Wildcat Veterinarian Winter 2023

Exceptional teaching. Impactful research. Outstanding service. Extraordinary graduates.

wildcatveterinarian

is produced by the Department of Marketing and Communications

Audrey Hambright

Joe Montgomery

Dean’s Office College of Veterinary Medicine

Kansas State University

101 Trotter Hall

Manhattan, KS 66506-5601

785-532-5660 vet.k-state.edu

ourmission

Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine is dedicated to the advancement of health and welfare of animals, people, the environment and the veterinary profession through excellence in teaching, research, service and outreach.

We are committed to a professional degree program with broad training opportunities across a comprehensive range of companion and exotic animals, and livestock species. Our focus is on initiatives that address important societal needs at a local, national and global level.

ourvision

Exceptional teaching. Impactful research. Outstanding service. Extraordinary graduates.

getsocial

Like us, tweet us, follow us and watch us:

On the cover: Fourth-year student Bairon Madrigal prepares to give a health exam to a patient at the Everybody Counts Community Outreach Event. Read about Shelter Medicine’s impact on page 8.

Photo by Hodes Family Dean Bonnie Rush.

Right: Dr. Shaun Huser, livestock field clinician at the Veterinary Health Center, oversees a local farm visit with students and residents.

Photo by Audrey Hambright.

meet dr. jim roush

Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Success.

By Piper Brandt.

boots on the ground

An intensive elective course immerses and prepares future veterinarians for industry experience.

By Audrey Hambright.

a needed boost

Rural practice is getting extra attention in Kansas thanks to the Kansas legislature.

By Joe Montgomery.

meet hana johnson

Recruitment Coordinator.

By Piper Brandt.

Perfect timing

VRSP summer project opens door to master’s degree studies for Nigerian scholar.

By Joe Montgomery.

research news

Iman Research Award, Treatment for Rabbit hemorrhagic disease, Probiotics study suggests health risks.

By CVM Communications & Marketing.

news highlights

raise the bar 8

Shelter Medicine program continues to expand to fill growing needs for communities and students.

54

vanier family scholarship match An opportunity to help K-State attract and retain students and inspire donors to invest in student success.

Field service to the rescue

A passion to save horses creates opportunities for education.

By Audrey Hambright.

Meet Dr. Janine seetahal

KSVDL Section Head - Rabies Laboratory.

By Audrey Hambright.

Love is blind

They say love is blind — and sometimes love is a blind ginger cat.

By Piper Brandt.

all-around life savers

Man’s best friend steps up to save lives, in more ways than one.

By Kennedy Mounce.

40 A servant to her gifts

Dr. Renee Schmid, class of 2001, shares the secret to forging her own path to success.

By Wendy Barnes.

enhancing our culture of service

By Hodes Family Dean Bonnie Rush

I love to present my top 10 list of favorite current events in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The list changes over time and typically includes current renovations, research accomplishments, student performance, and outreach activities. To avoid playing favorites, all the activities and priorities are No. 1!

This issue of Wildcat Veterinarian highlights several activities from my top 10 list. You will notice a common theme of students, staff and faculty engaging in service activities to support Kansans. The college has always provided service to the state of Kansas through the Veterinary Health Center and the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Faculty, students and staff are now extending their efforts to provide service to the community of Manhattan and the state of Kansas.

A Collection of No. 1’s

There are some special classmates in the first- and secondyear classroom. Snyder and Ohlde are puppies in the Kansas Specialty Dog Service (KSDS) training program under the supervision of two pairs of veterinary students. The puppies will be with us for 18 months. The first- and second-year veterinary classes provide an environment of

daily socialization. Student handlers train the puppies in 30 standard commands. Snyder and Ohlde will eventually return to KSDS for intensive, targeted training to prepare them for a life of service. Their departure will be challenging for us, but we are pleased to have supported them in their destiny to change someone’s life.

Our next No. 1 involves Shelter Medicine and Community Outreach programs, highlighted on Page 8. With the support of a generous gift, we purchased our first Mobile Surgery Unit in 2015. Since then, we have literally driven the tires off of it. We added a second vehicle, Wellness on Wheels, in spring 2021. As of 2023, we now we have a third mobile surgery unit. In seven years, veterinary students have performed more than 38,000 spay/neuter procedures within two hours of Manhattan, Kansas.

The students gain enhanced surgical skills the pets become more adoptable, and shelter organizations can focus on more advanced health care priorities. It is a win for pets, students and shelters. Before this program, students were performing three to five surgical procedures prior to graduation. While on the trailer, they are performing 50 to 60 surgical procedures in a two-week period of time. Shelter medicine is our most highly rated rotation among fourth-year students.

At the Kind Heart Celebration in November. Photo by Ray Martinez.

In 2019, we expanded outreach activities to include community engagement events, taking this program beyond spay and neuter services. The first event was Everybody Counts in Manhattan in August of 2019. This is a citywide event to provide support services for underserved populations. With our participation, we provide basic veterinary care for pets that would not otherwise receive vaccines or deworming medications. For our students, these events provide an opportunity to serve as principal decision-maker for preventive medical care for these pets.

Since that beginning, we have expanded to hosting or participating in community events twice a month. Starting in the 2022-2023 academic year, we have a dedication rotation for student participation in community outreach. We are grateful for faculty and staff who have gone above and beyond to make an impact for veterinary students and community members.

On Page 15, we found a unique way to thank our biggest champion for Shelter Medicine: Cheryl Mellenthin from Houston, Texas. She has helped us from the beginning, every step of the way. Without Cheryl, we would not have a Shelter Medicine program. We presented an honorary DVM degree to her from the College of Veterinary Medicine at our spring commencement in 2022. This is the first honorary DVM in the history of the college.

Outreach efforts continue to flourish in other areas of the college as well. Senior veterinary students are stars of the show at the American Royal, the Dodge City Rodeo, the Kansas State Fair Birthing Center and other large-scale public events across Kansas. On Page 33, read about how our Equine Field Service team provided care at an equine rescue facility near Junction City, Kansas. On Page 41, learn about a 2001 DVM alumna, Dr. Renee Schmid, who collaborates with our toxicology team in her live-saving work with the Pet Poison Hotline. On Page 49, we recognize the ophthalmology team

for providing eye exams for service dogs in conjunction with the National Service Dog Eye Exam event organized by the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists.

These service efforts contribute to producing wellrounded, highly trained veterinary graduates with a strong work ethic, expert communication skills and experience in public venues. The class of 2022 passed the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination at a rate of 99%, which is 9 percentage points above the average pass rate for other colleges of veterinary medicine (90%).

Scholarships continue to contribute to the delivery of a more affordable degree with less educational debt. The scholarship endowment has doubled in the last five years. College fundraising efforts were No. 1 on campus for the first time ever in 2022. On Page 54, you can learn about the Vanier family matching gifts, a program to help scholarship dollars go even farther.

Last, but not least, we have enjoyed seeing so many alumni at Vet Town, our pregame tailgate party during the 2022 football season. We hosted approximately 300 alumni and friends at the most highly attended games towards the end of the season. We hope to see you there next fall!

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of Wildcat Veterinarian and invite you to keep in touch. Please let us know how you participate in a service for your community or state. Wishing you a wonderful year in 2023.

2 Mission and vision

4 contents

6 From the dean

14 college news

44 Alumni news

Everybody Counts Community Event, 2022. Photo by Evert Nelson.

raise the bar

By Kennedy Mounce, student writer

The K-State family is famous for seeing a need and filling it. The Shelter Medicine and Community Outreach program is no exception to this standard.

Eight years ago, the program began with a mission to make K-State veterinary students as practice-ready as possible. By simply taking students out in the new mobile surgery unit to provide free spay/neuter services and medial triage at animal welfare organizations that didn’t have that possibility, they began to fill a need in the community.

“We viewed this as a win-win-win situation,” says Dr. Brad Crauer, associate clinical professor and Shelter Medicine director. “Students get valuable surgical experience, and they average 50 surgeries a week in our program. The pets obviously get spayed and neutered so they can be adopted and altered, and our organizations we partner with get those services for free, otherwise they would be paying for those resources so they can use those other funds to raise the bar.”

Shelter Medicine program continues to expand to fill growing needs for communities and students.

