s COVID-19 tests.

“As a veterinarian, we deal with multiple animal species. Humans are just one additional animal species so there was no real big surprise there,” Saliki said. “The test systems are the same, the quality system is the same. The only other consideration that we had to take into account is making staff, who are used to handling only animal samples, more comfortable with also handling human samples.”

It should be no surprise that Dr. Saliki is able to handle the challenges presented by COVID-19. He is no stranger to trying times.

Saliki considers serving as director of the Athens lab for 13 years and seeing its continuous growth during that time in spite of the great recession as one of his greatest accomplishments.

He was able to keep the lab going without cutting staff or cutting services. He plans to continue that success at OSU. “My vision is to make sure we can build a cadre of very trained and highly motivated staff with high morale because it all starts with people,” he said. “We need to have the people, satisfied people who can do the job for us. So that’s priority No. 1.

Priority No. 2 is to continue to grow our services, reach out to stakeholders, especially in the swine and poultry industries, so we can offer them the services that we are trained to offer.

“I’m really so happy to be back home. In spite of the challenge posed by COVID at this time, my family and I are so happy to be back here. We look forward to the next several years of serving here with the great people we have met. We really like the welcome that we have received from the laboratory, from everyone in the city of Stillwater, and certainly from the College of Veterinary Medicine.”

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 19

NEW FACES

Faculty Pratul Agarwal, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine and assistant vice president of research (cyber-infrastructure) and director of the High-Performance Computing Center at Oklahoma State University. Originally from Dehradun, India, he earned a B.Tech./M.Tech. degree from the Indian Institute of TechnologyDelhi in New Delhi, India, and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Agarwal’s research interests span biology, chemistry, data informatics and high-performance computing. He is particularly interested in solving problems that have implications for health, the environment and clean energy.

Dr. Pratul Agarwal

Dr. Rudra Channappanavar

LI-Jen Chang, BVM, Ph.D., MS, is a lecturer in anesthesia in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences. Originally from Taiwan, Dr. Chang earned a BVM and MVM from the National Chung Hsing University in Taiwan. He is also a certified veterinary acupuncturist from the Chi Institute in the U.S. His research interests include anesthesia and analgesia in wildlife and zoo animals and the application of traditional Chinese medicine in veterinary medicine, in particular in anesthesia and analgesia such as acupuncture anesthesia.

Rudra Channappanavar, DVM, MVSc, Ph.D., is an assistant professor with the Oklahoma Center for Respiratory and Infectious Diseases in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. Originally from Karnataka, India, he earned his BVSc (DVM equivalent) from the Veterinary College Bidar, Karnataka Veterinary Animal and Fisheries Sciences University in Kamataka, India. He earned his MVSc specializing in veterinary pathology from the Division of Veterinary Pathology, Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar-Pradesh, India and a Ph.D. from the Department of Biology, Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He did postdoctoral training with Dr. Stanley Perlman, a leader of coronavirus research at the University of Iowa.

Dr. Channappanavar’s research interests focus on viral immunology, virology and the pathogenesis of emerging pathogenic human coronavirus (hCoV) infections.

Giselle Cino, DVM, Ph.D., DACVP, is an assistant professor and anatomic pathologist in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology.

Originally from Asuncion, Paraguay, she earned her DVM degree from the College of Veterinary Medicine, National University of Asuncion, Paraguay, in 2009. She completed a combined anatomic pathology residency/Ph.D. program at Kansas State University in 2013. In 2014, Dr. Cino became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and in 2016, she earned her graduate degree also from KSU. Her research interests focus on immunopathogenesis of food animal infectious diseases with emphasis in porcine species as well as emerging and transboundary animal diseases.

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Dr. LI-Jen Chang

Dr. Giselle Cino

Dale Kelley, DVM, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of theriogenology in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, he earned his DVM degree and Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Dr. Kelley’s research interests include understanding equine reproductive physiology and studying causes and treatments of infertility in the mare and stallion.

Dr. Dale Kelley

Fabio Pinaffi, DVM, MS, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of theriogenology in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences.

Originally from Atibaia, SP, Brazil, he earned a veterinary physician degree at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. He earned a master’s degree at the University of São Paulo and Auburn University. He earned a Ph.D. at the University of São Paulo, Pirassununga, SP, Brazil, and completed his theriogenology residency at Auburn University. Dr. Pinaffi’s research interests include reproductive physiology in equine and bovine.

Dr. Fabio Pinaffi

Brianne Taylor, DVM, MS, is an assistant professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. Originally from Scottsdale, Arizona, she earned her bachelor’s degree in microbiology, master’s degree in toxicology and DVM degree from Colorado State University. She completed an anatomic pathology residency and earned a second master’s degree in veterinary pathobiology at Texas A&M University. Her research interests include equine pathology and infectious diseases in all species.

Dr. Brianne Taylor

Staff Jeremy Douthit is the facilities services manager. He is responsible for managing the maintenance department including personnel, Zone 4 Vet (a campus facilities management group), maintenance requests and preventative maintenance. He also coordinates construction projects, works with energy managers to monitor the college’s energy/utility usage, and coordinates biosafety compliance. Originally from Perkins, Oklahoma, Douthit enjoys studying meteorology, hunting, fishing and anything outdoors.

Jeremy Douthit

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 21

RETIREMENTS

Rezabek riding into the sunset

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Dr. Grant Rezabek

fter 17 years of teaching and research at Oklahoma State University, Grant Rezabek, MPH, DVM, has retired from his role as a pathologist and serology section head at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. He experienced many changes at OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine and the lab, which included adding more teaching, more laboratory bench work, the introduction of poultry testing services and college committee work.

“The biggest joy is seeing the growth and evolution of students during their four years in the program, such as watching them apply information from the first three preclinical years culminating in the fourth-year necropsy rotation,” he said. “I also witnessed raising the laboratory to Level 1 status in the National Animal Health Laboratory Network.

I feel honored to have served many excellent practitioners and dedicated animal owners throughout the state with diagnostic test decisions and health or disease outbreaks.”

“Dr. Rezabek is an internationally recognized expert in equine pathology, especially diseases of the equine musculoskeletal system,” said Dr. Jerry Ritchey, former head of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. “Grant worked tirelessly to document lesions occurring at Oklahoma horse tracks to provide management suggestions to reduce injuries at the track.

Grant himself is an avid horseman. Therefore, he was always able to provide a practical approach to his diagnostic paradigm. Grant was not just an expert in horses, but an excellent diagnostic pathologist for all species and a valued member of our pathology team. He will be sorely missed.”

Rezabek earned his DVM from Oklahoma State University in 1986. In retirement, he said he plans to ride more, continue consulting for the AQHA and AAEP and catch up on home projects.

Hargrave retiring after almost 29 years

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Jim Hargrave

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or nearly 29 years, Jim Hargrave has served the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine as facility manager. He’s done everything from moving furniture to working on the hospital’s MRI to changing light bulbs to coordinating the latest addition to the veterinary college complex – the Roger J. Panciera Education Center.

“I’ve done it all — whatever it takes to keep our facilities running,” he said.

Hargrave manages all the maintenance, utilities, new equipment installations and new construction for the veterinary college.

He maintains repair records, blueprints, operations and maintenance manuals, and project files for all college projects.

Hargrave also monitors utility usage for the veterinary college, investigating equipment when an unusually high or low utility bill occurs to find the cause. For three years Hargrave served on the campus ADA committee to review issues and projects in the College of Veterinary Medicine and other

campus buildings. He works with the campus biosafety office, the veterinary college’s associate dean for research, the IACUC Committee, OSU Safety and the animal resources director to make sure the veterinary college labs stay current and accredited with the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.

“I love working with the great people at the college,” he said. “We have so many dedicated, nice people at the vet school who are fun to be around. I am proud that I was able to push through the energy performance contract. The veterinary college was the first in the OSU system to do so. It has saved Vet Med more than $6 million so far on utility costs by modernizing McElroy Hall windows and all college HVAC controls and lighting. Also winning the Stratton Staff Award twice and an OSU service award made me very proud and humble. This school is like family to me. I am going to miss the people and the challenges.”

STORIES DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY AND GARY LAWSON

Dean McElroy Award goes to Josiah Dame

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r. Josiah Dame of Shawnee, Oklahoma, won the 2020 Dean Clarence H. McElroy Award, the highest honor an OSU veterinary student can achieve. Named after the first dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, the award is voted on by fourth-year classmates and clinical faculty.

“When they announced my name for the Dean Clarence McElroy Award, I was really shocked,” Dame said. “I didn’t really know what to think. I am really honored and thankful. Winning this award means a lot to me. I know the legacy that it comes with — all the veterinarians who have won it before me. I just hope to live up to that legacy.”

Dame decided he wanted to become a veterinarian while working at the Oklahoma City Zoo as a junior curator.

“Veterinarians who inspired me to pursue veterinary medicine include Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino and Dr. Gretchen Cole at the Oklahoma City Zoo, which is where I was first introduced to veterinary medicine,” he said. “After that, I started working at a small animal practice in Shawnee with Dr. Natalie Keith (OSU CVM ’10) and Dr. Tracy Trussell (OSU CVM ’04). They both inspired me to keep continuing and pushing toward my degree.”

Dame attended Oklahoma State University for his undergraduate degree and fell in love with OSU, especially its traditions and campus. It also had the benefit of being very close to home, which was important to him.

“My favorite memory from veterinary college probably wasn’t a favorite memory at the time — sitting in Old Phys and studying for hours on end,” he said. “The benefit of that was my classmates were always around. We got to build a community that way. We were studying together, laughing together.

“I have a lot of great memories in Old Phys. My biggest challenge during veterinary school was probably finding time for myself. It’s easy to get wrapped up in school and forget to have fun at the same time.

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO GENESEE PHOTO

“The advice I would offer someone considering a degree in veterinary medicine would be to persevere. Push through those hard classes in undergrad, and push through the hard times that you will come to in vet school. It’s all worth it in the end. It will pay off.”

Following graduation, Dr. Dame went to work for City Vet at its White Rock location in Dallas.

WATCH Dr. Josiah Dame discusses receiving the Dean Clarence H. McElroy Award at okla.st/dame.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 23

Two students tie for Dean Orr Award

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or the third time in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s 72-year history, two students have earned the Dean Harry W. Orr Memorial Award, which recognizes an outstanding third-year student. Chloe Bradway from Oologah, Oklahoma, and Emma Houlton from Toronto, Canada, tied for the top honor.

“It is an honor to receive the Dean Harry W. Orr Memorial Award,” Bradway said. “To me, receiving this award is acknowledgement for the late nights, early mornings and sacrifices I made to accomplish my goal of becoming a practice-ready veterinarian by the time I graduate.”

Bradway decided she wanted to become a veterinarian in high school following a school-sponsored mission trip to Guatemala. A second mission trip to Peru confirmed her decision.

Heavily focused on STEM courses while in high school, Bradway said she would not have pursued veterinary medicine if she hadn’t worked with rural communities in Guatemala and Peru.

“Like most of my robotics teammates, I planned on studying engineering — either mechanical or electrical,” she said. “Working with the communities in Guatemala and Peru, I realized it would be years before the infrastructure necessary to allow manufacturing jobs would be present. The communities I worked with were entirely agrarian. To survive, people needed their animals to be healthy for plowing more than they needed a fancy piece of technology or manufactured products. I realized if I wanted to continue helping people in communities like this, I needed to help their animals first.”

Houlton didn’t decide she wanted to become a veterinarian until she was 20.

“I always wanted a career in medicine with early thoughts of becoming a medical doctor,” she said.

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“To me, receiving this award is acknowledgement for the late nights, early mornings and sacrifices I made to accomplish my goal of becoming a practiceready veterinarian by the time I graduate.”

CHLOE BRADWAY

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON

“However, after spending a semester volunteering in a human hospital, I quickly realized it was not the best fit for me and found my true passion in the companion animal field.

“The path to becoming a DVM is long, hard and financially challenging, and every contribution helps,” Houlton said. “It’s not just the financial assistance that makes a difference — it’s also the recognition for the hours and hours of grinding-hard academics that this scholarship recognizes.

It makes me feel that my relentless studying and efforts have been noticed by more than just my family.

“I chose OSU to take myself out of the urban environments I was used to and to gain a greater understanding of the bigger picture of veterinary medicine,” she said. “Moving to Oklahoma from the big city of Toronto was a big change for me that has forever helped me be a better person and a better vet. I love Stillwater and I have seen firsthand how generous and kind Americans are.”

Now, both students face new challenges because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The main way COVID-19 has affected me is by decreasing the amount of daily hands-on experience I get in clinics,” Bradway said. “I am overcoming this by reaching out to veterinarians, livestock producers and neighbors, working with them in any spare time I have during weekends and holiday breaks.”

Still, Bradway credits OSU faculty for coming up with creative ways to teach students during their clinical year.

“I am thankful for those who have done out-of-the-box thinking and found ways to social distance students while allowing all to be present and physically working with patients during both weeks of the rotation. The pandemic has made teaching more difficult, but the clinicians at OSU have stepped up to meet the challenge.”

