Alumni recognition awards

Western Veterinary Conference 2022

Dr. H. Alan Hallman, DVM 1985

Dr. H. Alan Hallman, Star Valley, Arizona, did his undergraduate work at the University of Wyoming. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Kansas State University in 1985. Dr. Hallman opened Star Valley Veterinary Clinic in May of 1985, where he continues to practice today. Dr. Hallman has been a consulting veterinarian for the Humane Society of Central Arizona, Payson Pro Rodeo, Payson Zoo, Payson Natural Resources Committee, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Sled dog medicine is a passion of Dr. Hallman’s, and he has been vetting sled dog races in Alaska and Canada since 1994, including the Yukon Quest 1,000 mile race and the Copper Basin 300. He served as the Yukon Quest Head Veterinarian in 1996, 1997 and again in 2010. Dr. Hallman has been on the board of International Veterinary Sled Dog Medical Association since 2015.

Fetch dvm360 Conference 2022

Dr. Eric Hess, DVM 2002

Dr. Eric Hess, Emporia, Kansas, is originally from Madison, Kansas. He attended Kansas State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1998 and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 2002. After graduating, he joined the East Emporia Veterinary Clinic, where he is part of a three-doctor mixed animal practice. Dr. Hess is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association and Kansas Veterinary Medical Association. He has been voted as the veterinarian who was “Best in the Business” in the Emporia Gazette’s Readers’ Choice Awards in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Dr. Greg Hammer, DVM 1973

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) named former association President Dr. Gregory Hammer as the winner of the 2021 AVMA Award. Established in 1931, this award recognizes distinguished members of the association who have contributed to the advancement of veterinary medicine in its organizational aspects, exerting outstanding leadership in building stronger local, state, or regional associations, or contributing to the improvement of the national organization. Dr. Hammer served as a veterinary medical officer in the United States Air Force from 1974-1976, holding the rank of captain and receiving the Meritorious Medal for his outstanding service. In 1994, he was named Honorary Commander of the 436th Military Airlift Wing Medical Group. Since his discharge from the service, Dr. Hammer has practiced at Brenford Animal Hospital in Dover, Delaware.

Dr. David Reid, DVM 1973

Dr. Reid, who practices in Hazel Green, Wisconsin, was presented with an excellence award from the National Mastitis Council. The 2013 NMC president, he owns Rocky Ridge Dairy Consulting LLC, which offers milk quality consulting services for individual dairies and dairy industry companies.

Dr. Larry Bramlage, DVM 1975

The American Association of Equine Practitioners presented its 2021 Sage Kester “Beyond the Call” Award to renowned equine orthopedic surgeon Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, DACVS, for his legacy of service toward the betterment of the veterinary profession, horse health and his local community. The “Beyond the Call” Award is named in honor of its first recipient, the late Wayne O. “Sage” Kester, DVM, and recognizes a current or former AAEP member who has made significant and long-lasting contributions to equine veterinary medicine and the community. Dr. Bramlage received the award during the President’s Luncheon at the AAEP’s 67th Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. A partner at

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky, Dr. Bramlage has advanced the diagnostics and treatment options for horses with orthopedic disease and injury through groundbreaking research and application into clinical practice.

Dr. Jeanne M. Wallace, DVM 1986

In September 2021, Dr. Jeanne M. Wallace was elected vice president of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. Over four years she will be vice president, president-elect, president and then past president. Dr. Wallace is the atending veterinarian and vice president for Animal Care at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center since 2019. She completed residency and research fellowship training at Wake Forest University School of Medicine before joining its faculty. She and husband Mark Wallace, PhD, a neuroscientist, made the move from North Carolina to Tennessee in January 2006 when each accepted faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Ellen Lowry, DVM 1988

With both a DVM and a Ph.D. in comparative pathology that she earned at K-State in 1994, Dr. Lowry was recently included on a list of “22 Extraordinary Women Veterinarians” in Today’s Veterinary Business. The women on this list were profiled because of shared determination and commitment to innovate, open doors and elevate everyone around them. Currently the director of the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Lowry was citied for her 23-year career with Hill’s Pet Nutrition where her increasingly important leadership positions included director of North American professional and veterinary affairs. She also serves as the director of the Veterinary Oral Health Council and in the AVMA’s House of Delegates representing the American Association of Industry Veterinarians.

Dr. Adam Ruskin, DVM 1990

Dr. Ruskin gave a keynote presentation recently at a celebration of research innovation hosted by the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. He holds bachelor’s degrees in environmental resource management and in animal biosciences from Penn State, a doctor of veterinary medicine from Kansas State University, and a master’s degree in public health and a doctorate in epidemiology, both from Emory University. As a lead clinical operations and development consultant, Dr. Ruskin has led clinical, data management and biostatistics for four successful start-up pharmaceutical, biotech and medical-device companies. Previously, he was a member of an FDA advisory panel, a two-time TEDMED Award nominee for innovation and a researcher at the Centers for Disease Control. He also developed and managed more than 300 clinical trials, including for the first FDA-approved therapeutic for MRSA, for FDA approval of a novel bloodclotting compound, for the first FDA-cleared leukemia test, and for the first FDA-cleared autism test.

Dr. Angela (Kasuske) Pillatzki, DVM 1995

Dr. Pillatzki was appointed as director of the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (ADRDL) and head of the Department of Veterinary and

Biomedical Sciences at South Dakota State University. As department head, she will oversee the daily operations of the ADRDL and Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences while working with faculty and staff to enhance and develop service, research and teaching. Dr. Pillatzki has been serving in an interim role since February 2022. After working in clinical practices in Rapid City and in central Minnesota, Pillatzki joined the ADRDL team in 2000 as a post-doctoral pathology fellow. She served as a diagnostic pathologist until joining the staff at Iowa State University in 2008.

Dr. Megan Niederwerder, DVM 2009

Dr. Niederwerder has accepted a new position with the Swine Health Information Center. She had been on the faculty at the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, specializing in two primary areas of research, including 1) the role of the gut microbiome on outcome following viral respiratory infections and 2) the risk and mitigation of foreign animal disease introduction and transmission through feed and feed ingredients.

Dr. Molly (Brobst) Spire, DVM 2017

After working for NEK Veterinary Services of Hiawatha, Kansas, for the past 3½ years, Dr. Spire announced her plans to go out on her own to provide mobile services within a 100-mile radius of her rural Hiawatha home. She and her husband, Cody Spire, flew to Michigan earlier this year to purchase the mobile clinic from a veterinarian. The mobile clinic is equipped just about everything she needs to provide service for most small animal needs. Dr. Molly also said she had noticed that our world is one of convenience and a remote mobile service for veterinary care was something she felt people would want. She also noted that some pet owners had a hard time getting to a clinic with a pet — such as if they are elderly or the animal difficult to transport — or meeting daytime hours at regular veterinary clinic offices is also difficult.