Dr. Cody Dressler, shelter medicine clinician, completes a surgical procedure at a partnership event with Pet Resource Center KC. Photo by Scott Cotter.

Expanding the mission

Since then, the program has gained over 20 shelter partners, completed about 37,000 surgeries and had a little over 900 fourth-year students come through the program. The mission has been expanded into serving the populations of people who can’t access veterinary care due to cost, location or a lack of information about basic pet care. With the addition of Community Outreach to the program, the faculty and staff have been able to make an even more substantial impact.

“Right now, we are on the road with community outreach a full week every month — plus some occasional events,” Dr. Crauer says. “Ten days a month, 120 days a year, we are out providing service. We are able to introduce our students to animal welfare — some of the harder and more difficult parts — and give them an appreciation for that when they graduate. We want to introduce students to a population or socio-economic group they wouldn’t otherwise interact with and help them understand that those pet owners love their pets. Those pets are so valuable in those situations. We as a veterinarian community can provide care to these families and raise the level of care.”

Extra benefits for students

With the new angle to make community outreach an equal part of the program, the student perspective has changed to

discover a newfound appreciation for pets and pet owners that students can take with them into their future practices.

“Whether it be animal welfare or public health, you’re going to find something in the program that you care about,” says Elizabeth Scarborough, first-year student and student employee of the Shelter Medicine/Community Outreach program. “It doesn’t matter what your primary focus is, this is a way for people to remember their humanity. One of the primary goals of community outreach is making sure that animals don’t have to go the shelter, so it’s a preventative measure to make sure that people have their animals, and those animals have their people, rather than having to find a new person. Shelter Medicine is something where it doesn’t matter where you come from, there is going to be something that you are going to care about.”

Adding to the fleet

The WOW, or Wellness on Wheels vehicle was added in 2021 and is geared toward supporting the Community Outreach program. It provides a key level of support to the students and staff involved in this growing facet of the program. Dr. Ron Orchard, a postdoctoral fellow in Shelter Medicine, has played an integral role in the Community Outreach program by teaching the fourth-year course that guides students into the reality of the occupation.

Dr. Brad Crauer (right), instructs Amanda Clawson, fourth year student in the Shelter Medicine rotation, on a surgery. This was the first rotation to be held in the new mobile surgery unit.

Photo by Joe Mongtomery.

“The WOW is set up with many of the features of a general practice veterinarian and includes exam areas, a surgical suite, dentistry equipment, digital radiography and seating for clients as we consult with them,” Dr. Orchard says. “The goals for the Community Outreach course include training students to practice resource limited medicine, while working with clientele who historically would lack the ability to have their pet seen by a veterinarian. We hope to instill in every student that every client is worthy of veterinarian-clientpatient relationship.”

The Mobile Surgery Unit has provided the veterinary manpower the program needed to make a substantial impact on under-privileged communities across Kansas. In order to continue these good works, the current Mobile Surgery Unit is being retired within the next few months to make room for a newer vehicle.

“We have gotten 250,000 miles out of our original Mobile Surgery Unit and performed about 35,000 surgeries,” says Dr. Crauer. “The current one still operates fine, but we are starting to see eight years of wear and tear. These vehicles aren’t built to have a quarter million miles on them and, in order to be on the road and in the communities we serve, it needed to be replaced. We recently had a new Mobile Surgery Unit delivered, and we are excited to get that vehicle up and running.”

Making a difference

The passion and purpose behind this program has created thousands of meaningful interactions between people and pets alike. The team is dedicated to their mission and is continuing to fill the need for veterinary care across the state while redefining the standards for Shelter Medicine and Community Outreach programs nationwide. By partnering with organizations such as the Street Dog Coalition in Topeka and the Pet Resource Center Kansas City, the K-State team is able to deliver a new standard of care to people beyond their own community.

“What makes me tick is ‘Where can I have as big an impact as possible?’ That is really what makes me get up in the morning and when we talk about the K-State Community Outreach program, it checks so many boxes,” Dr. Crauer says. “I feel like I’m Santa Claus every day just going out and giving gifts to people — and not just to those we provide care for, but for the students who come in to gain more hands-on experience and become better human beings through this program.”

The drive at the director level pours over into the students and is actively creating the next generation of veterinarians who will now be built with a level of compassion in their care unlike any other.

“I’ve had people tell me that their animal has saved their life, so why would you not want these animals to be cared for so they can succeed in fulfilling their purpose?” Elizabeth says. “If you can’t see that purpose and that importance, I say go to a shelter and meet a dog.”

HELP SUPPORT

SHELTER MEDICINE

Elizabeth Scarborough (right) performs a health exam under the supervision of Dr. Ron Orchard on the Mobile Surgery Unit. Photo by Tommy Theis.

SHELTER MEDICINE

Q&A with Dr. ron orchard

How did you get involved with the Shelter Medicine program?

About 12 years ago, I worked at the Seattle Humane Society. That’s where I first crossed paths with Dr. Brad Crauer.

Shelter Medicine is a program full of travel opportunities. Where has it taken you?

My career in shelter medicine has taken me across the country, working in high-performing shelters in Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle, Washington.

What is your role in K-State’s partnership with the Santee Sioux Nation?

The partnership with the Santee Sioux Nation is about five years old. Tribal leaders and the Nebraska USDA-APHIS veterinarian contacted us regarding the potential to bring veterinary services to the reservation. To us, this fit perfectly into the mission of our program because there are no

veterinary services for the tribe within 70 miles. This meant we had a community of great need that would benefit from the services we could provide, even those who come from the back of a truck. These events now occur two to three times annually, and for Dr. Crauer and me, it is one of the partnerships that fills us with the most pride.

How has teaching impacted your worldview?

I love teaching and being around students. You have to always be on your game around them, because these are some of the brightest, most ambitious people on the planet. They make me want to grow as a veterinarian and human.

What does being a part of this program mean to you?

I get to combine my passion for teaching with the desire to be of service to communities. I hope to instill that dedication to duty in all my students. Every day, I get to go to the coolest job, with the coolest people. What else could you ask for?

Photo by Tommy Theis

Meet Dr. jim roush:

associate dean for academic programs and student success

students early during my time at the dairy practice, and I had a lot of one-on-one contact with students as a resident in the clinics. It was always enjoyable even in practice to have students around. They keep you on your toes, they ask questions and you have to stay up on the latest research to answer those.”

Objectives and Goals

Dr. Roush’s duties as associate dean involves scheduling the curriculum, finding resources for students facing academic difficulty, maintaining classrooms, supervising the library, collecting data for reports for the AVMA and interacting daily with various students.

Educational and professional background

Dr. Roush received his DVM from Purdue University in 1983. He spent the next two years at a small primarily dairyfocused practice where he had regular contact with veterinary students from Ohio State. After handling most of the small animal cases in the practice, he expanded his surgical skills and entered a surgery residency at the University of Wisconsin in Madison from 1985 to 1988. During this time, he completed a master’s degree from the veterinary science department, and then stayed another year as a clinical instructor.

In 1989, Dr. Roush came to K-State as an orthopedic surgeon and assistant professor, eventually becoming a full professor. Then, in 2020, Dr. Bonnie Rush named Dr. Roush interim associate dean, which was extended due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions on national recruitment. In August of 2021, he accepted the full position.

Dr. Roush says that as a veterinary student he never imagined he’d come to hold the role he has today.

“I really didn’t see myself coming back and teaching,” Dr. Roush said. “I came into it because I was involved with those

“The contact with students is my favorite part of the job,” Dr. Roush says. “It is rewarding that there’s almost always a way I can help them; I can find a resource, tutor or another way to help. It’s a great feeling to take home at the end of every day.”

A major goal for Dr. Roush is going through accreditation in 2024 with the AVMA successfully, which involves compiling reports about the education the students receive to ensure it is up to standard. Part of this involves distributing data collected on the specifics of what is proven to help students succeed.

Another goal is to make the educational experience more engaging for students.

“Veterinary colleges tend to be close knit, the students that join in a class will make lifelong friends and colleagues that they follow years and years down the road.” Dr. Roush says. “So, it becomes a little more of a family, and we need to promote that. We need to move from impersonal standing in front of a class and lecturing to more engagement on part of the administration and faculty

with the students over time.”