Houlton said COVID-19 has greatly affected her. She has not been able to go home to Toronto, and travel restrictions forced her to change the fourth-year externships she had planned in Toronto to opportunities within the U.S.

“After spending a semester volunteering in a human hospital, I quickly realized [medical doctor] was not the best fit for me and found my true passion in the companion animal field.”

EMMA HOULTON

“Fourth year has been a whirlwind,” Houlton said. “COVID-19 shut the hospital down for the beginning of fourth year. Now we are only in the clinics half the time to social distance, which has been a struggle. However, the times I have spent in clinics have been amazing with great clinicians, and I have learned a great deal! After graduation, I plan on doing a small animal rotating internship program for one year with the hopes of continuing on to a residency possibly in cardiology or internal medicine.”

Bradway plans to work at a mixed animal practice preferably near her home.

“I have a few informal job offers but nothing set in stone yet,” Bradway said. “I am thankful for the support I have received from my classmates and professors throughout veterinary school. They believed in me on the days I found it hard to believe in myself, and their encouragement inspired me to strive to learn, not just for the exam but for life.”

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 25

A Gentle Recognition

Jordy finds encouragement and inspiration within the Gentle Doctor Award

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ach year, the graduating class from Oklahoma State’s College of Veterinary Medicine selects one member who exhibits the qualities of the Gentle Doctor — concern, affection, love and respect for the significance of life for all God’s creatures great and small. Announced during the class of 2020 virtual commencement ceremony, this year’s recipient is Dr. Julia Jordy of Omaha, Nebraska.

“I was very entranced by Dean Risco’s description of the statue,” Jordy said. “I was picturing that in my head and didn’t realize they had called my name until I heard my family screaming.

Then I looked at the screen and saw my picture and my name. I was just really overwhelmed. It means a lot. One of my life goals has always been to have a positive impact on any place that I go, any person I encounter, animals included. Because my classmates chose me for this, it affirms that I was able to have that kind of impact on the veterinary school and hopefully not just my patients but also any of the humans that I interacted with. That’s so encouraging and inspiring as I get ready to take on a new adventure with new people and new patients. It couldn’t have come at a better time as far as rejuvenating me to go out to the next step and continue to have that positive impact.”

Jordy knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a veterinarian.

“I don’t ever remember wanting to be anything else,” she said. “I worked with a lot of very influential and inspiring veterinarians over the years before coming to vet school.”

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS GENESEE PHOTO AND PHIL SHOCKLEY

“I just want to say thank you to everybody at OSU CVM for everything that everyone — from the custodians to the clinicians — has poured into us as students.”

DR. JULIA JORDY

Jordy married several years before starting veterinary college.

“We moved around a lot, which wasn’t compatible with me applying to vet school anywhere. Then my husband was stationed here, and we were hugely blessed in that this state has a vet school because not every state does,” she said.

“On top of that, it’s a school that after visiting, I realized it felt a lot like home.

Nebraska is very much midwestern with good people, genuine, friendly, family atmosphere no matter where you go. I found that here, and I’m so glad for that.”

Jordy has many fond memories of her time at OSU. “With the classmates that I have being so amazing, kind, generous, encouraging and hilarious, it’s hard to pick one memory. But if I had to pick one, it would probably be when we beat the average that Dr. Tim Snider set for us on a test. Then we got to pick out a Goodwill outfit for him to lecture in.” The memory brings a smile.

“The biggest challenge was balancing family with school. I never could have imagined the stress and strain that school would put on not just my marriage but also my relationships with parents, friends and siblings,” she said. “Trying to make a conscious effort to keep those intact was something I didn’t realize I needed to do until later in vet school. There were definitely some rough moments. They tell you the curriculum will be hard, but I wasn’t prepared for the extracurricular impacts.

MEET DR. JORDY Watch Dr. Julia Jordy describe winning the Gentle Doctor Award at okla.st/gentle.

“Vet school is a lot of hard work and requires a lot of dedication. I think family support is really huge as well.

You’ve got to be prepared for that and at the same time, anybody that’s crazy enough to want to work with patients that can’t tell them anything about what’s wrong is probably crazy enough to be able to make it through all the necessary schooling.

“I just want to say thank you to everybody at OSU CVM for everything that everyone — from the custodians to the clinicians — has poured into us as students. I think that’s never been more apparent than the changes that had to happen because of COVID-19. In particular, I had the same clinician for my last six weeks in clinics. Dr. Danielle Dugat really bent over backward to tackle online rotations. She had Zoom on her phone, and she took us everywhere in the hospital. We visited ICU patients, she live-Zoomed surgeries and took questions. Her commitment, energy and enthusiasm in those last few rotations when we’re all starting to get senioritis was the push I needed to get through to the end. I really appreciate their commitment to try to still give us a case-based clinical experience even though it was all via the internet — big shout-out to them. I’m really going to miss everybody here.”

Dr. Jordy and her husband are now in San Antonio, and she’s working as a small animal veterinarian in a general practice. She also accepted a parttime relief position at a spay/neuter assistance program to give back.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 27

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 Like all of Oklahoma State University’s May 2020 graduations, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s ceremony was forced to go virtual as well.

The 88 graduating doctors of veterinary medicine took their oaths via Zoom, and Dean Carlos Risco, DVM, wished them great success.

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PHOTOS GENESEE PHOTO AND DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR

Dean Dr. Carlos Risco did his best to make the virtual graduation as traditional as possible.

The members of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s class of 2020 took their oath via Zoom.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 29

Words OF Wisdom IN

Works OF Art

Blurred Bison offers her classmates messages of encouragement and inspiration

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t started in 2016. Two classmates studying in the classroom one evening before an exam, and one decided to doodle on the chalkboard.

The class often referred to itself as “kinfolk,” so the artist wrote, “No kinfolk left behind,” signifying they were here to help each other and work together. It was signed the Blurred Bison.

For the next four years, the class of 2020 would find words of inspiration and colorful designs throughout McElroy Hall and in the Veterinary Medical Hospital to encourage them along their journey to earn a DVM degree from Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Prior to graduation, the Blurred Bison revealed herself — Brayden Routh of Edmond, Oklahoma.

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“I chose the name based on my initials — Brayden Leigh Routh. BLR sounded like ‘blur’ to me,” Routh said. “I chose the bison because it started with a b, it is the Oklahoma state mammal, and I just think they are interesting creatures.

“That next morning when everyone came to class, it was fun to hear them talking about the doodle and asking who made it,” she said. “I thought it would be fun to keep it anonymous — plus I have always been pretty shy and didn’t want the extra attention. I tried to pick designs that would be inspirational.

Everyone knows veterinary school is no easy task. I hoped these quotes might help some people get through their day or a challenging situation. I wanted the designs to be more about the message rather than who was behind it.

Dr. Brayden Routh

STORY AND PHOTOS DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO GENESEE PHOTO

The last piece of art for the class of 2020 from the Blurred Bison (Brayden Routh).

“I definitely considered pursuing art or graphic design, but I didn’t want to burn out on the art. I would rather have it as a hobby. Something I can do as a release when I’m feeling stressed,” she said.

Instead, Routh applied to veterinary school a semester before completing her undergraduate studies at OSU. “Originally, I planned to become an occupational therapist, but I found I wasn’t truly passionate about it. I loved animals and knew I wanted to pursue something science-related, which is why I was obtaining a bachelor’s degree in biology. A close family friend encouraged me to apply to veterinary school. I worried that I wasn’t smart enough or didn’t have what it would take to get accepted; however, my support system believed in me, so I decided to

try. I am very thankful for that push. I loved veterinary school and getting to know so many fantastic people.”

A true Cowboy fan, OSU was the only school she applied to for her undergraduate and DVM degrees.

“I have a couple generations of Pokes in my family, so OSU was the only school I wanted to attend. I toured a few other Oklahoma college campuses while in high school but Stillwater felt like home.”

Following graduation, Dr. Routh moved to Atlanta for a one-year small animal rotating internship at Blue Pearl Emergency Hospital. She plans to pursue an ophthalmology residency afterwards.

“I do want to thank Christa Olbrey for always offering me advice and

critiques on designs. Christa was studying with me when I drew the first doodle. She was the one person who knew my secret from the beginning. She helped me move the giant chalkboard in and out of classrooms. We joked that she was my accomplice — the ‘Board Buffalo.’ Because of a mess-up by a screen-printing company, later Marianne Caron also knew my secret. I want to thank Marianne for continuously telling people for four years that she had no idea who it was.”

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 31

Welcome, Class of 2024

OSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 2024

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klahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recently welcomed its class of 2024.

Comprised of 106 students representing the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas, the class has 78 women and 28 men, the highest number of men in 15 years.

Two of those young men are August Fitzpatrick of Tulsa, and Rafay Shah of Frisco, Texas.

“My decision to become a veterinarian was majorly influenced by my grandfather, Dr. James Van Beckum, who was a graduate of Oklahoma State,” Fitzpatrick said. “He operated a mixed animal practice off his farm in Wisconsin where I spent summers following him to farm calls and peeking over his shoulder during surgery. He was always proud to be an OSU graduate, and I’m pretty excited to follow in his footsteps. I’ve been working as a veterinary technician in different clinics for about five years now. I’m a little bit nervous but excited to get started. Oklahoma State has a history of graduating career ready veterinarians and I’m ready to be on that path and learn from the world’s best.”

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian,” Shah said. “I always had a fascination with animals and science. As I grew older, I realized I can make a career out of it. I took an independent study mentorship class in high school where for the first time, I shadowed a veterinarian and was thrown into the field in a clinic setting. That’s when I realized that was really what I wanted to do. I did my undergrad degree accordingly to set myself up for vet school. I chose Oklahoma State for my DVM degree because my main focus now is exotics and wildlife and I know Oklahoma State has a very good exotics program.

It’s also closest to my hometown back in Texas. I’m nervous but also very excited. I want to meet my classmates and get going.”

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS PHIL SHOCKLEY

BY THE NUMBERS Of 106 students in the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s class of 2023, 78 are women and 28 are men. The class size is 58 Oklahoma residents and 48 non-residents with a core GPS of 3.59.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, a remote and in person alternating plan is in place to teach students that takes into consideration OSU and CDC guidelines for students, faculty, and staff safety.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, this will not be a typical semester at our veterinary college,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have spent countless hours planning to make sure the necessary steps are in place to keep our students, faculty and staff safe while providing quality instruction. Our faculty is excited and ready to teach our students and look forward to a successful semester.”

WATCH MORE We welcome the College of Veterinary Medicine’s class of 2024 here: okla.st/cvm2024.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 33

More Than Horse Play

OSU veterinarians treat a show filly for Terry Bradshaw

Dr. Mike Schoonover with Sassy and Tammy Bradshaw.

D

epending on your age, you might know Terry Bradshaw for different things.

Since 1994, he’s been a sports analyst and is co-host of Fox NFL Sunday. He’s done a number of guest stints on a variety of reality TV shows and currently has his own show on E!, The Bradshaw Bunch. Going back a few decades before that, he won four Super Bowls as the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But did you know he’s been breeding quarter horses for the last 40 years and is a lifetime member of the American Quarter Horse Association?

He and his wife, Tammy, own and operate Terry Bradshaw Quarter Horses in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Veterinarians at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine had the opportunity to treat Sassy, a Bradshaw filly with a not-so-common condition.

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“She was just a couple weeks old when Terry told me we’re probably going to have to put her down because she had a cleft palate,” Tammy Bradshaw said. “Coming from a background in the medical field, I had a hard time with that. We can fix that on humans, so why can we not do that on a horse?

So we started looking at options, contacted OSU, and they thought she would be a candidate for the surgery. We said let’s go for it and give her a shot because she was a beautiful little baby. She was out of one of our own stallions and had everything you wanted when you looked at her. We felt she had a really good opportunity to grow up and be a prospective show horse as well as a great brood mare. I just didn’t want to give up on her.”

Mike Schoonover, DVM, MS, DACVS-LA, DACVSMR, associate professor of equine surgery and sports medicine at OSU’s veterinary college, performed the surgery.

STORY AND PHOTO DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR

“We knew it would be a long haul. We took her to OSU for surgery and said keep her there until she is healed. We want her to have the best opportunity and want somebody with eyes on her every day who can address whatever happens.”

TAMMY BRADSHAW

“Normally, the palate separates the oral cavity from the nasal passage,” Schoonover said. “In foals, cleft palate is a rare condition that is seen when the palate fails to form completely as the foal develops during pregnancy. This lack of separation allows milk and saliva to enter the trachea and lungs when the foal nurses, which leads to pneumonia. Repair of cleft palate is not often attempted due to the high incidence of complications following surgery combined with the expense of surgery and postsurgical care.”

Sassy spent three months in the veterinary hospital following her initial surgery.

“We knew it would be a long haul,” Tammy said.

“We took her to OSU for surgery and said keep her there until she is healed. We want her to have the best opportunity and want somebody with eyes on her every day who can address whatever happens.”

A month after she was released, Sassy returned to OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital for a checkup to discover she needed a revision surgery because the very back part of the palate had not healed adequately.

“Although about 75 percent of the cleft was healed, Sassy was still having some issues with food getting into her trachea and lungs,” Schoonover said. “Because she was much larger, the second surgery to revise the original repair was much less invasive.” Sassy made it through the second palate repair surgery great but within just minutes of her recovery from anesthesia, she colicked.

“When I got that phone call and they were like okay, she made it through the surgery and now she’s colicking, do you want us to do surgery? I was, yes, please do the surgery!” Tammy said. “We were holding our breath at that point because she had made it through all that stuff, and it was just like don’t let this be the end of her now. So it was very much a relief when we got the phone call that she was OK through the surgery and the colic.”

In the third surgery, Dr. Schoonover and the OSU equine surgery team performed an abdominal exploratory to determine the cause of her colic.

Three feet of Sassy’s small intestine had to be removed. She was hospitalized for another six weeks but returned to the Bradshaw ranch with a functional palate and a healed intestine.

“We have not pushed her,” Tammy said. “Trainer Jarrell Jackson let her spend the first year and a half just growing, healing and getting healthy. Now, she looks beautiful.”

The Bradshaws have, in fact, started showing TB Love Actually (Sassy’s official name). She was shown and placed in a futurity earlier this year and scheduled to go to the AQHA World Show in Oklahoma City.

“She will be in the 2-year-old amateur mare class and the 2-year-old open class,” Tammy said.

“If you have this scenario and you have the means to pursue the surgery or the treatment, it can have a happy ending. If she places top 10, I’d be ecstatic.

Anything better than that will be icing on the cake for me. With everything she’s been through, I just want to get her there and be able to say this is her story. Look where she is today, and look at what great work OSU has done for her.”

WATCH MORE See more about Sassy at okla.st/ sassy.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 35

Bubbles was only 12 weeks old when she came down with parvo, but OSU veterinarians were able to save her.

Reviving Bubbles

Veterinary hospital helps puppy with parvo — and her owner, too

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he story of Bubbles the Pekinese pup serves two purposes.

Bubbles’ treatment at the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Medical Hospital reflects the success our veterinarians see with puppies suffering from parvo.

And it helps tell the story of our Pay It Forward Fund.

In June, Marion Campeau of Fairfax, Oklahoma, brought Bubbles, her 12-week-old Pekinese, to the hospital in the wee hours of the

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morning. The dog had literally taken her last puppy breath and was in cardiopulmonary arrest.

“Our wonderful intern, Dr. (Nikol) Irizarry, was Johnnie on the spot, if you will. She aggressively resuscitated Bubbles,” said Dr. Lara Sypniewski, Henthorne Clinical Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the hospital. “She jumped in and got Bubbles’ little heart started again and started breathing for her, which got Bubbles through the cardiopulmonary arrest. She should not have any neurologic effects from the incident; puppies are very resilient. Bubbles, who only weighs 2.8 pounds, was unfortunate enough to contract parvo viral

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

“We use those funds specifically for the highly committed pet owner and the animal that really has that drive to live. But we also use it for those of us in this field who often times feel at a loss when we can’t help patients because money is tight. It’s very important for morale to be able to help people as well.”

DR. LARA SYPNIEWSKI

enteritis, which is inflammation of her GI tract causing her to develop an overwhelming infection and significantly low blood sugar.”

Once the cardiac issue resolved, Dr. Sypniewski’s team moved to aggressively treat Bubbles’ infection as well as the secondary bacterial infections that occur with parvo.

“We start puppies off on three courses of antibiotics to help them avoid sepsis — unasyn, metronidazole, and enrofloxacin,” Irizarry said.

“Here at Oklahoma State’s Veterinary Medical Hospital, we have a really good success rate with our parvo puppies. I consider them my little fur babies,” Sypniewski said. “I think that because we’re so aggressive and we are able to offer a very high level of care, our puppies do very well.

Unfortunately, it’s an expensive undertaking.

They are in the hospital for a number of days. We try to keep them from succumbing to secondary infections while the virus runs its course. It can be a long, harrowing process.”

Irizarry and Sypniewski agree that vaccinations are key in trying to prevent parvo.

“I know that Bubbles started getting her vaccination course and had her second round of shots,” said Irizarry. “Until puppies have the full three courses of vaccinations, keep them isolated from other dogs and inside to protect them as much as possible.”

“It’s really important to get your vaccinations from a veterinarian,” said Sypniewski. “I know there are other options for people to vaccinate their pets, but unfortunately, often times those vaccines may not be as effective. The other thing is that you won’t have the advice and expertise of a veterinarian to discuss vaccine schedules and the importance of husbandry for puppies. For example, what environments should they be exposed to? Is it OK to be out at Boomer Lake or go to a dog park? You really need the wise counsel of your veterinarian to help you navigate the rough waters of puppyhood.”

To help with Bubbles’ expenses, Sypniewski looked to the Pay It Forward Fund. Developed by veterinary students several years ago, the fund helps pet owners pay for care in times of need.

Anyone can donate to the fund through the OSU Foundation.

“There’s always a lot of emotion involved when it comes to treating even our littlest and sweetest cases, like Bubbles,” said Sypniewski. “When I consider a patient for the Pay It Forward Fund, I want to see a big investment with the pet owner as well as with the patient. I think Bubbles has a really strong desire to live. Also, her pet owners have been very dedicated and trying to get the funds to support her care. They have been very willing to work with us. So I asked our hospital administrator if Bubbles could be considered. We discussed the case and the commitment on both sides — from the hospital as well as from the owner, and that’s how we decided that Bubbles would be a good patient to help.”

The Pay It Forward Fund helps the veterinary team as well.

“We use those funds specifically for the highly committed pet owner and the animal that really has that drive to live. But we also use it for those of us in this field who often times feel at a loss when we can’t help patients because money is tight.

It’s very important for morale to be able to help people as well. I think that’s the biggest take-home for me: If you donate to the Pay It Forward Fund, you give me, my students, and my colleagues the opportunity to do what we love — save the patients that we love.”

SEE MORE Watch more about Bubbles at okla.st/ bubbles.

TO DONATE If you share our passion for helping animals and their owners, consider a donation to the Pay It Forward Fund by contacting Ashley Hesser, assistant director of development with the OSU Foundation, at ahesser@osugiving.com or 405385-0715.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 37

Shelter Help

OSU expanding program to help prepare rescue animals for their forever homes

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klahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is expanding its shelter medicine program with a new suite under construction.

“We are adding a separate area dedicated to shelter medicine needs,” said Dr. Kim Carter, associate professor leading the shelter medicine program. “The new suite includes an induction area where we prep the dogs and cats, a scrub area and a surgery suite with four operating tables. The suite also includes a cat room. This is a soundproof room where cats can relax and recover from surgery without hearing barking dogs who are also waking up from surgery.”

The college’s shelter medicine program partners with more than 30 animal shelters to perform spay/neuter surgeries for 3,200 dogs and cats a year. Oklahoma law requires that animals adopted through a rescue agency must have a voucher program or be spayed/neutered before their release. If they have the resources, most shelters opt for surgery to spay/neuter their animals before adopting them out.

“Shelter surgery is a core course requirement for fourth-year veterinary students,” Carter said.

“Depending on our caseload and individual speed, by course end seniors will perform roughly 40 spay/ neuter surgeries as either the primary surgeon or an anesthetist. At the end of the rotation, our goal is to have these students hone their surgical skills and confidence to become an independent surgeon.”

Junior veterinary students also benefit from the shelter medicine program. Each student performs one spay and one neuter surgery as an assistant surgeon and three spays and three neuters as the primary surgeon. Even shelter medicine interns benefit from the program. Dr. Brooke Bennett, the PetSmart Charities shelter medicine intern, recently performed her first forelimb amputation on a cat that was in for a neuter surgery.

“The college recently increased class size from 88 to 106,” Carter said. “This required our program to grow in order to give all students valuable hands-on experience in surgical techniques. In

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Dr. Kim Carter

Dr. Brooke Bennett

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR AND GARY LAWSON

Construction is continuing on the new shelter medicine suite.

The College of Veterinary Medicine’s shelter medicine program partners with more than 30 animal shelters to perform spay/neuter surgeries for 3,200 dogs and cats a year.

addition to making the animals more adoptable by spaying and neutering them, the shelter surgery program provides ancillary services. We vaccinate and microchip each animal. We do dentals, which can be expensive. Some of these animals have terrible health in their mouth. If we can give them a dental cleaning, do some x-rays and get their teeth in good shape before they are adopted, it’s huge toward improving their overall health. We perform other small surgeries like entropion surgeries where the eyelid rolls inward against the eyeball, cherry eye surgeries, and limb amputations if they have a catastrophic break. Most shelters do not have the resources to do any sort of pinning or plating. We perform limb amputations to save an animal’s life. Three-legged cats and dogs live very happily and get adopted readily.”

The building construction is being paid for by private donors who gave to the veterinary college.

OSU’s shelter medicine program is funded in part by grants from PetSmart, Maddie’s Fund and Petco.

These generous sponsors enable the College of Veterinary Medicine to offer the shelters a very low cost spay/neuter.

“What our shelters pay doesn’t even cover the cost of a surgery,” Carter said. “We depend heavily on grants to help subsidize our program. It’s a winwin situation — a win for the animals, the shelters, and our veterinary students who gain valuable experience. Graduates going into private practice will perform spay/neuter surgeries very often and it’s important that they have the confidence to do so.”

TO DONATE To support OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, contact Ashley Hesser, assistant director of development with the OSU Foundation, at ahesser@osugiving.com or 405-385-0715.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 39

UNITING HEALTH RESEARCH

OSU President Hargis launches INTERACT, a new collaborative institute

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klahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is making new strides in research that can help both humans and animals. Its new Institute for Translational and Emerging Research in Advanced Comparative Therapy (INTERACT) focuses on developing and translating new discoveries into therapies for patients of all types.

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

Rhino the cat is undergoing cancer treatment through OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine that utilizes high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU).

“We’re at the cutting edge of research in this area. It’s a fantastic revolution to not be invasive in treating these tumors. We’re really at the center of this and it’s very exciting.”

OSU PRESIDENT BURNS HARGIS

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 41

“The idea for INTERACT came from our long successful history in conducting clinical trials in diseases that affect both small and large animals to develop or discover new therapies and diagnostics,” said Dr. Carlos Risco, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“With our collaborations, INTERACT will provide our faculty and our college with the resources and expertise needed to innovate in animal and human health, and we are excited to launch it.”

Under the direction of Dr. Ashish Ranjan, professor and holder of the Kerr Foundation Endowed Chair, INTERACT will foster and enhance interdisciplinary research within the veterinary college, across the OSU campus and throughout the state and nation. INTERACT includes faculty participants from almost all OSU colleges, as well as industry experts, foundation partners and other academic institutions in the country. The institute aims to fulfill One Health research by doing parallel investigations in humans and animals.

“Our short-term goals include identifying clinical trial opportunities that involve pet patients in the OSU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital,” Ranjan said. “I have been involved in clinical trials utilizing veterinary patients for some time. INTERACT will provide a strong footing to pursue and move these efforts further. It will allow me to collaborate with other faculty members from the teaching hospital as well as across the campus.

“As the name suggests, INTERACT is a platform to support collaborative research. We hope these open interactions move the needle toward figuring out new treatments for our patient populations — both animal and human. We welcome partners to work together to figure out new therapeutic and diagnostic solutions.”

On Dec. 3, OSU President Burns Hargis officially launched INTERACT with a personal tour. He watched a demonstration of what non-invasive treatment technologies (high-intensity focused ultrasound or HIFU) mean for animal and human health in treating cancer tumors.

“We’re at the cutting edge of research in this area,” Hargis said. “It’s a fantastic revolution to not be invasive in treating these tumors. We’re moving toward One Health where you’re dealing with animal, human and plant health. This is just another example that is completely transferable to human treatment. We’re really at the center of this and it’s very exciting.”

Dr. Danielle Dugat, an associate professor of small animal surgery in OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital, said INTERACT is a major part of her work. “We have been able to treat quite a few cancer patients with HIFU. My goal is to continue to develop research that ultimately advances the care of my patients. When you bring together individual researchers and clinicians, you can develop a plan that is far beyond what your initial idea might have been.”

“INTERACT provides a platform for researchers from many disciplines to answer the question of ‘How do I take my research and get it out there in the public sphere?’” said Dr. Jerry Malayer, associate dean of research and graduate education at the veterinary college. “How do we develop these approaches that we’re thinking about and identify resources and partners and collaborations that help us accomplish that goal? INTERACT helps us bring One Health principles into our college, our programs and our general thinking.

The things that help our companion animals and livestock are developed with the same biological interfaces that apply to human health and in some cases to environmental health.”

“INTERACT is a group of people who really understand that in this day and age, big science is team science.

It has to bring people together from different disciplines and from different parts of the research community to solve the big problems, and that’s what I see this group doing,” said Dr. Kenneth Sewell, OSU vice president for research and president of the OSU Research Foundation.

“I think INTERACT is a great opportunity for interdisciplinary kinds of research, exchange of ideas and new projects,” said Dr. Eric Benton, an associate professor in the Department of Physics in OSU’s College of Arts and Sciences. “I worked here for quite some time before I discovered that Dr. Ranjan actually had a background in radiation biology that complemented mine in radiation physics and that we had a lot in common and could complement one another’s research. So I’m hoping the INTERACT program, among other things, will bring to light a lot more of the hidden expertise that’s here at OSU. I’m hoping to work with biologists who specialize in the effects of radiation on biology, whether that’s from the point of view of radiation protection or that of radiological cancer therapy.”