Dr. Roush helps honor two new house officers at the annual House Officer Recognition picnic. Pictured left to right: Dr. April Haynes (former soft tissue surgery faculty member) Dr. Matt Sherwood (former surgical resident), Dr. James Roush, Dr. Marian Benitez (former surgery resident), Dr. Emily Klocke (soft tissue surgery faculty, VHC.)

What is special about K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine?

Dr. Roush cites the commitment of K-State’s professors to the students and their education as a special part of the college.

“What stands out to me has always been the connection between the first-year professors and their classes,” Dr. Roush says. “They’re incredibly caring and willing to go out of their way to spend extra time with the students. I see first-year professors finding student groups and tutoring at 8 o’clock at night, sometimes later.”

One positive initial and now permanent outcome of the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a more engaging environment at the college. The number of labs was increased initially to keep class sizes lower and for students to have a safer in-person lab experience. Now that the capacity restrictions are removed, those extra lab sessions have been kept because the teacher-to-student ratio was improved.

According to Dr. Roush, he and other instructors found they enjoyed their teaching experience more and got to know the students better. These changes seem to be paying off as well. In 2022, the national rate of students who passed the first round of veterinary license testing exam was 90%, while K-State’s pass rate average was 99%!

Wildcat corner

“We want to make the CVM an enjoyable place to be,” Dr. Roush says. “Students are here to get an education, certainly, but they should also be able to have a good time.”

Pictured left to right: Dr. James Carpenter, Dr. David Hodgson and Dr. James Roush celebrated a combined 100 years of service to the college of veterinary medicine in 2022.

K-State recognizes Dr. Elizabeth Davis as outstanding department head for 2022

Dr. Elizabeth Davis, associate dean of clinical programs, is one of three individuals recognized and honored by Kansas State University with a 2022 Presidential Award for teaching and leadership excellence.

Dr. Davis serves as head of the Clinical Sciences department and director of the Veterinary Health Center and was chosen as the recipient of the Presidential Award for Outstanding Department Head. Two other faculty winners were chosen from main campus.

Elizabeth Hale, doctoral student and graduate teaching assistant in mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, was the winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching for a Graduate Teaching Assistant.

Linda Yarrow, instructor of food, nutrition, dietetics and

health in the College of Health and Human Services, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Each award includes a $5,000 honorarium sponsored by the university president’s office and Curtin Property Company, a real estate development firm with offices in Manhattan and Kansas City.

“Honoring excellence among Kansas State University’s faculty and leaders has been a proud tradition of the Curtin Property Company for more than 25 years and we are pleased to continue this unique partnership with the university,” says Chris Curtin, company president. “The Curtin Property Company, its numerous K-State graduates and its Manhattan associates at Georgetown Apartment Homes and Westchester Park Apartments congratulate the 2022 Presidential Awards of Excellence winners.”

The College of Veterinary Medicine hosted three different national conferences in 2021 and 2022, either in Manhatttan or online, and catering to pre-veterinary students, current students or instructors.

From June 27 to 29, 2022, the college welcomed 153 registrants for the Veterinary Educator Collaborative, or VEC. This biennial conference was a component of the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges that fosters faculty development and promotes best practices among veterinary educators.

A pair of student-led organizations — Pre-Veterinary Club and the Veterinary Voyagers — helped organize the annual symposium of the American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association, or APVMA, from March 11 to 12, 2022. The two-day event included a featured keynote address by Dr. Temple Grandin, plus 50 lectures and 21 labs, the latter offering a variety of hands-on activities for the students in several newly renovated labs and learning spaces in the college.

From March 13-15, 2021, Kansas State University’s chapter of the Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) served as hosts for the annual meeting of this national organization for veterinary students.

“Our team worked very hard to make this run smoothly, and our efforts really paid off,” says Dr. Tyler Shima, a 2022 graduate,“Our team was instrumental in getting the word out and promoting the symposium, leading to an ‘unofficial’ record attendance of more than 1,700 people.”

College serves as host for trio of national veterinary conferences in the ‘Little Apple’

Activities at the Veterinary Educator Collaborative (top) and American Pre-Veterinary Medical Association.

Passion for animals inspires honorary veterinary degree for Cheryl Mellenthin

The graduating class of veterinarians for 2022 celebrated with a special “plus one” during its commencement exercises at Kansas State University, held May 13. Their invited “classmate” didn’t actually attend classes, yet has provided some of the most impactful resources used to teach students at the college.

Because of Cheryl Mellenthin’s indelible and enduring passion for animals, as well as her innovation to build educational training programs, the College of Veterinary Medicine bestowed her with an honorary Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. This is the first time the college has made such a presentation. Mellenthin, who lives in Cat Spring, Texas, is a retired neonatal ICU nurse. Her late husband, Mark Chapman, graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University in 1965.

“Cheryl has dedicated her life to animals in need — her first rescue was an apricot miniature poodle abandoned and tethered to a shrub in 1979,” says Dr. Bonnie Rush, Hodes Family Dean. “She has always appreciated her veterinarians and wanted to extend her impact, so she began supporting

veterinary training programs. Absent Cheryl Mellenthin, we do not have a shelter medicine program and we do not have a Clinical Skills Laboratory. She has impacted every graduate from the class of 2022.”

The presentation of the honorary degree was approved by the Kansas Board of Regents in March. New K-State President Richard Linton conferred the degree citing Mellenthin’s “service to the profession, support for veterinary student training, and commitment to improving the lives of pets.”

“I am overwhelmed by this incredible honor from the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine,” Mellenthin says. “I would like to give a big thank you to Hodes Family Dean Bonnie Rush. Also, a huge thanks needs to go to Dr. Brad Crauer and all the veterinary students who traveled with the mobile spay/neuter unit to ‘fix’ over 32,000 dogs and cats in shelters across the state of Kansas. I can donate a mobile unit, but without the work and initiative of Dr. Crauer and the students, it does no good. It is a joy to work with such a wonderful group of people.”

Kansas State University President Richard Linton, right, congratulates Cheryl Mellenthin after presenting her with an honorary DVM from the university and college. Joining them are the CVM’s Hodes Family Dean Dr. Bonnie Rush and Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Success Dr. James Roush. Mellenthin is a longtime supporter of the college’s shelter medicine program. Photo by Grad Images Inc.

college news

For the second year in a row, the College of Veterinary Medicine has been recognized for its efforts to enhance diversity in its academic environment.

The college received the 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

As a recipient of the annual Health Professions HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. health colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — Kansas State University was featured, along with 62 other recipients, in the December 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

“It is a great honor to be chosen a second time for the Health Professions HEED Award,” says Dr. Bonnie Rush, Hodes Family Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“We believe it’s important for us to continue to strengthen and grow in our efforts to provide an inclusive, welcoming environment for all. As we prepare the leaders of tomorrow, we are committed to help them foster the values of diversity, equity and inclusion wherever their future destinations take them. I am grateful to Dr. Callie Rost, our assistant dean for admissions and director of diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging, in helping our college maintain a high standard, and continue to lead our efforts for this critical mission.”

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected K-State because of the veterinary college’s efforts to identify and incorporate opportunities for growth in diversity, equity and inclusion.

“Recognition from Insight into Diversity with the HEED Award reflects the efforts of our students, faculty and staff who take pride in contributing to the culture of inclusiveness in our college. We regularly seek feedback to evaluate our progress and to identify new opportunities to enhance our learning environment,” Dr. Rost says.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to complete a wide variety of DEIB training through the Diversity and Resilience Institute of El Paso, Purdue Certificate for Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine and American Veterinary Medical Association’s Brave Space Certificate Program.

In addition to training, the Walter C. Bowie Scholarship is specifically designated for students demonstrating commitment to bringing diverse people together and for

serving disadvantaged populations. Fourth-year veterinary student Bairon Madrigal was presented with the Bowie Scholarship. He was noted for his efforts in creating the LatinX Student Veterinary Medical Association, Avian Club and LVMA to promote opportunities for student interaction and inclusion.

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The College of Veterinary Medicine also experienced growth by expanding its recruiting practices with two USDA NIFA grants: SPARK and SPRINT. These programs focus on recruiting students from rural Kansas and students with an indigenous, native or tribal heritage.