Dr. Erika Lutter, associate professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the College of Arts and Sciences, studies host pathogen interactions at the cellular level.

“I am looking forward to taking on new directives especially when it comes to being able to combine research with veterinary medicine,” Lutter said.

“Much of my research to date has been more in-vitro, lab-bench based.

It would be really nice to take it to the next level. Actually looking at what’s happening with a full, living in-vivo system, that’s definitely going to make our research translational and help us really understand what’s happening overall when you look at the full system biology rather than down to the cellular level.”

“INTERACT, in my opinion, is going to have benefits for many parties, but especially at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital,” said Dr. Jeff Studer, veterinary hospital director. “It’s going to lead to research that we can translate from bench-side to application for our patients in the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. I think the impact for our patients, and thus our clients, our referring veterinarians and our students will be significant.”

LEARN MORE Watch more about the new initiative at okla.st/interact.

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Treating Rhino

Department head’s pet cat responds well to focused ultrasound treatment

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reating your boss’s pet for cancer might be nerve-racking for some, but for Ashish Ranjan, BVSc, Ph.D., Kerr Foundation Endowed Chair, and professor in the Department of Physiological Sciences at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, it’s all in a day’s work.

Seven years ago, Ranjan established a high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) program in the college. The program continues to grow, and with grant support from several entities including Petco, Ranjan’s team continues to recruit dogs and cats suffering from cancer for their clinical trials. His latest patient is Rhino, a gray and white tuxedo cat owned by Dr. Martin Furr, professor and head of Dr. Ranjan’s department at the veterinary college.

“Rhino is about 9 years old. We’ve had him since he was about 2 weeks old,” Furr said. “When our cat got sick, we noticed a mass in his leg that we didn’t understand. It was finally diagnosed as a tumor in the muscle.

There were very few options available to us either for palliative care or curative. I talked to Dr. Ranjan about his research techniques and would this be a tumor that maybe would respond to this experimental treatment. We thought maybe so and decided to give it a try.”

The results have been positive.

“He’s done very well,” Furr said.

“The first treatment you wouldn’t even know that anything had happened. The second treatment he was a little sore, had a little reaction, but so far, he’s done really well. The tumor has shrunk in size quite dramatically.”

Ranjan’s team uses an ultrasound imaging transducer to locate the tumor and set boundaries for treatment or a region of interest. Using an image screen that shows the cancerous mass, his team administers treatment to that region using the built-in therapeutic HIFU system. In patients with advanced stages of cancers, HIFU is combined with chemotherapies and novel nanoparticles to improve outcomes.

Focused ultrasound treatment is noninvasive, non-toxic and safe for the patient.

“I think the thing that surprised me the most about the HIFU treatment was how little reaction there was after the fact,” Furr said. “After the first treatment, he didn’t have any pain and actually felt better than before. He did have some degree of reactivity and soreness the second time but that’s actually been quite minimal so that’s the biggest surprise.”

If other pet owners have dogs or cats with cancer or non-healing chronic wounds, Dr. Furr suggests considering HIFU. “Don’t hesitate to investigate new modalities, new treatments and options,” he said. “Contact us and try to talk with Dr. Ranjan and other faculty here at Oklahoma State’s College of Veterinary Medicine who are trying to work in those areas and see what’s out there. Make an informed decision about what might be able to be done for your pet and don’t just give up. You can do a lot sometimes, and this is a good example.”

WATCH MORE See Dr. Martin Furr discuss Rhino and his treatment at okla.st/rhino.

Dr. Danielle Dugat and her team work on treating Rhino the cat.

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 43

Unifying Health OSU Veterinary College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine partner in research to benefit companion animals and people

between Oklahoma AStateNEW PARTNERSHIP University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine may herald new treatments for cancer patients, both humans and animals.

At the core of the one-health research partnership between Einstein and the CVM are Ashish Ranjan, BVSc, Ph.D., and Chandan Guha, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. Ranjan, a professor and Kerr Foundation Endowed Chair in the Department of Physiological Sciences, leads the Nanomedicine and Targeted Therapy Laboratory at the CVM. His lab conducts cancer-related research, and he treats dogs and cats who have cancer.

Located in the Bronx, New York, Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school where Guha is vice chair of radiation oncology and a professor of radiation oncology, pathology and urology. He has been doing cancer biology research for 25 years at Einstein and treats cancer patients with a variety of radiotherapy approaches.

Ranjan and Guha spearheaded the agreement, said Dr. Carlos Risco, OSU CVM dean.

“They were familiar with each other’s work and as researchers often do, they communicated and started

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asking how can we share faculty expertise, institutional resources and what would the funding trends look like?”

Risco said. “About a year ago, Drs. Ranjan and Jerry Malayer, our associate dean of research, and I met with Dr. Guha in New York City. We talked about partnering and sharing experiences and what this would look like. I envisioned this partnership to develop new therapeutic approaches, drugs and devices for oncology. And also exciting about this partnership was that we had an opportunity to look into other areas — infectious, emerging and zoonotic diseases.

“This is the quintessential team science approach to advance research. This cross disciplinary science approach combines team members’ strengths, experience and institutional resources for a common research endeavor,” Risco said. “This method will accelerate scientific innovation and help translate research findings into therapeutic approaches that will ultimately help both animal and human patients.”

“This collaboration with Einstein depicts the One Health initiative, which focuses on the fact that animal, human and environmental health are intricately connected,” said Jerry Malayer, Ph.D., associate dean of research and graduate education at the veterinary college. “There are programs at

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON, JTORRESPHOTO.COM / ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AND ANNA DUDKOVA / UNSPLASH

“This collaboration with Einstein depicts the One Health initiative, which focuses on the fact that animal, human and environmental health are intricately connected.�

DR. JERRY MALAYER

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 45

GUHA

Einstein and programs at the CVM that overlap in some key ways. For example, the mechanisms of disease processes may be similar in a dog as in a person. We might find something that benefits both and thereby advance public health. The opportunity to talk and network to identify these opportunities is important to both institutions. Things that benefit the human population can also affect the animal population in a positive way and vice versa.

“Both Ranjan and Guha are funded in part by the National Institutes of Health. They met through their connections at NIH and with other folks in the field. Over the past year, they talked about potential collaboration, visited each other’s facilities and before you know it, we’re talking about institutional partnerships. Agreements like this help lower the barriers for people to do quality work.”

Ranjan said his lab and Guha work in similar areas.

“Thus, we discussed ways to collaborate such that we investigate them first in the veterinary patient and then eventually take those to the human setting at their institution,” Ranjan said.

“The only way we can solve complex disease problems is to learn from nature,” Guha said. “Using a mouse model is not real life; there are no risk factors involved. In real life, we have a competition between our defense mechanisms, which prevents the mutated cell or cancer cell to express itself, versus the cancer cell trying to overcome the defense mechanisms of the body and grow.”

Dr. Edward Burns, executive dean and professor of pathology and medicine at Einstein, said, “We’ve cured every cancer in mice. Mice need not fear cancer. What this new partnership will do is investigate cure rates in veterinary patients that develop cancers spontaneously. Such patients are closer to humans and thus, are translationally relevant.

That’s where the potential payoff could be in the long run and makes this collaboration exciting.”

“I was looking to connect cancer centers with comparative oncology capability,” Guha said. “OSU is currently doing outstanding work for that. I was very fortunate to meet Dr. Ashish Ranjan in one of the ultrasound meetings. We became mutual admirers. … Dr. Ranjan has single-handedly given ultrasound a special meaning in veterinary medicine. He has been doing pioneering work using ultrasound to treat tumors non-invasively and without resection.

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“The collaboration between our college, which is an NIHdesignated cancer center in humans, and the OSU veterinary college that is treating cancers in companion pets is a natural partnership. For medical schools like Einstein, which are doing cutting-edge research, this brings a great opportunity to study the natural causes of cancer and how to treat them as well as look at other areas (such as) the degenerative conditions of the bones and joints or neurodegenerative conditions. These opportunities will open up as we move forward, which will benefit society. It’s a win-win for all sides.”

“Current projects in my lab are mainly centered on optimizing focused ultrasound treatment parameters and how they can be combined with nanoparticle immune adjuvants to improve outcomes in pre-clinical and clinical cancer settings,” Ranjan said. “… Our partnership with Einstein will enhance our research experiences and help develop therapeutic protocols that will benefit the veterinary and human patient populations.”

“Ultrasound is a very interesting energy,” Guha said. “You have very low energy ultrasound, which you use for getting the baby pictures or diagnostic ultrasound. Then you have very high energy ultrasound, which causes almost charring; it’s instantaneous, and within five seconds the tumor is dead. Our group has been working on a spectrum in the middle. Our research has shown that we can create an in situ vaccine by using ultrasound. In other words, we can turn on mechanisms within the tumor which will essentially help the

ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

tumor to be cleared using the body’s own defense system of the immune system.”

Ranjan’s lab is at the forefront of focused ultrasound and nanomedicine-based immunotherapy research.

“We have made significant inroads and findings that are aiding researchers in this field of research to understand how device-directed medicines influence a patient’s ability to cure tumors,” he said. “Einstein has top-notch investigators in cancer immunotherapy. We are of interest to Einstein’s ongoing effort because partnering with us allows them to quickly translate their bench to bedside research into actual practice. We are also unique in our ability to make clinically relevant nanoparticles and can act as a direct source of those to Einstein.”

“It’s not just what Ashish and I do, but it opens the opportunity to many,” said Guha. “Einstein has very established investigators, who are doing fundamental immunology research and would be very happy to collaborate. I’m really grateful for both Dean Gordon Tomaselli and Executive Dean Edward Burns at Einstein and Dean Carlos Risco at OSU CVM for giving us the opportunity to arrange this memorandum of agreement. Whether it’s neuroscience, orthopedic surgery or oncology, our institutions will always have an opportunity to work together for the benefit of our patients — patients in the cancer center at Einstein and patients in OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital.”

“We appreciate the canine owners’ motivation and support in letting their pets be enrolled in our clinical trials. This is

LEARN MORE Watch more about the partnership at okla.st/einstein.

helping us understand the feasibility of our technologies in actual clinical case scenarios,” Ranjan said. “The findings will assist the medical institutions across the country to translate those for their own research and Einstein is a great example in that regard. I think this partnership is a great beginning.

OSU is perfectly positioned to help medical institutions to improve the way we treat cancers, and we invite them to partner with us. Our past efforts and extramural funding including those from Petco, Focused Ultrasound Foundation and the National Institutes of Health have helped expand the one-health mission, which recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment, and we hope this initiative will strengthen it further.”

“This partnership is a unique opportunity for the participating institutions to improve animal and human health through the development of therapeutic approaches, drugs and devices,” Risco said. “This agreement between the respective colleges will advance research activities and productivities by faculty collaborating like Drs. Ranjan and Guha have done. Ultimately, I see not only our faculty but the citizens of Oklahoma, this nation and the world benefitting through this initiative. We have a wonderful record of solving evolving societal issues and in this case of advancing the knowledge in therapy, diagnosis and research of oncology.

With this partnership, we have the opportunity to expand it further in the areas of infectious, emerging, and zoonotic diseases and maybe in other areas as well going forward. It is very gratifying for Oklahoma State University, in particular the College of Veterinary Medicine, that a world-renowned research institution like Albert Einstein College of Medicine recognizes the impactful research that our college does and then to say, ‘we want to partner with them. We want to join forces with them so that we can advance our own discovery and research.’ I applaud all faculty in our college for their dedication to advance research, teaching and service and I’m grateful to Einstein for providing us the opportunity to partner.”

RANJAN

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 47

A Mystery Gift OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital receives $400,000 from an anonymous donor

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ifts come in all sizes from all sources — even from mystery donors. The Veterinary Medical Hospital at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine had the fortune to receive an anonymous contribution of $400,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have an ongoing wish list of needs at the hospital. If someone asks how they can help, we usually hand them part of that list so they can select what matters most to them,” said Dr. Jeff Studer, hospital director and board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. “The hospital opened nearly 40 years ago in 1981. Equipment doesn’t last forever, and advances in veterinary medicine require us to constantly upgrade. At their request, we provided a list of items that would have the greatest impact on the greatest number of small animal patients. I never imagined someone would donate the money to cover ALL the items we suggested.”

Thanks to this generous gift, the following upgrades will be made at OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital: Holmium Yag Laser — Percutaneous laser disk ablation (PLDA)

is a minimally invasive procedure developed at the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine to help prevent intervertebral disk rupture in dogs that have previously experienced intervertebral disk disease (often described as disk rupture). During the procedure, small needles guided by fluoroscopy are placed through the skin into the spine. Laser energy is then delivered to the intervertebral disk via optic fibers passed through the needle, destroying the central disk material and resulting in a 96 percent efficacy in preventing recurrence of disk rupture.

Telemetry Unit — Telemetry is vital to patient monitoring. It

provides continuous ECG monitoring for many different conditions treated within our CCU. The current aging unit requires frequent repairs and needs to be replaced.

Portable Ultrasound Unit — Ultrasound is a mainstay in care.

Almost every patient in the hospital’s small animal critical care unit receives one or more ultrasound exams for diagnostic and monitoring purposes. The current ultrasound unit is nearing its end of useful life and needs frequent repairs.

Oxygen Cage — Oxygen cages are essential to critical care in

veterinary medicine. Oxygen cages allow veterinarians to increase the oxygen in the animal’s entire environment, which is critical to many conditions treated at OSU’s veterinary hospital. With almost constant use, these cages age quickly. This donation will replace the oldest oxygen cage.

Fluid Pumps — IV fluid pumps are used on almost every ICU patient.

With almost constant use on all patients, we need to replace numerous pumps.

Mindray Passport Cageside Patient Monitor — These state of-the-art patient monitors are currently used in our small animal CCU to provide exceptional patient care. The CCU needs two additional units to ensure that all patients receive the best monitoring technology available.

STUDER

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Lobby and Exam Room Remodel — Our nearly 40-year-old lobby

and small animal exam rooms no longer portray the level of excellence we provide in patient care. While the full scope of a remodel is not yet complete, we estimate it will cost nearly $250,000 to update the lobby and all small animal exam rooms.

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON

“This donation will help our team save lives by upgrading essential equipment and technologies allowing us to provide our patients with gold standard medical care. This gift also gives future veterinarians the opportunity to be educated on cutting-edge technology.”

TORIE GARNATZ, TECHNICIAN SUPERVISOR

“The Ho:YAG laser is a piece of equipment that can truly help improve the lives of our pets,” said Dr. Danielle Dugat, Cohn Family Chair for Small Animal Care and associate professor of small animal surgery at the veterinary hospital. “The expense of the Ho:YAG laser can be a big hindrance to performing PLDA procedures. We are thankful to have the opportunity to continue to perform such advanced procedures on our patients. We perform approximately 60 PLDAs per year. This generous donation significantly helps us to be able to maintain our ability to offer the procedure to our veterinary patients and train other veterinary specialists on the procedure.”

“This donation will help our team save lives by upgrading essential equipment and technologies allowing us to provide our patients with gold standard medical care,” said Torie Garnatz, BS, RVT, VTS (ECC), technician supervisor in the hospital’s Kirkpatrick Foundation Small Animal Critical Care Unit. “This gift also gives future veterinarians the opportunity to be educated on cutting-edge technology.”

“When these generous donors informed us that they were going to provide such a significant gift, I was overwhelmed with joy for our team,” Studer said. “Their belief in the vision for our hospital is both exciting and humbling, especially during these uncertain times. It is a testament to the great work that our team does every single day of the year, even in the midst of a pandemic. The unwavering generosity from these grateful clients is truly inspiring.”

TO DONATE To support veterinary medicine at Oklahoma State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, contact Ashley Hesser, assistant director of development with the OSU Foundation, at ahesser@osugiving.com or 405-385-0715.

Using patient Jedi, Dr. Danielle Dugat, associate professor of small animal surgery, instructs veterinary student Heather Bliss how to find a dog’s bladder with the new ultrasound unit.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 49

KEEPING IN TOUCH

Greetings from the Alumni Society Dear OSU CVM Alumni and Friends, It is my pleasure to greet you on behalf of the Alumni Society. I hope you are well and getting through this crazy year!

OSU veterinarians have a strong and unique bond, unlike any other veterinary college. The OSU CVM Alumni Society is here to celebrate and enhance that bond.

Our OSU CVM Alumni Society group on Facebook has been lifting my spirits. If you have not joined, please do.

Please invite your schoolmates and faculty. We share current events, job postings, seek advice and, of course, reminisce about our school days.

I look forward to eventually being able to see my OSU friends face to face. It’s always so nice to catch up. Did you know that the Alumni Society helps fund the alumni receptions at national conferences? We would love to expand to more conferences in the future. We also have big ideas for more alumni gatherings. For example, it has been proposed to have Homecoming festivities and tailgating.

But to do that, we need your support.

Please consider joining the OSU Alumni Association if you haven’t already. Funding for our CVM Alumni Society is based on our Alumni Association membership numbers. More funds will lead to more alumni connections. More alumni connections lead to more good times and great memories!

I have enjoyed serving on the board and look forward to my term as president. It has been a great excuse to visit Stillwater more often and remember some of the best times and best people I will ever know.

Go Pokes!

Beth Stropes, DVM (Class of 1997) President, OSU CVM Alumni Society

Help move our students toward Life Memberships Dear Colleagues, During 2020, we have all seen many changes. We watched with pride as our faculty and staff at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory and College of Veterinary Medicine stepped up to help with COVID-19 testing and found ways for our students to continue their education without delay. We recognize the importance of continuing to communicate with each other and support OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, especially now.

The OSU Alumni Association introduced a new membership model this summer that credits all membership payments toward a Life Membership. Members of our Alumni Society Executive Board and our Alumni Affairs specialist have worked together to build a program that allows alumni to help move students toward a Life

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Membership to deepen their pride and love for OSU through a lifelong connection. Find more information about the CVM Alumni Life Memberships for Students program at ORANGECONNECTION.org/cvm.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me or our Executive Board.

Stay safe and Go Pokes!

Kim Morey, DVM (Class of 1990) Past President, OSU CVM Alumni Society

The College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Board is excited to announce its commitment to proudly lead all current CVM students to their own lifelong connection with the university we all love.

Get involved at

Remembering Dr. Margaret Clark

25 years after OKC bombing, daughter reflects on the mother she lost — and how she followed in her footsteps

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n 2020, such things as anniversaries often took a back seat to ever-changing current events. The pandemic forced some memorial events — such as commemorating the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City — to downsize or even go completely virtual.

The April 19, 1995 bombing took 168 lives, injured hundreds more, and changed the lives of thousands. One of those lives changed was that of Rosslyn Biggs, DVM, beef cattle extension specialist and director of continuing education at Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. She lost her mother —Margaret “Peggy” Clark (OSU DVM 1978) — in the bombing. Dr. Clark was a veterinarian for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which was housed in the Murrah building.

“I think one of her greatest strengths, of course, is as a mom. I probably recognize that now more as I am a mom,” Biggs said. “Just being there for her family at all times and putting us first, encouraging us to do our best.

“As far as a veterinarian, I think she was a really strong, capable veterinarian. There were not that many female veterinarians in that graduation class range, and so she was a great example for all veterinarians and in particular female veterinarians of doing a great job and kind of pushing the boundaries in some ways.”

Biggs followed in her mother’s footsteps and earned her DVM degree from OSU in 2004. As a child, Biggs went with Dr. Clark on calls fairly regularly.

“For me, it was a great example of what I wanted to be when I grew up. A bit of an idol for kids who wanted to be veterinarians, she was working in a field that she loved and really embracing the profession and all the diversity that can come with the profession,” she said. “I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian as a little kid. I actually have a picture of me as an infant in an OSU Vet Med onesie, so it was very early in life when I made that decision.”

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. ROSSLYN BIGGS AND PHIL SHOCKLEY

“I want folks to know about my mom. I want folks to remember those who were lost on April 19 — all those who were lost and all those who were impacted on that day.”

DR. ROSSLYN BIGGS

Biggs’ mother encouraged her interest.

“She involved us with veterinary medicine,” she said. “We regularly tagged along to various Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association meetings. She served on the board of examiners as well. I remember going to that office and watching her take care of those responsibilities too.”

While Clark knew her daughter — in her midteens in 1995 — wanted to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, she didn’t really offer any advice on surviving veterinary college.

“As far as veterinary school itself, [she offered] no specific advice other than to really go out and do whatever you chose to do and do it well — do it with 100 percent effort and be passionate about your work,” Biggs said.

Still, her mother’s influence was a lasting one.

“One of my favorite memories about her and veterinary medicine is her introducing me to Dr. Brian Espe (OSU DVM 1961),” Dr. Biggs said. “He was one of my mother’s mentors and later he hired her to work for the USDA. That’s one of my bridging memories because he later served as a mentor for me and encouraged me along that path as well at one point.”

Initially, Clark worked in an equine practice for Dr. Bill Foster (OSU CVM 1968) in the Norman area. She was also involved in her husband’s family’s running horse operation before going to work for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture and then for Blue Ribbon Downs as its racetrack test veterinarian. She followed that with teaching at a community college and at Career Tech before going to the USDA. “I want folks to know about my mom. I want folks to remember those who were lost on April 19 — all those who were lost and all those who were impacted on that day,” Biggs said. “The one thing that I think is important as far as her legacy goes from a veterinary profession standpoint is setting the standard for me to compare my work, to do the best for your family and to enjoy life. I think that for my family, my dad and my two sisters, Blayne and Chelsea, it means a lot that anyone takes the time to remember. Certainly Oklahomans do. Our friends from our various activities across the nation take the time, too. It’s just a little piece that shows she’s still here with us, and her legacy lives on with me, my sisters and her grandchildren.”

WATCH MORE See Dr. Rosslyn Biggs recount memories of her mother, Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Clark, who was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing: okla.st/ clark.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 53

OVMA AND OSU The OVMA has been recognizing outstanding veterinarians since 1980.

Of the 41 veterinarians honored by the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association, 35 (85 percent) have been alumni or faculty members of the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

OSU alumni continue to be very active in the OVMA. Dr. Gary Stone (OSU CVM ’78) was awarded the group’s Volunteer of the Year, and Dr. Jennifer Schoonover, (OSU CVM ’00), is serving as its president this year.

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2020 Oklahoma Veterinarian of the Year

S

ince she was a young girl, Rosemarie Strong, DVM, originally from Oklahoma City, dreamed of being a veterinarian.

“I enjoyed science and animals, and I put the two together,” said Dr. Strong, a small animal veterinarian for 26 years at Memorial Road Pet Hospital in Edmond, Oklahoma. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was 7.”

In January, Strong received the 2020 Oklahoma Veterinarian of the Year award from the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association.

“It was a very humbling experience,” she said.

“There is no way I would be where I am today if not for family, friends, colleagues and classmates. It’s a team award. I think about my time at Oklahoma State. I am so grateful that I have led the path that I have and that it’s brought me to this practice. It meant a lot to me, and I felt I was receiving this award not only for me but for all the people who had an influence on my life and on my career.”

Many people had an impact on Strong’s life, especially her mother and sister with their hard work and determination.

“I was born here but everyone else in my family was born in South America,” she said. “My sister had polio, and my mother brought the family over from Columbia, South America. For her to overcome all that — learning a new language, going through the treatment process my sister had to endure for polio and seeing my sister fight through that was really an inspiration to me. I am grateful for them.”

She is also grateful to Drs. Wade Lyon (OSU CVM ’54) and Gary Nida (OSU CVM ’73).

“They were great mentors at Portland Veterinary Hospital (in Oklahoma City) when I was in high school. Dr. Neal Atkinson in South Carolina was a huge influence on my career, and I’m thankful for the five years he gave me there. Dr. Larry Woods has impacted veterinary medicine in Oklahoma with his leadership, his influence in the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association and his involvement with Southwest Veterinary Symposium. I have been able to watch him work so hard in those areas over the years and then watch him build this practice that is still here today.”

STORY AND PHOTO DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR

Strong earned her DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1989.

Following graduation, Strong practiced small animal veterinary medicine at Dr. Atkinson’s Shandon-Wood Animal Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. Five years later, she returned home and eventually joined Memorial Road Pet Hospital.

A life member of the OSU Alumni Association, she participates in class reunions, served on the Dean’s Development Associates, and is extremely active in organized veterinary medicine.

She also finds time to work with the Guardian Angels dog program at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McLoud, Oklahoma.

“Dr. John Otto (OSU CVM ’90) is a very convincing colleague,” Strong said, smiling. “He has worked with the Department of Corrections and the dog program for years. I give him a lot of credit for his work and his vision. He wanted to start a program at Mabel Bassett and asked me if I would volunteer to come in and work with the lady prisoners, answer their questions and talk about the medical side of what they would be doing with the dogs. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. The prisoner learns an occupation and has a chance to work with the animals and have compassion and patience that may have been taken away from them within the prison environment. It’s a win for the dogs. People have given up on some of these dogs, and they don’t want to work with them anymore, they don’t have the patience. And then also, the person, family or organization adopting this dog out of the program — it benefits everyone, and we’re so excited about this work!”

Dr. Strong offered her advice for future veterinarians.

“Remember, it is determination. It’s not the smartest people or the people with the most money.

It’s not the people with the most influence. It’s the people with the most determination. They know what they want to do. They go after it, and they work hard. No one ever said it was easy. It just takes a lot of determination and hard work if you are considering a career in veterinary medicine.”

WATCH MORE Dr. Rosemarie Strong reflects on being named the 2020 Oklahoma Veterinarian of the Year at okla.st/ strong.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 55

Learning in a Pandemic

Healey offers his observations in Class of 1963 Distinguished Lecture via Zoom

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STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. BURKE HEALEY

“Since the onset of COVID-19, we have seen COVID issues in companion animals, wildlife and zoo animals, livestock health, animal diagnostics and testing, obviously our workers’ safety and health, and of course, environmental health.”