Internal activities include the development of a monthly “Intercultural and Inclusion Lunch and Learn” series.

Outreach activities include “This is How We ROLE,” a program where veterinary students demonstrate the potential for a career in veterinary medicine to a local, underrepresented youth population. A large group of faculty, staff and students participate annually in “Everybody Counts — Manhattan,” a grassroots effort to provide social services and information in Riley County.

The college’s Community Veterinary Outreach Program regularly travels to provide animal health services at the Santee Sioux Reservation in Nebraska, the Metro Lutheran Ministry Mission in Kansas City, Missouri, the Street Dog Coalition in Topeka, Kansas, and other regional locations.

ACZM recognizes Dr. James Carpenter with Fowler Lifetime Achievement Award

Dr. James W. Carpenter was recently honored by the American College of Zoological Medicine, or ACZM, with the Murray E. Fowler Lifetime Achievement Award, presented at the annual business meeting Nov. 7, 2022. The award recognizes one of the organization’s diplomates who has demonstrated exceptional commitment and contribution to the ACZM while making significant lifetime contributions that have advanced the discipline of zoological medicine.

Dr. Carpenter was recognized for his “48 years of contributions as a clinical and research veterinarian in the field of exotic animal, wildlife (including endangered species), and zoo animal medicine.”

He was also noted for his assistance in developing an internationally recognized program in zoological medicine at K-State, where he has trained 45 Interns and residents. Dr. Carpenter is the author of numerous scientific papers, book chapters, and proceedings articles; co-editor of “Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery”; and editor of the “Exotic Animal Formulary.” Dr. Carpenter is the past president of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, Association of Avian Veterinarians, and American College of Zoological Medicine.

This award was created in honor of Dr. Murray Fowler (considered the “Father of Zoological Medicine”), who was also the award’s first designee in 2014.

Dr. Carpenter celebrates 48 years as a clinical and research veterinarian in exotic animal, wildlife and zoo animal medicine.

Vaccinating animals against COVID-19 at Sunset Zoo

Sunset Zoo’s Denise LeRoux, large animal keeper, and Dr. Jasmine Sarvi, resident with the Veterinary Health Center, inject vaccine into Vlad, the Amur leopard. The VHC provided vaccination service for all the eligible mammals at the zoo this past spring.

wildcatveterinarian

boots on the ground

The educational path to become a veterinarian involves a collaborative and hands-on experience, and that is what the dairy production medicine class aims to achieve. An elective for fourth-year students offered only in the fall semester, the course is taught by a unique intersection of faculty from across the university, including the college of veterinary medicine, department of animal science and USDA personnel.

Dr. Gregg Hanzlicek, clinical associate professor in diagnostic medicine/pathobiology, leads the intensive

course, which runs for three consecutive weeks from Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Comprised of 60% classroom and 40% field experience, the class visits seven or more dairy operations across Kansas each year. During these visits, the course focuses on activities which help students improve critical systems-thinking and activities to develop the skills necessary to create system monitoring programs within a dairy.

“When the course is completed, students will have the necessary technical and analytical skills necessary for

An intensive elective course immerses and prepares future veterinarians for industry experience.

Story by Audrey Hambright

Fourth-year student Kami Miller measures the airflow in the barn at Ohlde Family Farm. Photo by Audrey Hambright.

modern dairy practice,” Dr. Hanzlicek says.

While at Ohlde Family Farms, near Linn, Kansas, the class observed structures, evaluated forage and measured airflow in the barn. Kyler Ohlde, operations manager, says that any firsthand experience is critical when learning.

“It’s important to give students the opportunity to observe what goes on day to day to spark questions and thoughts as well as look into records,” Ohlde says. “Dairies are very complex and offer a world of opportunity to those who thrive with continual growth and adaptation.”

Many topics are covered including parlor audits, milk quality, vaccination management and robot dairy visits, just to name a few. A resounding theme from some of the students in the elective this semester was the importance or record keeping and experiencing real-life scenarios.

“Record analysis is important because data can give dairy producers and veterinarians the ability to make informed decisions and track what is and isn’t working on the farm,” says Anthony Hemman, fourth-year veterinary student. “I enjoy being on farm because I can get a complete picture of what is going on.”

Fourth-year student Grace Luebcke says the hands-on training in dairy production medicine has been immensely beneficial in preparing her to “hit the ground running” when she begins her career in private practice.

future veterinarians are exposed to real-world, complex agriculture operations along with outside perspectives and fresh ideas.

“By connecting with future veterinarians, our hope is that we can spark an interest in the dairy industry in some of those students,” McCarty says. “For the U.S. Dairy industry, and our own farms, to reach full potential and help sustainably and responsibly feed a growing global population we need bright and ambitious minds of the next generation of dairy veterinarians to help us.”

Grace

Class of 2023

“Dr. Hanzlicek challenged us each day to make decisions and recommendations as the professionals that we are, which I have found to be an important shift in mindset,” Grace says.

The class also visited McCarty Family Farms where they toured the original dairy near Rexford, Kansas, as well as the new facility that is still under construction. Co-owner Ken McCarty says hosting student tours is important because

This course was a perfect fit for Kami Miller, a fourth-year student whose ideal job after graduation is to be a bovineonly practitioner. At the beginning of the course, dairy medicine was new to her, but the class taught her to love it as much as beef cattle medicine.

“My favorite part about this elective is the number of real-life scenarios we were put through,” Kami says. “From a herd investigation on a farm, to going through numerous dairy’s records and evaluating what they are doing well, and what are some areas that they could improve. This class also allowed us to put our boots on the ground at various styles of dairies and see the numerous ways a dairy can be successful.”

During their visit to McCarty Family Farms, Luis Calamaco, director of animal welfare (far right), spoke to the class on employee scheduling and new technology that increases cattle comfort in the barns and the milking parlor. Photo by Dr. Gregg Hanzlicek.

Dr. Hanzlicek challenged us each day to make decisions and recommendations as the professionals we are, which I have found to be an important shift in mindset.

Luebcke

A Needed Boost

Rural practice is getting extra attention in Kansas courtesy of the Kansas legislature

“HB 2605 expands and clarifies the requirements for the Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine and creates an advisory committee to oversee the Program.”

The Veterinary Training Program for Rural Kansas (VTPRK) was established by the legislature in 2006 to provide a financial incentive for K-State DVM graduates to practice in rural Kansas communities. Over the last 20 or 30 years, the nation, including Kansas, has been dealing with shortages of rural veterinarians. Reports from the U.S. Census

Bureau indicate a potential national shortage of 15,000 veterinarians by 2025, with the bulk of those to be needed in rural areas. The VTPRK helps address this issue in Kansas.

The problem had become severe enough that federal government has also created the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program, or VMLRP. The USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture maintains a website that maps out Veterinary Shortage Situations: www.nifa.usda.gov/ vmlrp-map All states except three have reported at least one designated shortage areas.

While Kansas may have been ahead of the game in terms of addressing the shortages early through the VTPRK, changes over time were prompting the need for re-examination by the state.

“The original annual state appropriation of $400,000 [$20,000/year per student, 5 students/class, 4 classes] has not been adjusted to account for tuition increases since the program began,” says Dr. James Roush, associate dean student programs and academic affairs. “Now, with the passage of HB2605 by the Kansas legislature, there are upgrades that should help sustain success.”

Keeping graduates in Kansas

Currently, upon completion of their Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, each student is required to work at a fulltime veterinary practice in one of 92 Kansas counties with fewer than 40,000 residents. For each year the student works in rural Kansas, up to $25,000 per year of qualifying students’ loans are forgiven over a period of four years.

“I am grateful for the financial freedom that the VTPRK program provides,” says Grace Luebcke, a fourth-year student from Marysville, Kansas. “With good money management, I hope to pay off my remaining veterinary student loans before my 30th birthday. As a native Kansan, I am proud to call this state my home and had always intended to remain here after graduation.”

To date, 98% of graduates are completing or have completed their loan obligation through service. Graduates who do not complete through service are required to repay the loan. The funds are reinvested through the addition of students to the program.

Top: The original group of VTPRK students from the class of 2025 included (from left) Chandler Rogers, Emma McClure, Chelsey Bieberle and Bryant Karlin. Bottom: Dr. Brad White, VTPRK director and Hodes Family Dean Dr. Bonnie Rush welcomed Violet Biggs and Jayden Hann as two additional VTPRK students for the class of 2025.