DR. BURKE HEALEY

L

ike so many things this year, the pandemic forced the College of Veterinary Medicine’s 2020 Fall Veterinary Conference to go virtual.

And to kick off that virtual conference, Burke Healey, DVM, U.S. chief veterinary officer and veterinary services deputy administrator with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, delivered the Class of 1963 Distinguished Lecture via Zoom.

During his presentation titled “The Unexplained and Unknown: COVID-19,” Dr. Healey addressed the role of veterinarians in an unfolding, ongoing pandemic regarding animal production, the lessons learned from a previous avian influenza outbreak, and the significance of innovation in American agriculture.

Healey said One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach that works at local, regional, national and global levels studying the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. Its complex problems require whole system approaches to identify the elements, see relationships and patterns, identify potential root causes of problems and determine the best course of action.

“The benefit of the One Health approach is to allow us to adapt to a changing landscape, strengthen our detection, our preparedness and our response capabilities,” Healey said. “Certainly no one of us is as smart as all of us together.”

The USDA serves as the leading American animal health agency and works with partners at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Interior, other federal agencies, the states, the tribes and industry and commodity partners. Many agencies within the USDA address One Health concerns, including animal plant health inspection services, agriculture research, foreign agriculture service and the food safety inspection services.

“Partnerships allow us to work together in the zoonotic disease challenges in the United States and establish a vision and road map for implementing our strategies for disease

surveillance, response preparedness, workforce prevention and control activities,” Healey said.

“Information sharing among our partners is critical and probably the biggest challenge we face.

Historically when we do our after-action reports, communication is the key issue that will help us do better in the future.

“Since the onset of COVID-19, we have seen COVID issues in companion animals, wildlife and zoo animals, livestock health, animal diagnostics and testing, obviously our workers’ safety and health, and of course, environmental health.

“One notable issue was the swine backlog.

When pork processing plants began to close down, there was no place for the hogs to go. We had to look for ways to help them mitigate including sending them directly to rendering, backing off feed to decrease how fast the pigs were growing, disposing of animals locally and setting up protocols to help keep workers safe. Ultimately we were able to minimize the impact but it wasn’t done without that collaboration and everybody sharing information.”

Healey shared detailed information on lessons learned from the avian influenza outbreak between December 2014 and June 2015 and how that helped with an outbreak during COVID-19 that affected three turkey premises. He also spoke about the innovative thinking that introduced the use of above-ground burials where a combination of composting and burial is used in a small trench.

Another innovation he mentioned involved using gene sequencing to predict if an avian influenza strain could turn into a highly pathogenic strain.

“Keeping everybody in the loop when you’re in a fast-moving environment is extremely challenging,” he said. “However, the keys to success in an outbreak are communication plans for the proper flow of information, response plans and associated exercises to help map your direction and finally, having trained state, federal and industry personnel who are organized to assist in these situations.”

Healey, who was named to his position at the USDA in 2019, earned his DVM in 1984 from Oklahoma State University.

SEE MORE Watch Dr. Burke Healey’s presentation at okla.st/ 63lecture2020.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 57

Three named 2020 Distinguished Alumni OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni are Drs. Craig Jones, Herbert Justus and George Renison These individuals have enhanced the reputation of the college by distinguishing themselves in their careers, making significant contributions to their community, state and nation.

They exemplify the loyalty, passion and innovation found in all dedicated graduates from our college.

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DR. CRAIG JONES

Craig Jones, DVM, of Cleburne, Texas, owns the Northside Animal Clinic in Cleburne. He earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1989.

Originally from Comanche, Oklahoma, Jones attended Southwest Oklahoma State University on a rodeo scholarship to complete his pre-veterinary requirements. He moved to Stillwater and attended class part-time and worked parttime at the veterinary college’s animal resources lab until he was accepted into the DVM program. Finances were tight, and thanks to an anonymous donor who gave Jones $15,000 toward his education and books, he completed his degree and vowed to repay that generosity one day.

Jones worked at a mixed animal veterinary practice in northern New Mexico before moving to Cleburne in 1990 to join a primarily dairy and equine veterinary practice. Two years later, Jones bought the practice, which has grown into a companion animal clinic with a small percentage of horse, swine, sheep and goat work.

Jones is active in his community, serving as a member of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Posse for more than 15 years, on the Johnson County Livestock and Agriculture Association Board for 13 years and as a past member of the Cleburne Animal Shelter Advisory Board. He is also a toplevel sponsor for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Johnson County. He gives back to his alma mater by serving on the OSU Foundation Board of Governors, the College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Society Executive Board, and the Dean’s Development Associates at the veterinary college.

As his practice grew, Jones made good on his promise to repay his generous financial gift, creating the Dr. Craig and Stephanie Jones Endowed Scholarship. The annual scholarship goes to a deserving veterinary student who demonstrates financial need. He was also instrumental in establishing a Class of 1989 Scholarship to assist veterinary students.

Dr. Jones is married to Stephanie Capps Jones. They have two daughters, Lauren and Lindsey. Lauren is following in her father’s footsteps and is in her second year of veterinary college at OSU.

STORY DERINDA BLAKENEY, APR | PHOTOS COURTESY

DR. HERBERT JUSTUS

Herbert A. Justus, DVM, of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, graduated from the veterinary college in 1956.

He has given much to the profession and his community throughout the years.

Following his graduation with honors, Justus served two years in the U.S. Army as a food safety officer at Fort Knox, Kentucky. From 1960 to 2008, he owned and operated four veterinary hospitals in North Carolina. He also served 10 years on the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Board, a governor-appointed position, two terms as vice president and one term as president. In 1988, the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association honored him for his service with the Distinguished Veterinarian Award.

At age 80 in 2009, Justus accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a public health veterinarian for the Food Safety Inspection Service at the Tyson plant in Vienna, Georgia. He retired in 2017.

Throughout his career, Justus was active in organized veterinary medicine serving as president of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association in 1993. He also served as president and all chairs of the North Carolina Continuing Education Academy and the Western North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. He was a founding member of the Western North Carolina Emergency Clinic.

Justus also supported his community by serving on the County Commission for Henderson County for two elected terms. During his tenure, he established the county’s first Emergency Medical Service, which became a model for the state. He is also a Rotary International member. Justus generously shared his knowledge and expertise mentoring many young veterinarians including Dr. John Freeman (OSU CVM ’64), past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association and OSU CVM Distinguished Alumnus (’00). Justus is credited with being the first veterinarian in western North Carolina to perform back surgery that allowed paralyzed animals to walk again. He diagnosed the first case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in a dog and published an article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association about a dog suffering from seizures.

Dr. Justus is married to Jane Ann Erwin Justus. They have seven children and 14 grandchildren.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 59

DR. GEORGE RENISON

An Oklahoma native, George Renison, DVM, MS, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, of Custer City, Oklahoma, earned his DVM degree from the college in 1988.

Following graduation, Renison entered the U.S. Army and completed the requirements for a master’s degree from OSU. Later, he earned a master’s of public health degree from the University of Minnesota and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine.

Renison served as a deputy surgeon for U.S. Army Central Command and Coalition Forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, overseeing medical operations and detainee ops medical support. During Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he deployed to classified bases to ensure food safety and public health. He also tended to animal care and assisted with water safety and quality, vaccination programs and cholera camps.

Stateside, Renison participated in training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Moody Air Force Base, Georgia; and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He was also assigned to Heidelberg, Germany, where he deployed veterinary teams to Albania and Macedonia. He directed food safety, facility sanitary programs and animal medical support for all Army, Navy, Air Force and Department of Defense agencies in the EUCOM theater. In 1999, he returned to the United States to serve as commander for the Southeast Regional Veterinary Command, where he was responsible for providing comprehensive military veterinary support including food safety, veterinary preventive medicine and animal health care to all Department of Defense installations throughout the district. Renison continued his service in a variety of roles until he retired as a colonel in 2013.

Renison’s military awards include the Order of Military Medical Merit Badge, awarded to the top 10 percent of Army medical officers, and the Army Surgeon General “A” Proficiency for Veterinary Medicine. He also earned a Bronze Star for combat operations and the Legion of Merit, the second-highest U.S. peacetime award for his outstanding service and support.

He and his wife, Cheryl Ann Renison, have two children and two granddaughters. Renison helps his father and brother with a cattle ranch in western Oklahoma.

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PHOTO GARY LAWSON

IN MEMORIAM

Jimmie Utah Baldwin, DVM, of Chelsea, Oklahoma, died Dec. 31, 2019. He was 81.

Dr. Biles is survived by his wife, Carol Biles; son, David Biles (Janie); daughter, Heather Artman (Darin); and five grandchildren.

Born in Claremore, Oklahoma, he earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1969. He worked at racetracks around the country, including Belmont, Saratoga, Aqueduct, Hialeah, Will Rogers Downs, Remington Park and Fair Meadows. His clients included Secretariat and Riva Ridge. He also owned five veterinary clinics throughout Oklahoma including in Skiatook, Collinsville, Tulsa, Blackwell, and Warr Acres.

Memorial donations may be made to the Purcell FFA, 2020 W. Green Ave., Purcell, OK 73080.

Dr. Baldwin served 13 years in the Army National Guard as a captain. He was a bull rider and calf roper and a butcher for Safeway. He had his pilot’s license and owned a Cessna 182 plane. For 47 years, he sponsored the annual OSU Jim Baldwin Equine Award, which recognized a veterinary student as Best Horseman of the Year.

Dr. Baldwin was an American Endurance Ride Conference rider and veterinarian. During his 28 years with the AERC, he served on several committees. In 2019, he received the National Hall of Fame Award and Central Region Lifetime Achieving Award. He was also Central Region Heavy Weight National Champion three times.

In 2018, Dr. Baldwin was diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, a progressive muscle disorder.

He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Janet Baldwin, daughter Lisa Baldwin, one granddaughter, three brothers and two sisters. Memorial donations may be made to the Jim Baldwin Tevis Memorial Fund at www.gofundme.com.

Source: The Baldwin Family

Donald Roy Biles, DVM, 86, of Norman, Oklahoma, died April 12, 2020. He grew up on a ranch near Madill, Oklahoma, and was a lifelong cattleman. He earned a degree in animal husbandry from OSU and entered the U.S. Air Force, serving with the Strategic Air Command as B-47 pilot. Following his military service, he entered veterinary college, paying for it by flying the RF84 in the Air Guard and crop dusting in the summer. He earned his DVM degree from OSU in 1968.

Following graduation, Dr. Biles established his practice at Westwood Veterinary Hospital in Norman. He purchased his headquarters ranch in 1971 and developed his Beefmaster operation.

Dr. Biles served as a board member, vice president and president of Central States BBU and vice president and president of Beefmaster Breeders Union from 1992 to 1996.

He was named the Norman Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Businessman of the Year in 1992 and inducted into the BBU Hall of Fame in 2010.

Source: Havenbrook Funeral Home

Samuel Forrest Cheesman, DVM, 87, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, died May 30, 2020. Born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he grew up on a cattle ranch, where weekly visits from a veterinarian inspired his career. He earned his DVM degree from OSU in 1958.

He married Phyllis Wright and moved to Pine Bluff.

In 1961, Dr. Cheesman and David Breshears, DVM (OSU CVM ’61) started Oak Park Animal Hospital, which resulted in the longest veterinary partnership in the state — 48 years. The practice included large and small animals. Both vets became very involved in horse racing, owning about 20 thoroughbreds in partnership with other veterinarians, doctors and dentists.

Dr. Cheesman was very active in the Arkansas Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). He was a past Arkansas Veterinarian of the year and past president of the AVMA. He retired in 2015.

At Grace Episcopal Church, he served as a lay reader, Eucharistic minister and Vestry member. He was an avid bridge player, having started while a member of OSU’s FarmHouse Fraternity.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis Cheesman; son, Allen Cheesman; a sister, nephew and brother-in-law. He is survived by his daughters, Bea and Cara (Jeff) and six grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 4101 S. Hazel St., Pine Bluff, AR 71603 or the Jefferson County Humane Society, P.O. Box 2233, Pine Bluff, AR 71613.

Source: The Sentinel-Record

James Cook, DVM, Ph.D., Dipl. ACVP, of San Antonio, died Sept. 10, 2020. At age 96, he was the last surviving member of the class of 1951, the first graduating class of the then-Oklahoma A&M School of Veterinary Medicine.

Born in Eureka, Kansas, he grew up in Kansas and Oklahoma, graduating from Wyandotte (Oklahoma) High School. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served four years. An airplane mechanic in the South Pacific, he flew supplies into battle zones and carried out wounded. During his World War II service, he met and married Muriel Beason.

After the war, he attended college and served in the Department of Pathology from 1951 to 1953.

In 1953, he returned to the military in the U.S. Air Force and rose to lieutenant colonel before retiring in 1969. He was officer in charge of the animal colony and the lab’s chief pathologist at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. He traveled to Cameroon to purchase 20 baby chimpanzees for the space program. Two of his chimps, Ham and Enos, traveled into space before John Glenn orbited the Earth. He finished his military service at Walter Reed Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. Dr. Cook then started his second career as a professor at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine, becoming head of the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology and director of Animal Resources. After 20 years, he retired at age 65.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Muriel, his parents, and his brother, Charles Edwin Cook. Dr. Cook is survived by daughters, Ardis Hutchins of Madison, Wisconsin, and Nixie Ritter of Colorado Springs, Colorado; sons, James Mitchell Cook of Houston and Randy Cook of Reading, Michigan; one brother, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be made to the James E. and Muriel F. Cook Endowment for Veterinary Medicine Fund at the Kansas State University Foundation, 1800 Kimball Ave, No. 200, Manhattan, KS 66502.

Source: Manhattan Mercury

James Edward Creed, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, of St. George, Utah, a former OSU faculty member, died Nov. 8, 2020, at age 87. Born in rural Atchison County, Missouri, he graduated from Fairfax High School. He married Jayne Headley in 1953.

He was in the Air Force ROTC for four years while he earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Missouri (’54). After graduation, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Air Force, stationed in Ohio. They later returned to Missouri to farm.

Deciding farming wasn’t for him, he earned a DVM degree from the University of Missouri (’61) and began a successful career in veterinary academia. While at Colorado State University, he earned a master’s degree in veterinary surgery (’67) and became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (’74). Dr. Creed served as professor and chairman of the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery at the University of Missouri. He also served as assistant dean for service and director of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at Oklahoma State University. Following his retirement in 1999, the couple returned to Columbia, Missouri. In 2013, they moved to St. George to be closer to family.

A member of the Optimist International organization for many years, Dr. Creed served as a club president, lieutenant governor and governor of the Colorado-Wyoming District and as president of Optimist International in 1979-80. He was a

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member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. Dr. Creed also served on multiple veterinary association boards and as president of the Western Veterinary Conference.

this topic. In 1975, Dr. Fidler joined the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, leading the metastasis program at the Frederick Cancer Research Facility.

Dr. Creed is survived by his wife, Jayne; daughters, Joan (Ron) Harry, Joy (Dave) Beckstrand, Julie (Paul) Arslanian and Janet (Van) Crawford; 24 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

In 1983, Dr. Fidler joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a professor and founding chair of Cancer Biology, a department he led until 2008. He held the R.E. “Bob” Smith Distinguished Chair in Cell Biology and served as director of MD Anderson’s Cancer Metastasis Research Center and Metastasis Research Laboratory. In 2019, he retired.

Memorial gifts may be made to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, 407 Reynolds Alumni Center, Columbia, MO 65211.

Source: Pine View Mortuary

Shirley Thomas “Tom” Currin, DVM, 78, of Cary, North Carolina, died May 19, 2020.

Born in Oxford, North Carolina, he graduated from Oxford High School and studied pre-veterinary medicine at North Carolina State University. He earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1966.

After graduating, he married Jean McCulley and served stateside in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. After his military service, Dr. Currin worked in a small animal veterinary practice. He moved to Cary and joined classmate Dr. Dan Hudson at Mayfair Animal Hospital, where he practiced for years. Dr. Currin served as president of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association. He also volunteered with the Rotary Association.

In 1981, Dr. Currin married Judith Murphy Trogdon Currin. She survives him, as do his son, Alex Currin; daughter, Jennifer Currin-McCulloch; stepdaughter, Murphy Ayala (Trogdon); stepson, Curt Trogdon; and eight grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be made to Transitions LifeCare, Philanthropy Department, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607.

Source: Brown-Wynne Funeral Home

Isaiah “Josh” Fidler, DVM, Ph.D., died May 8, 2020, at his home in Houston.

He was born in Jerusalem on Dec. 4, 1936. His father, Pinchas Fidler, a renowned soccer player, died in Israel’s war of independence in 1948. After attending school and serving in the Israeli army, he came to Americ a to s tudy veterinar y medicine.

In 1963, he earned his veterinary medicine degree from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Fidler worked as a surgical oncologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, and in 1970 earned a doctorate in human pathology at the university’s School of Medicine. He studied metastasis when no one else was focusing on

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Dr. Fidler was a pioneer in understanding how cancer spreads to other organs and grows. His work exposed the origins of metastases (how these cells spread and thrive in other organs), the molecular diversity that makes them so hard to treat, and the crucial supporting role of their surrounding microenvironment. These discoveries proved the need for specific targets for metastatic cancer cells and showed why some treatments are less successful against metastatic disease.

Dr. Fidler was founding editor of Cancer and Metastasis Reviews and served as president of the American Association for Cancer Research and the International Society of Differentiation.

Dr. Fidler is survived by his wife, Margaret Kripke, Ph.D.; daughters, Morli Josza of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Katharine Kripke Tsela of Washington D.C.; brother and sister-in-law, Yaron and Talia Fidler; and grandchildren, Eden, Evan and Jake Josza.

Memorial gifts may be sent to MD Anderson (gifts. mdanderson.org).

SOURCE: Houston Chronicle

Susan C. Gardner, DVM, 73, of Huddleston, Virginia, died Jan. 20, 2020. She earned her DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1970, one of only four women in that class.

Dr. Gardner and her husband, Dr. Don Gardner (OSU DVM ’70) started Bedford Animal Hospital in 1971. She later worked as director of the state of Virginia’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Regional Diagnostic Laboratory in Lynchburg until she retired to her farm.

Dr. Gardner was a lifetime member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, serving as director for multiple years. She was a member of the Virginia Academy of Food Animal Practitioners and the American Association of Bovine Practitioners and a founding member of the Unity of the Seven Hills Church. She served on the Bedford County Farm Bureau’s board of directors and was chairwoman of its Women’s Committee for many years. In 2018, she received the bureau’s Distinguished Service Award.

Dr. Gardner is survived by her husband of 49 years, Don; sons, Andy (Katie) Gardner and Sam (Ashley) Gardner; and four grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to the Huddleston Fire Department, 5377 Smith Mountain Lake Parkway, Huddleston, VA 24104 or the Huddleston Rescue Squad, P.O. Box 77, Huddleston, VA 24104.

Source: Updike Funeral Home and Cremation Service

Terry Don Hargis, DVM, 63, of Skiatook, Oklahoma, died Feb. 17, 2020. Born in Seminole, Oklahoma, he grew up in Tulsa. He earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1980.

After marrying April Patterson in 1981, the couple moved to Skiatook, where Dr. Hargis established the Skiatook Animal Clinic.

He was preceded in death by his wife, April; father, John; and brother, Mike. He is survived by his mother, Grace; sons, Toby (Bethaney), Levi (Hannah), Ivan (Jacque) and Ezra; daughters, Janean (Travis) Deckard, Kay (Luke) Hall and Mika (Truth) Williams; and 11 grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be made to the John 3:16 Mission, 506 N. Cheyenne Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103 or All-Star Therapeutic Riding Center, 37500 U.S. Highway 75, Ramona, OK 74061.

Source: Green Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery

Douglas M. Hawkins, DVM, of Oklahoma City, died Sept.

10, 2020, at age 88. Born in Wichita, Kansas, he grew up in Tulsa, graduating from Will Rogers High School. He earned his DVM degree from then-Oklahoma A&M in 1955.

Dr. Hawkins’ first job as an epidemic intelligence service officer with the Public Health Service took his family to Camilla, Georgia, where he studied bats and the cross-contamination of rabies with other species. By 1960, he settled in Oklahoma City starting a long career as a practicing veterinarian in four animal hospitals — Espy’s, Northeast, Dickensbrae and finally City Animal Hospital, where he practiced for more than 30 years.

Dr. Hawkins was an active member of the Cosmopolitan Club of OKC, attended monthly meetings of local veterinarians and attended art openings of local artists, especially when his wife was showing.

He participated in a breakfast club and a lunch group of friends, the Retired Old Men Eating Out. He was preceded in death by Winnie, his wife of 58 years. He is survived by his children, Leslie, David (Teresa) and Philip; two granddaughters and three great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be made to the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine at okla.st/cvmgift.

Source: Chapel Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens

Donald D. Holmes, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACLAM, 89, of Wichita, Kansas, died Jan. 13, 2020.

Born in Mannford, Oklahoma, he earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1954.

Following graduation, he worked in a mixed animal practice in Norman, Oklahoma, where he met and married Mary Winton Whitaker. Shortly after, Dr. Holmes was drafted into the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant. He was the first veterinarian to be chief of the Experimental Animal Laboratory, where he established a surgical research unit.

After his discharge, Dr. Holmes moved back to Oklahoma and earned a master’s degree in veterinary pathology from OSU in 1962. He was the first lab animal veterinarian at the Civil Aeromedical Research Institute at the Federal Aviation Agency in Oklahoma City. Under his leadership, it became accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.

Dr. Holmes’ next appointment was split between the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and the Oklahoma City Veterans Administration Medical Center. Shortly after starting, he became a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1966. Again, he was the first lab animal veterinarian at both facilities and led both to AAALAC accreditation. He also assisted with pathology labs for OU medical and dental students and established a nationwide training program for VA animal facility supervisors. In addition, Dr. Holmes served as the lab animal consultant for the OU Medical Research Foundation and the main OU campus.

The family moved back to Stillwater and from 1979 to 1986, Dr. Holmes served as director of Animal Resources and professor of veterinary pathology at OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He was also the attending veterinarian for OSU. Dr. Holmes authored a reference book, Clinical Laboratory Animal Medicine: An Introduction, which has been distributed internationally.

His final position (1986 to 1993) was chief veterinary medical officer for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for policies, standards, etc. In 2010, the VA recognized Dr. Holmes’ commitment and dedication to the VA Veterinary Medical Units with the establishment of the Laboratory Animal Medicine Reference Library in his name. Upon his retirement, he moved back to Stillwater.

Throughout his career, Dr. Holmes was active in organized veterinary medicine. He was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Oklahoma Veterinary Medical Association, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, and the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine, to name a few.

He was a member of the board of management for the Edmond YMCA and the board of trustees for the First United Methodist Church of Edmond.

He was a life member of the OSU Emeriti Association, the OVMA and the OSU Alumni Association.

In 2016, OSU recognized him as an outstanding OSU alumnus. Both he and his wife were active in the First United Methodist Church in Stillwater before moving to Wichita.

Dr. Holmes is survived by son, Philip (Noelle) Holmes of Wichita; daughter, Carolyn (Christopher) Layden of Chester, New Jersey; five grandchildren; and cousin, Peggy MacIntire.

Source: Cozine Memorial Group

Lonnie Gene Jay, DVM, 73, of Miami, Oklahoma, died May 22, 2020, after a brief illness.

He grew up in Elk City, Oklahoma, and earned his DVM from Oklahoma State University in 1974.

Dr. Jay and his business partner, Dr. Roger Parker (OSU CVM ’79), owned and operated the Veterinary Clinic in Miami.

He is survived by sisters, Pat Higgins and Nan Coy (Mike); and brothers, Olin Jay (Sherry) and Dean Jay (Jean).

Source: Brown-Winters Funeral Home and Cremation Service

Kenneth K. Keahey, DVM, Ph.D., of East Lansing, Michigan, died April 11, 2018. He was 94. Born in Covington, Oklahoma, he served in the South Pacific during World War II. He earned his DVM degree from then-Oklahoma A&M College in 1954.

Dr. Keahey married Norlyne Niehus in 1956, and they moved to Ethiopia, where he was a veterinary advisor under the Point Four Program established by President Harry Truman and Oklahoma State University. Dr. Keahey spent several years traveling through the region, vaccinating cattle and aiding in the establishment of the Imperial Ethiopian A&M College, where he eventually served as acting president.

In 1963, he earned a Ph.D. in pathology from Michigan State University. He relished his role as a professor at MSU. In 1976, he was named director of the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory, where he served until his retirement in 1990. He was a longtime member of Ascension Lutheran Church and Martin Luther Chapel.

Dr. Keahey is survived by his wife of more than 62 years, Norlyne; daughters Kris Munger of East Lansing and Lisa (Mark) Skinner of Peachtree City, Georgia; and two grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to Martin Luther Chapel, 444 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI 48823 or Great Lakes Caring Hospice, 3100 West Road, Building 2, Suite 110, East Lansing, MI 48823-6369.

Source: Lansing State Journal

Harold Kopit, DVM, died Aug. 16, 2020, just 11 days before his 94th birthday.

Son of a Ukrainian immigrant father and an American mother, he was born in New York City. He grew up learning his father’s furrier business raising mink, selling pelts and making garments.

In 1944, he joined the Army Air Corps. After his military service, he returned to New York and married Phyllis. Wanting to continue the fur business, they moved to Stillwater where he enrolled as an animal husbandry major at then-Oklahoma A&M to learn genetics and animal husbandry. He earned his DVM degree in 1955.

After graduation, the couple moved to Berlin, Wisconsin, where Dr. Kopit’s father owned a mink ranch. He worked as the county veterinarian and a USDA meat inspector. In 1959, they moved to Turlock, California, where he continued as a meat inspector.

In 1961, Dr. Kopit opened Stanton Pet Hospital in Stanton, California. Phyllis became the clinic’s bookkeeper. That was the beginning of a true family business, with four of their sons working at Stanton Pet Hospital.