Ninety-four percent of previous graduates who completed their four-year obligation remain in a qualifying county. Seventy percent remain in the original practice and community they entered after graduation.

“The VTPRK helps retain some of the brightest and best veterinary students in Kansas,” says Hodes Family Dean, Dr. Bonnie Rush. “The participants — past, present and future — join a unique community of supportive colleagues and represent the future of rural veterinary practice in Kansas.”

Part of the required training includes the completion of a Food Animal Veterinary Certificate. The student scholars also spend time during the summer and breaks in the academic year learning about foreign-animal disease preparedness, natural disaster response, rural sociology, small business management and public health.

“There has also been additional training related to owning and operating a successful practice from a business aspect,” says Boyd Roenne, a fourthyear student from Meriden, Kansas.

“The lightened burden on my student loans will allow me to look for potential

The lightened burden on my student loans will allow me to look for potential ownership opportunities sooner after graduation than may have otherwise been possible.

Boyd Roenne Class of 2023

ownership opportunities sooner after graduation than may have otherwise been possible.”

After graduating in May 2023, Boyd will be employed with Atchison Animal Clinic located in Atchison, Kansas. This is a mixed animal practice and home for other VTPRK alumni.

Additional changes to the program include the creation of an advisory board consisting of two representatives from the Kansas Department of Agriculture, two members of the Kansas Veterinary Medical Association, the Kansas Animal Health Commissioner and two representatives from the College of Veterinary Medicine. A subgroup of these board members now serves as the selection committee that chooses the student recipients.

“We appreciate the guidance and input from our new advisory board,” Dr. Rush says. “In the spring semester, we plan to choose seven students for the VTPRK program for the class of 2026, so we are also thankful to the members of the selection committee for their efforts in choosing these new students.”

Program requirements include newly created certificate

Each student in the VTPRK must complete the requirements to receive the Food Animal Veterinary Certificate, or FAVC. This new certificate is available to all veterinary students, not just those who have been chosen for the VTPRK. The FAVC complements the educational background for students who are interested in pursuing careers in food animal medicine.

To earn the certificate, sutdents are expected to complete 14 credit hours in the following classes: Issues in Rural Practice, Rural Practice Management, Rural Business Management and Production Medicine.

FAVC students must pass a technical skills assessment and present a capstone seminar. They also must attend K-State’s

2022-2023 VTPRK Advisory Committee

Annual Conference for Veterinarians, held each year in June, and encouraged to attend other veterinary Continuing Education conferences (also available to all veterinary students). Each VTPRK student should attend the June conference and initiate networking with other Kansas practitioners.

FAVC

Food Animal Veterinary Certificate

There are required monthly meetings that expose VTPRK students to a variety of topics including visiting with current rural practitioners, discussing aspects of business management, regulatory medicine and other timely topics.

Monthly meetings involve VTPRK students from all stages of the program and allow interaction among classes and peer discussions for relevant topics.

The VTPRK students are expected to participate in special summer activities that help complement their classroom education.

VTPRK students are taken on a one-week tour of Kansas agricultural production facilities potentially including dairies, cow-calf operations, purebred operations, feed yards, packing plants and rural veterinary facilities. Other activities have included visits to the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York, the USDA-APHIS facilities in Riverdale, Maryland, and Ames, Iowa, the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, as well as mentored training with various industry professionals.

KVMA Representative: Executive Board Member: Dr. Brian Hodes

KVMA Representative: VTPRK Alumni: Dr. Tera Barnhardt

Kansas Animal Health Commissioner: Dr. Justin Smith

KDA Representative: Matt Teagarden

KDA Representative: Mary Ann Kniebel

KSU CVM Representative: Associate Dean for Student Success: Dr. Jim Roush

KSU CVM Representative: Director VTPRK: Dr. Brad White

BY THE NUMBERS

For Rural Kansas

80 Total students admitted to the program

33 males

47 females

80/80 are Kansans

98%

Have fulfilled or are currently fulfilling their obligation to practice in a rural community

Where are they now?

94% Currently practicing in a qualifying county

77% Remain in practice of origin

Molecular LABORATORIES

An interconnected system of laboratories to provide the highest quality of service using cutting-edge technology.

Molecular

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

• Develop molecular assays for the detection of animal, zoonotic and foodborne pathogens

• Develop syndromic assays for production and companion animals

• Continually re-evaluate existing assays to ensure the detection of contemporary strains

Molecular

SERVICE

• Offer a wide array of highly sensitive and specific PCR-based testing options

• Quick turnaround time and accurate results to aid in the diagnosis of infectious diseases

• Innovative technologies that help automate laboratory procedures and increase testing capacity

• Steadfast commitment to client satisfaction

Next Generation

SEQUENCING

• Identifies pathogens without prior knowledge of the organism type including novel or resistant pathogens

• Assesses the presence of all bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic agents simultaneously

• Provides bioinformatic services that may help predict transmission patterns during outbreaks

Meet hana johnson: recruitment coordinator

Educational and professional background

Hana Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations at K-State’s A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications and completed a master’s degree in higher education from Northwestern University in Illinois. Hana’s impactful experience with her sorority (Kappa Kappa Gamma) during her time as an undergraduate student at K-State inspired her to pursue a career in higher education. Prior to her role at the CVM, she served as a Leadership Consultant for her sorority’s headquarters, and even lived in a fraternity house as a house director while in graduate school. She also served as a liaison between student chapters and university services.

“I did that for six years in total and then decided it was time to make a transition,” Hana says. “I really loved my admissions and enrollment management classes in grad school, so when I saw the job posting for my current role, I felt like it was time to make a move.”

Objectives and Goals

A favorite role for Hana is managing the student ambassadors, where she has made some changes to the program, including building leadership development, increasing competencies in diversity and inclusion, and improving team dynamics.

“I want their experience as student ambassadors to not only be something they enjoy and something that helps them earn a paycheck, but also to be an experience they can look back in 10 years and say, ‘I learned these skills from that experience to help me manage a team in practice, or that helps me somehow be a better veterinarian in the future,’” Hana says.

For recruitment as a whole, Hana has two main goals: to create better relationships with institutions that may get overlooked in the recruitment process for veterinary medicine (or schools that aren’t always the first to come to mind when considering top veterinary candidates), and to help students feel better equipped to navigate the admissions process.

“I am of the mindset that if I can meet with a student and help them understand how to navigate the application process, how to get to veterinary school, whether they choose K-State or not, if they have a clear understanding of how to get there and how to pursue their dream, how to be a stronger applicant,

then I’ve done my job well,” Hana said. “That reflects well on K-State and the college, even if they don’t end up coming here. I want to be someone who people can lean on in the application process to get where they need to go.”

What is special about K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine?

Hana says it’s the students that truly make K-State’s CVM a special place. Her interactions with the ambassadors are her gateway to the student experience, which she shares with prospective students.

“They’re a funny bunch, they’re great, their senses of humor are great, and they all bring different strengths to the table,” Hana said. “I’m very grateful to work with them.”

And, of course, the efforts of faculty to create a unique learning environment where students are equipped to succeed make the CVM special too, she says.

“This is a place that provides an education for students that allows them to go anywhere and do anything,” Hana said. “While we might not necessarily ‘see our name in lights,’ the way in which we educate our students and the way in which we provide a learning environment for students – that helps them succeed, and that’s something that is incredibly valuable.”

Hana poses with Willie the Wildcat at a recruitment event.

Perfect Timing

VRSP summer project opens door to master’s degree studies for Nigerian scholar

Story and photos by Joe Montgomery

Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro and Dr. Stephen Edache

Taking a chance

Stephen reviewed the message. Everything he had written looked good, but then, he had been unsuccessful on previous occasions. Taking a short breath, he clicked “send.”

“My brother called me and said there was an opportunity for internship or an externship in the U.S.,” Stephen recalls.

It was called VRSP, which stands for Veterinary Research Scholars Program, offered at the College of Veterinary Medicine, in Manhattan, Kansas. To Stephen Edache, the youngest in his family with four brothers and a sister, the opportunity would take him a long way from home, but would help set a path for his future.

“I was in my final year of my DVM program at the University of Agriculture, in Makurdi, Nigeria” Stephen says. “Going through the VRSP program website, I read about the different mentors, supervisors and their research interests. I took an interest in research with Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro because at that time, it was focused on Salmonella and its prevalence in the peripheral lymph nodes of cattle. This type of research fit my interests, so I made my application for the program.”

Connecting students with mentors

“The way the program works, Dr. Kate KuKanich [the current VRSP director] sends an email to all potential mentors in our college but also in other academic colleges at K-State,” says Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro, associate professor of epidemiology in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/ Pathobiology. “She asks whether we would be interested in applying to mentor students. Then students and mentors are matched based on research interests.”

For Dr. Cernicchiaro, two students selected her research project about Salmonella in cattle as one of their top interests.

“I talked to Stephen and one other student,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says. “We usually begin a discussion with the prospective students and then they ask me questions. After that, we mentors rank the students in order of who we think might be a better fit for the research project. I ranked

Stephen as my first pick, and then there was similar interest from him, so that is how we connected.”

About the VRSP

For three months during the summer, VRSP provides an in-depth introduction of biomedical research to veterinary students, along with encouragement for these talented veterinary professional students to enter veterinary careers involving research.

“Scholars work with their mentors day-to-day throughout the summer to learn laboratory techniques and various procedures for data collection,” explains Dr. KuKanich, who is a professor of small animal internal medicine in addition to overseeing VRSP. “The students participate in weekly journal clubs and interactive workshops to learn about research ethics, how to present research findings, and veterinary career opportunities involving research.”

“Scholars also meet veterinary researchers from corporate and government settings and tour various facilities to learn about the many opportunities available to veterinarians,” adds Dr. Cernicchiaro. “At the end of the summer, scholars present their research at our college’s poster session, and they get the opportunity to attend the National Veterinary Research Symposium, which was held in St. Paul, Minnesota, for 2022.”

“The VRSP provides a tremendous opportunity to recruit veterinary students who are interested in research to learn from an excellent mentor like Dr. Cernicchiaro,” says

Dr. Stephen Edache works with Salmonella samples collected from the lymph nodes of dairy cattle under the mentorship of Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro.

Dr. David Renter, director of the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, or CORE. Dr. Renter is also on Stephen’s master’s degree committee with Dr. Cernicchiaro and Dr. T.G. Nagaraja. “In this case, the student, the faculty, the graduate program and the beef industry partners all benefit.”

Traditionally, the VRSP is open to first- and secondyear veterinary students, and accepts approximately 20 students each summer. In the summer of 2021, funding from Boehringer Ingelheim and IDEXX Inc., allowed the recruitment and addition of two international veterinary scholars. In addition to Stephen, another student from Nigeria was accepted into the program: Damilola Gbore, who was attending the University of Ibadan.

“The VRSP provided funding for us both to assist with our living expenses and travel expenses,” Stephen says. “We connected in Nigeria before coming to the U.S., and we’re still in communication. Damilola’s mentor was Dr. Masaaki Tamura in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology.”

“We value the tremendous opportunity for international scholars like Stephen to join our Veterinary Research Scholars Program, collaborate with our research teams, and add depth to our discussions of biomedical, veterinary, and One Health problems and solutions,” Dr. KuKanich says. “The mission of our VRSP and the Boehringer Ingelheim Veterinary Scholars Program, who sponsored Stephen’s summer research, is to encourage top veterinary students to pursue a career

in veterinary research. We were thrilled when Stephen graduated with his DVM in Nigeria and returned to K-State to continue his research through a graduate degree with Dr. Cernicchiaro.”

An opportunity emerges

While the VRSP turned out to be a successful program for Stephen, it also created a serendipitous opportunity, which he recognized early during the summer he was participating in the VRSP.

“I got the idea the first couple of weeks, that I was very sure this was the place where I wanted to work on my Ph.D. or master’s — and that this was one of the labs I wanted to work in for my graduate studies,” Stephen says. “I didn’t actually speak with Dr. Cernicchiaro right away – for some reason I was a bit scared if I was going to get accepted or not, but fortunately for me, I did.”

“Sometimes you can identify talent in a fairly short period, and that was the case with Stephen,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says. “Because the VRSP happens over a 12-week period, students are not exposed to all the aspects of biomedical research, so they may not be involved in the design or implementation, or maybe in the analysis stages, which may be challenging depending on the stage of the project.”

“In this case, the project was in its very early stages,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says. “Stephen started when the research project started, with the timing being perfect. I really needed

Dr. Stephen Edache explains the findings of his research project at the VRSP poster session in the summer of 2021.

a student to lead this project. I have been very successful with the VRSP students I have worked with in the past — they were all rock stars, so I was really looking forward to having Stephen join my lab during the summer.”

From DVM graduate in Nigeria to M.S. student at K-State

After finishing his VRSP project in 2021, Stephen returned to Nigeria for the fall semester and completed his DVM program in September.

“Lucky for me, Dr. Cernicchiaro was looking for a master’s student who could take over the current Salmonella project,” Stephen says. “I was also looking for a graduate position so, as she said, it was just good timing.”

Although the time was good to transition into studies for a master’s degree and return to K-State, Stephen ran into a slight roadblock.

lives close by, he offered to come every Saturday. His attitude was extremely appreciated.”

And what topic is Stephen studying as a master’s degree student?

“Currently my research is mainly focused on evaluating the effectiveness of direct-fed microbial in reducing Salmonella prevalence and concentration in the peripheral lymph nodes of dairy cattle,” Stephen says. “That’s my main project although I have side projects, such as looking at the general prevalence of Salmonella in the peripheral lymph nodes of control lots (culled dairy cattle) and checking the antimicrobial resistance of different Salmonella serotypes that I get from the main project.”

I have been very successful with the VRSP students I have worked with in the past — they were all rock stars, so I was really looking forward to having Stephen join my lab during the summer.

“When I applied for a VISA interview, the date they gave me was Feb. 11, 2022,” Stephen says. “My program was supposed to begin in January, so I would be one month into my program and not knowing when I would have my VISA interview. That means I would be late to start classes.”

Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro Associate professor

“We are investigating the prevalence and concentration of Salmonella in lymph nodes, because lymph nodes have been identified as one of the main sources of Salmonella in ground beef samples,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says. “During the slaughter process, not only fat, muscle and fascia are trimmed, sometimes superficial lymph nodes can also be trimmed and incorporated into combo trim bins, and if contaminated, represent a potential food safety risk.”

Fortunately, Stephen found some individuals who helped him expedite his interview, and get the date moved forward. The rest is history — in the making.

Master’s student — 24/7

So what is it like to be a graduate student in pathobiology/ epidemiology?

“I usually wake up around 6 a.m. and am in the lab by 6:30,” Stephen says. “I get most of my work taken care of early with sample processing, data collection and analysis, and then work on class assignments. Then, when my brain is getting saturated, I go back to the lab and work till about 6 in the evening.”

While that sounds like a long day — and it is a long day — Stephen puts in time on the weekends too.

“Depending on when we start processing samples in the lab, there are some procedures that have to happen on Saturdays,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says. “Before Stephen joined my lab, we created a schedule where several of us will rotate to come to the lab. Upon Stephen starting his program, and given he

The study is supported with funding from the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.

“This is a competitive proposal we put together with industry collaborators,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says.

Vision for the future

While Stephen stays busy on his master’s research project, he does occasionally enjoy some free time.

“I play tennis a lot — every weekend,” Stephen says. “And I hang out with friends — I have lots of Korean friends, for some reason. Most are graduate students, although some are in the military. It’s kind of a way to blow off steam and have refreshing memories so you’re prepared for the next week.”

While it might be early to think about the future, Stephen does believe research might continue beyond his master’s degree, which he hopes to complete in December 2023.

“I have always envisioned myself being a professor,” Stephen says. “After I get my master’s, then I could get my Ph.D. and teach in a university. Most of my decisions are influenced by my present status, but I would love to teach in the U.S.”

Dr. Stephen Edache’s master’s degree program falls under the umbrella of the Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, or CORE, an interdisciplinary research and training center focused on the application of outcomes research and epidemiology to benefit animals and humans.