He was a member of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA) and the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA).

He served on multiple committees, as president of the SCVMA, and on the CVMA board of governors. He organized 40 colleagues who each invested $1,000 to start the first overnight and 24-hour veterinary emergency clinic in South California, the Orange County Emergency Pet Clinic, which opened in 1972.

Dr. Kopit was predeceased by his parents and wife Phyllis. He is survived by his sons, Dr. Todd (Debbie) Kopit (OSU DVM ’86), Dr. Mark (Julie) Kopit (OSU CVM ’81), Wayne (Diane) Kopit, DVM, and Neal (Angela) Kopit; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Source: Kopit family

Jim Kunkel, DVM, of Atlanta, Texas, died Oct. 26, 2020.

He was 66. He was born in Stillwater while his father, Dr. Merlin Kunkel (OSU CVM ’55), attended veterinary college.

His early years were spent in Manning, Iowa, where his dad practiced veterinary medicine. His family moved to Texarkana, Texas. He

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earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Texas A&M University and his DVM degree from OSU in 1988.

Dr. Kunkel practiced in Kentucky and Missouri before returning to Texarkana to work with his dad. Eventually he purchased a veterinary clinic in Atlanta, where he practiced for the last 23 years. He was one of the few exotic animal vets in the area, treating a wide range of animals from turtles and hawks to snakes, iguanas and emus.

He was a member of the First Lutheran Church in Texarkana and active in the Boy Scouts of America. He also held memberships in the NRA, Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

Dr. Kunkel is survived by his wife, Jan Rogers Kunkel; sisters, Dr. Jean (Allan) Thomas of Lewiston, Idaho; Julie (Mark) Patterson of Texarkana; and Bev (Don) Schrader of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and stepchildren, Stephanie Collins and Eric Collins and their families.

Memorial gifts may be made to First Lutheran Church, 4600 Texas Blvd., Texarkana, TX 75503 or the animal rescue of your choice.

Dr. McGruder was the first African American treasurer of the Dallas County Veterinary Medical Association (DCVMA). His work with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals prompted members of the DCVMA to routinely provide free first examinations to pets adopted from the SPCA. Dr. McGruder had a column in the Dallas Post Tribune that focused on pet health. He also worked to establish legislation that required rabies vaccinations to be administered by licensed veterinarians. He served six years as the commissioner for greyhound and horse racing in Texas.

Dr. McGruder was an active member of New Hope Baptist Church in Dallas serving on the Fidelia Usher Board. He was a life member of the Cotillion Idlewild Club of Dallas.

Dr. McGruder is survived by children, Diana (Anthony) Harper, Edward (Patricia) McGruder, DVM, and Anita (Vernell III) Johnson; nine grandchildren; two brothers; and two sisters. He was preceded in death by his parents, four siblings, and his wife, Vera Etta Evans McGruder.

Source: Robertson Funeral and Cremation

Source: Chapelwood Funeral Home

Keith Olin Martin, DVM, 80, of Cabot, AR, died Sept. 23, 2020. Born in Elmore City, Oklahoma, he earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1964.

Dr. Martin served the Cabot community for many years as a veterinarian and owner of Cabot Animal Clinic.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Patricia. Dr. Martin is survived by sons, Randy (Ranie) Martin of Austin, Arkansas, and Mike (Michelle) Martin of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and four grandchildren.

Source: Moore’s Cabot Funeral Home

Deorsey E. McGruder, Jr., DVM, of Dallas, died Dec. 1, 2019. He was 82. Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he graduated from Manual Training High School and attended Langston University. He was the first African American Oklahoman to enroll in OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, earning his DVM degree in 1964.

Following graduation, he taught in the Large Animal Clinic at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, and was the first to use sterile techniques in the field. After passing his licensing boards in Texas, Dr. McGruder opened Southern Oaks Animal Clinic in Dallas in 1966. He was the third African American veterinarian in Texas and the first one in Dallas.

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Ben Harrison “Mac” McKinley, DVM, of Alva, Oklahoma, died April 7, 2019. He was 82.

Born in Ashland, Kansas, he attended Kansas State University for a semester but had to leave to manage the family ranch when his father died. He married Jerrie Sue Pickens in 1965. In 1966, he decided to renew his goal to become a veterinarian. He attended Northwestern Oklahoma State University for two years and earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1972.

Following graduation, Dr. McKinley built Ridgeview Veterinary Clinic in Alva. Later, Dr. Terry Lohmann (OSU DVM ’80) joined the practice. The partners worked together for many years until Dr. McKinley retired.

Dr. McKinley was a member of the First United Methodist Church and most recently attended the First Christian Church.

Preceded in death by his wife, Jerrie, he is survived by three children, Daniel Ward (Kay) of San Antonio, Susan Jungling (Mike) of Olathe, Kansas, and Sarah Christensen (Brian) of Medford, Oregon, and 10 grandchildrens.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation for Cancer Research through the Marshall Funeral Home of Alva, P.O. Box 804, Alva, OK 73717.

Source: Alva Review-Courier

Roger Lee Mims, DVM, 72, of Holdenville, Oklahoma, died April 16, 2020, at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

Born in Oklahoma City, he earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1973. Following graduation, Dr. Mims practiced in Purcell, Oklahoma. In 1975, he opened the Holdenville Veterinary Clinic, where he practiced until 2015, when his health forced his retirement.

Dr. Mims was an avid team roper and won many trophies. He was a member of Wewoka Church of Christ.

Preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Mims is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lynnell; sons, Jason Mims (Melissa) of Kiefer, Oklahoma, and Ryan Mims (Mikella) of Stillwater; and three grandchildren.

Source: Phillips Funeral Service

Howell Keith Parrish, DVM, 63, of Lawton, Oklahoma, died Feb. 18, 2020. Born in Lawton, he attended Cameron University while working for Kelsey Veterinary Clinic and earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1983. He returned to the Lawton clinic until he opened his own practice in 1988, the Sheridan Road Veterinary Clinic, which was open until 2013. He also worked at the Fort Sill Veterinary Treatment Facility.

Dr. Parrish was a member of the University Church of Christ. He was a member of the Southwest Pride Barbershop Chorus and sang lead in the Chairmen of the Chord Quartet.

He is survived by his wife, Dana, daughters Amy (Jack) Mooney of Watertown, New York, and Allison Parrish of Oklahoma City; mother, Imogene “Jean” Parrish of Lawton; sister, Becky (David) Kelsey of Elgin, Oklahoma; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Churches of Christ Disaster Relief Effort, P.O. Box 111180, Nashville, TN 37222-1180.

Source: The Lawton Constitution

Art Jay Quinn, DVM, Dipl.

ACVO, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, died Aug. 29, 2020, at the Cleveland (Oklahoma) Hospital. He was 84. Born in Bennington, Kansas, he grew up on a farm where a local veterinarian inspired his career in veterinary medicine.

He earned his DVM from Kansas State University in 1961. He also became a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology. Dr. Quinn worked in private practice in Albuquerque,

New Mexico, from 1961 to 1975. He also served as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1962 to 1964, inspecting food in the New York City area. Dr. Quinn joined the OSU faculty in 1975 to start the ophthalmology section. He also served as a surgeon and internal medicine clinician until those positions were filled. He retired as professor emeritus in 1995.

Dr. Quinn was a regular contributor of articles to professional journals, a guest lecturer at local, state and national meetings and lectured at the Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Mississippi State University and St. George’s University in Grenada. He maintained membership in several professional associations until 2019.

He received many honors, including the Meritorious Service Award from the Western Veterinary Conference (2002), the Western Region Practitioner Award from the American Academy of Health Practitioners (1991) and the Small Animal Proficiency Award from the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association (1961). He also received a Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology, plus several other grants and awards for research.

After retiring, Dr. Quinn remained active as a veterinarian. He traveled to many dog shows in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Arkansas, as a guest veterinarian to conduct eye clinics.

He is survived by his partner and love of his life of 35 years, Rosalee Stafford; stepchildren, Andrea Stafford of Perkins, Oklahoma, and Terry (Tina) Stafford, of Wellston, Oklahoma; three grandchildren; and sister, Jean Neaderhiser, of Minneapolis, Kansas.

Source: Stillwater News Press

Dexter Urban Reavis, DVM, of Carthage, Missouri, died April 9, 2020. He was 71. Born in Miami, Oklahoma, he earned his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1978.

Dr. Reavis practiced veterinary medicine until his health would not allow him to continue. After giving up his practice, he worked for the USDA as an inspector and trainer.

He is survived by his mother, Iona May Reavis of Welch, Oklahoma; children, Kelly Reavis (Traci) of Allen, Texas, and Ashley Lilienkamp (Adam) of Carthage; four grandchildren and three siblings.

Memorial gifts may be made payable to the OSU Foundation and mailed to the OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, 308 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078 or to the Welch Baptist Church c/o Thomas & Chenoweth Funeral Home, P.O. Box 231, Welch, OK 74369.

Source: Thomas & Chenoweth Funeral Home

Kenneth J. Sims, DVM, 81, of Louisville, Kentucky, died May 22, 2020.

B o r n i n P a u l s Va l l e y, Oklahoma, he earned his DVM from Oklahoma State University in 1964. Following graduation, he served as a captain in the U.S. Army and upon discharge, he started a private veterinary practice in Fern Creek, Kentucky. Dr. Sims cared for a variety of domestic animals and their owners for more than 54 years.

He was active in the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, serving on the Kentucky Board of Veterinary Examiners for many years. He also owned and practiced veterinary medicine in the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands and was a founding member of the Louisville Animal Emergency Center.

He was a wheat farmer in Grant County, Oklahoma, and a tobacco farmer in the Kentucky counties of Jefferson, Spencer and Bullitt. Dr. Sims was a charter member of the Rotary Club of Fern Creek and a Paul Harris Fellow. Both he and his wife were active Rotarians and had perfect attendance for more than 30 years.

Dr. Sims is survived by his high school sweetheart and wife of 58 years, Carolyn Sims; son, Stanley Sims; daughters, Stephanie Sims and Susan Sims; two sisters and two sisters-in-law. He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers.

Memorial donations may be made to the Paul Harris Foundation of Rotary International or the charity of your choice.

Source: Fern Creek Funeral Home

Jan Smith, DVM, of Canon City, Colorado, died Sept. 16, 2020. She was 80. Born near Dill City, Oklahoma, her family moved to Denton, Texas, where she was the valedictorian of her high school class.

She completed her pre-med studies at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, and earned her DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1964.

Dr. Smith owned and operated a veterinary clinic in Alpine for many years before purchasing the Circle Cross Ranch in McGregor, Texas, where she raised cattle before moving to Canon City in 2003.

She was a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and served as president of the American Women’s Veterinary Medical Association. She was a member of Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Canon City.

Dr. Smith is survived by a sister, Joy Walker of Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, and a brother, Terry Smith of Nashville, Tennessee.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Class of ’64 Endowment Fund at OSU. Make checks payable to the OSU Foundation, write “Class of ’64 Endowment” in the lower left corner, and mail to Sharon Worrell, OSU College of Veterinary Medicine, 308 McElroy Hall, Stillwater, OK 74078.

Source: Smith family

James Leland Walker, DVM, 65, of Stillwater, died April 11, 2020. He was 65. Born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, he grew up on the family farm.

He graduated from Kingfisher (Oklahoma) High School, where he played football.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Southwestern State University and his DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1982.

In 1983, he married Becky Lee Brewer (OSU class of 1984). In 1984, the couple established Cimarron Veterinary Services in Chickasha. In 1990, Dr. Walker left the practice to return to OSU College of Veterinary Medicine for two years, working as a large animal ambulatory clinician while he completed his master’s degree in physiology. As he graduated in 1992, he received one of three Excellence in Research Awards given among all OSU master’s and Ph.D. candidates.

In 2005, Dr. Walker joined the food safety staff at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, where he worked until his death. He served as a district supervisor and northern circuit veterinarian for the Meat and Poultry Inspection Program. He was also the training coordinator for staff and new employees and taught at Oklahoma State University. He had a passion for educating people of all ages.

Memorial gifts may be made to the James Leland Walker DVM Scholarship fund at okla.st/cvmgift.

The scholarship will be awarded annually to an outstanding third-year student focused on food animal medicine.

Source: Walker family

Maria L. Williams, DVM, of San Antonio, died Feb. 14, 2020. She was 56.

She earned her DVM degree from Oklahoma State University in 1990. Starting in 1993, Dr. Williams worked as a veterinarian and volunteer for Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc. in San Antonio. She eventually opened her own clinic and continued to work with Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation, primarily using her skills in alternative medicine.

Memorial donations may be made to Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Inc., P.O. Box 369, Kendalia, TX 78027 or at www.wildlife-rescue.org.

Source: Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 65

College College of of Veterinary Veterinary Medicine Medicine 308308 McElroy McElroy HallHall Stillwater, Stillwater, OK 74078-2011 OK 74078-2011

NON-PROFIT NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION ORGANIZATION

U.S.U.S. POSTAGE POSTAGE P API A DID

MADISON, MADISON, WI WI PERMIT PERMIT NO.NO. 2223 2223

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY

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