“We provide graduate training in epidemiology to prepare students for a variety of professional career tracks,” says Dr. David Renter, the Dr. Robert MacDonald Professor of Veterinary Medicine and director of CORE. “We have recent graduates who are employed in industry, academia and government settings. Specific areas of training can be tailored to the student, while also aligning with faculty areas of expertise.”

CORE utilizes a collaborative team with expertise in population-based and quantitative approaches to enhance animal health for the benefit of animals and society. Currently there are 10 graduate students supervised by CORE faculty members.

“Our research and training programs capitalize on our expertise in epidemiology, research design, data analysis and interpretation, risk assessment, mathematical modeling,

veterinary medicine, production agriculture, and population health management,” Dr. Renter says. “We promote excellence in experimental, observational, and research synthesis methods, and strive to deliver valid information that enables evidence-based and data-driven decisions. In addition, we focus on developing student’s oral and written science communication skills.”

Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro, is the associate director of CORE and is also appointed as an associate professor of epidemiology in the Department of Diagnostic Medicine/Pathobiology.

“I have very high expectations from my students, but I also want to make sure everybody feels good maintaining a workpersonal balance, while doing quality work, and providing a good work environment,” Dr. Cernicchiaro says. “That and the fact that we have a great group of graduate students, faculty members and staff members may have been important drivers for Stephen’s decision to pursue his master’s degree at K-State. Even if his research project is amazing, being successful is about the people. Our graduate students form a very nice group. I love my colleagues and I love my students. That is the reason I do what I do.”

Dr. Natalia Cernicchiaro was the VRSP mentor of the year in 2021, shown here with Dr. Ernst Heinen, vice president of clinical operations and technical development at Elanco, and VRSP Director Dr. Kate KuKanich.

Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology supports opportunities in epidemiology studies

K-State’s top faculty research prize — Iman Research Award — goes to Dr. Hans Coetzee

Dr. Hanz Coetzee from the College of Veterinary Medicine was one of two K-State professors chosen as this year’s recipients of the Iman Research and Teaching Awards. Each award incudes a $5,000 honorarium in recognition of outstanding research and teaching accomplishments.

Presented at the K-State Alumni Center Sept. 8, the research award recognizes faculty members who have distinguished themselves and have contributed significantly through research to improve the betterment of the educational experience or make a significant impact.

A University Distinguished Professor and head of the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Dr. Coetzee has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers and received over $20 million in research funding, in addition to

Researchers identify potential treatment for emerging rabbit diseases

By Wendy Barnes

Going down the rabbit hole is not so bad if it means saving the lives of wild and domestic rabbits threatened by the recent spread of diseases. Currently, there is no treatment for Rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) and European brown hare syndrome (EBHS), both of which are caused by lagoviruses. But hope is on the horizon due to a discovery by a team of researchers at Kansas State University.

Through collaboration with researchers from other Kansas Board of Regents universities — Dr. William Groutas at Wichita State University and Dr. Scott Lovell at the University of Kansas — CVM virologists Drs. Kim and Kyeong-Ok Chang have identified potent small-molecule inhibitors with the potential to be developed as antiviral drugs for lagoviruses.

Dr. Kim said the development of an antiviral drug could provide a much-needed treatment for afflicted rabbits, especially those not found in the wild.

“Pet rabbits and endangered rabbits in captive-breeding programs are an especially good target for antiviral treatment,” Kim says. “Antiviral drugs may also be used as prevention when rabbits are exposed to the virus and need prompt protection.”

being awarded two patents. His contributions to advancing animal welfare have been recognized with the AVMA Animal Welfare Award and the AABP Award of Excellence.

Study suggests probiotics may pose risks to animal, human health

By Piper Brandt

Research from mid-2022 reveals how probiotics may not be as beneficial for animal and human health as thought. Probiotics, in most uses, are organisms considered to be beneficial for gut health in animals and humans.

Dr. Raghavendra Amachawadi, assistant professor of food animal therapeutics, and his team have discovered that a species of bacteria, Enterococcus faecium, which is contained in several commercial products for swine and cattle, can be a source of antibiotic resistance.

Their study, “Whole genome sequence analyses-based assessment of virulence potential and antimicrobial susceptibilities and resistance of Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from commercial swine and cattle probiotic products,” was published in the Journal of Animal Science.

“Although probiotics are beneficial bacteria, some bacterial species can have unintended negative consequences,”

Dr. Amachawadi says. “Our research has shown that Enterococcus faecium carries genes that confer resistance to antibiotics widely used in human medicine. Feeding such products to animals raises the possibility that the genes can be transferred to pathogenic bacteria and make them resistant to antibiotics, which can be passed on to humans.”

Dr. Hans Coetzee celebrates with Rae and Ron Iman plus K-State President Richard Linton.

FIeld service to the rescue

A passion to save horses creates opportunities for education.

Story and photos by Audrey Hambright.

Dressed in a yellow rain jacket and mud boots, not typical for late August, Karen Everhart led her first horse Godiva, also known as “Diva” into the barn. Ten horses at Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue and Retirement, Inc., were scheduled to receive preventative care from the Veterinary Health Center, or VHC, equine field service team. For Diva, a dental exam was next.

Located south of Junction City, Kansas, the rescue is nothing short of a sanctuary surrounded by the iconic Flint Hills landscape. The facility can house up to 43 horses at one time and is nearly always at maximum occupancy.

Everhart officially started Rainbow Meadows in Chautauqua County, Kansas, in 2005. She relocated the rescue in March 2020 to be closer to her daughter and family. With only one full-time and two part-time employees, the rescue enjoys support from about 40 local volunteers. Everhart considers herself a volunteer.

Passion leads to a new venture

A lifelong horse lover, Everhart first discovered her passion for animal welfare when she was approaching retirement and looking to purchase land in 1997. She learned about a pony with severely slipper-footed (overgrown) hooves that could barely move or get to a water source. The owner was reportedly out-of-state receiving health treatments and unable to care for the pony.

With permission, Everhart took the pony, later named “Mo,” to her homeplace, then in Sedgwick County, Kansas, where she nursed him back to health over the next six months. She was able to rehome Mo with a family near Concordia, Kansas, where he lived another 12 years with his new family. Inspired by this experience Everhart decided she would help one to two horses each year that were having difficulty and in need of rehabilitation and rehoming once she settled into her new ranch

In May 2005, Everhart began relocating to the new property along with 10 of her own horses. Word spread that she was looking to help a few more horses, and she quickly acquired 10 more. Out of the need to provide care and facilities for these horses, Rainbow Meadows was born.

Since its inception, Rainbow Meadows has helped over 1,000 horses directly or indirectly, ranging from instances

around legal procedures, law enforcement or horses that have ended up in difficult circumstances. According to Everhart, they’ve made a big impact in Kansas and surrounding states. They’ve even adopted horses out as far away as Maryland and Southern California.

A partnership in education

The rescue’s close proximity to the VHC has benefitted both the rescue and fourth-year veterinary students. Everhart says they have relied on K-State 100% since relocating, but the reasons she enjoys having the students at the rescue is twofold. First, to give the students an opportunity to learn.

“When I have 40 to 50-plus horses here at any given time, they are able to see different breeds, situations, physical conditions and needs than they might otherwise see on a field call,” she says.

Second, is to bring more awareness to animal welfare.

“I’m an educator by personality and passion,” she says.

Dr. Chris Blevins, clinical professor in equine field service, echoed Everhart’s sentiments in terms of the field experience fourth-year students can acquire in this environment.

“The number of oral exams, lameness evaluations, general health services and treatments students are able to perform are exponential in the clinical experience,” he says. “They also get

“Diva” receives a dental float from fourth-year student, Jack Poole.

Left: Fourth-year student Marissa Komp begins a hoof exam at Rainbow Meadows Rescue.

to experience a very well-run equine rescue and can take these examples and thoughts out in practice and to other rescues they may work with when they graduate.”

Three fourth-year veterinary students Marissa Komp, Meagan O’Brien and Jack Poole, who were on the field call to Rainbow Meadows rescue in August, all found the experience incredibly rewarding.

“This field call helped solidify my confidence in dental examinations and power floats, as well as vaccines and vaccine administration, general physical assessment and in-the-field lameness examinations,” Jack says. “I also got to meet and communicate with some great people who have a true passion for horses.”

Another unique aspect of having the rescue near the college is the ability to follow-up on specific patients that may have previously been at the VHC. Meagan was excited to see improvement on a recent case she had treated earlier in her rotation.

“My favorite part was following up with Que Sera Sera’s recheck and staple removal,” Meagan says. “During her stay at VHC, I was the student in charge of her case. It can be difficult to follow cases all the way through as a student, because often, by the time they are ready for a follow up appointment, we have already moved to a different rotation. It was a wonderful opportunity to see her case through from her presentation to the clinic to her staple removal and first recheck!”

Last, but not least, skills learned in the equine field rotation can help create more well-rounded veterinarians.

“Although I do not plan on working with horses in my early veterinary career, I find working with them very invaluable in learning about animal behavior and husbandry,” Marissa says. “I have become a more confident veterinary student through my equine rotation and learning more about horses than I ever thought I would, let alone enjoying every minute of it!”

“I think it is really important to be able to have these students come here and see a model for a good rescue,” Everhart says.

Rainbow Meadows Equine Rescue is a 501(c)3 organization, supported by donations and gift. They are verified by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, designated an equine guardian by the EQUUS Foundation and have a platinum rating by GuideStar.

Those who are interested in supporting the work of Rainbow Meadows or volunteering can visit the website at: https://www.rainbowmeadowsranch.com/.

For anyone interested in learning about opportunities to support the work by Dr. Blevins, the equine field service at the VHC or the fourth-year DVM students, contact Kaitlin Garcia at 785-775-2137 or kaitling@ksufoundation.org.

Meagan O’Brien, fourth-year veterinary student, conducts a follow-up on exam on Que Sera Sera.

Dr. Chris Blevins starts a physical exam on Que Sera Sera.

Meet Dr. janine seetahal:

section head - KSVDL rabies laboratory

Educational and professional background

Dr. Janine Seetahal received her DVM from the University of the West Indies in 2006, followed by a master’s degree in public health in 2011 and later a doctorate in molecular genetics. Most recently, Dr. Seetahal has been devoted to regulatory and preventative veterinary medicine as a state veterinarian in Trinidad and Tobago from 2009 to 2022, with operational responsibilities broadly encompassing zoonotic diseases surveillance and control, animal import and export regulation, trade in livestock products and disaster management. She became passionate about the subject of rabies and bats while managing the Government Rabies Laboratory in Trinidad and Tobago during the 2010 rabies outbreak in livestock. Seetahal is originally from the island of Trinidad, which has a history in rabies including the discovery of vampire bats.

Dr. Seetahal has carried out many rabies educational initiatives, from boots-on-the-ground community drives to more structured events, such as World Rabies Day. She is looking forward to using her training, education and experience to continue to tackle this One Health issue.

Goals/objectives for the KSVDL Rabies Lab

1. Promote and advance the excellent standards of service provided to the public, industry and regulatory authorities

2. Provide timely, accessible laboratory support to our clients that align well with modernized systems of the future

3. Contribute toward developing practical guidelines for rabies prevention based on scientific evidence that affords the best coverage

How will you align the priorities of the KSVDL with the priorities of the college?

One of the things that drew me to Kansas State University was a quote I saw on the website “Study what you love, connect it to a career and empower yourself to become the best version of you.” It really resonated with me as it captures what I have tried to do over the course of my academic and professional journey.

In line with the visionary goal of the university to be recognized as one of the nation’s top public research

universities, I aim to develop innovative research programs that answer essential questions within the context of the evolving epidemiological landscape of rabies across the globe.

The K-State Rabies Laboratory is internationally renowned as one of the largest rabies serology laboratories in the world with the capacity to conduct various types of rabies specific tests dependent on the purpose of testing. I was already familiar with the stellar reputation of the lab from the perspective of a regulatory official and scientist and I am excited to be able to contribute towards upholding these standards.

Outside of serving as the section head for a world-renowned rabies laboratory, Seetahal enjoys spending time with her two young daughters, crafting and reading - especially medical thrillers. Interestingly, she also enjoys bat watching in nature, which she says allowed her to destress while conducting field work for research.

Dr. Janine Seetahal extracts a bat from a net. Courtesy photo.

L VEE is

blind

Story

This love story begins in a barn in Wamego, Kansas, when Dr. Kielyn Scott, DVM 2003, visited her dad’s farm in the summer of 2021. Her mission was to help fulfill two goals for Lexi, her 9-year-old niece: to see a kitten and to pet a kitten.

Barn discovery

“When we went into the barn, he was the first cat we saw — and it’s a big barn,” Dr. Scott says. “He was this little orange fuzz ball, and I thought, ‘We already have a kitten for Lexi! She can pet him, this is great!’”

However, when Dr. Scott picked the kitten up, she realized there was an issue with his eyes; one was swollen shut and the other was bulging out.

“He was very small — just a handful — about 5 weeks old,” Dr. Scott says. “But Lexi was happy that she could pet him, and I was trying to be calm and reassuring to her that it wasn’t terrible for him to have this eye wound. I was thinking, ‘What am I going to do with this little kitten? The only option is to take him to the veterinary school.’”

As Dr. Scott and Lexi were standing in the barn assessing the situation, it became apparent that such a special kitten deserved a worthy name.

“Lexi came up with ‘Friendly,’” Dr. Scott says. “I usually call my animal patients ‘friends,’ and I said, ‘Look at this little

friend, he’s so nice.’ And she said, ‘Yeah, he’s really friendly.’ ‘Is that his name?’ ‘Yeah, he’s Friendly Brave!’ She’s a child who does not like blood or gore, or anything that’s gross, so it was interesting to see her with this little kitten that has one eye that’s bulging, and one that is stuck shut, and to watch her be okay with that.”

Dr. Scott, Lexi and Lexi’s father, Matt, drove Friendly to the emergency services at the Veterinary Health Center and were able to see Veterinary Ophthalmologist Dr. Jessica Meekins.

Dire situation

Unfortunately, it was discovered that both of Friendly’s corneas were ruptured due to infection and needed to be removed. Due to his age and small size, Dr. Meekins decided the best course of action was to provide supportive care until he was old enough to safely undergo general anesthesia for surgical removal of both eyes (enucleation).

“Dr. Scott and Lexi did an amazing thing in rescuing Friendly and committing to nursing him through such a difficult start in life — raising a bottle baby is no small task,” says Dr. Meekins, who is an associate professor. “I was really impressed with Lexi’s maturity. She was very serious about taking care of Friendly and really understood that it was a big responsibility.”

They say love is blind — and sometimes love is a blind ginger cat.

by Piper Brandt, student writer

Friendly the cat relaxes at home, living his best life. Courtesy photo.

So, Friendly moved to Ohio with Lexi, and two weeks later he underwent his enucleation. At first, he needed increased supervision while recovering from the surgery. Friendly was kept isolated from the family’s other pets and carried around the house.

“I was initially very concerned about the extra care that he would need,” says Riley Scott, Dr. Scott’s sister and Lexi’s mother. “I had no clue how we would be able to support a cat with special needs and it seemed daunting to think about how he was going to function in the world.”

Fortune favors Friendly

Friendly is not only functioning — he is thriving. He has since fully recovered and now has full run of the house, with some modifications for his safety. The openings in the three flights of stairs were covered with thick paper to prevent him from falling through, for example.

“I think he is so handsome!” Lexi says. “I carry him in a special way on my shoulder through the house and he loves it. When I lost my last tooth, instead of the tooth fairy giving me money, we got a pet stroller so I can take him on walks.”

The family helps support Friendly by holding him if he’s around unfamiliar and loud noises for the first time, if he gets stuck on a tall object and prefers to be set on the floor or while he sniffs any visitors. When there’s a new object in the house, Friendly is brought to it so he can feel it with his paws. The family also talks to Friendly when approaching him or before picking him up so he isn’t surprised.

Friendly doesn’t let his lack of sight keep him from living his best life; he runs, plays and acts just like a normal cat. He simply “watches” with his ears instead, using his hearing to locate the whereabouts of the family and their other pets. He’s even taught himself to open the lever door handles in the house.

“I feel like he is such a good ambassador for cats because everyone who meets him just loves him,” Dr. Scott says. “It’s amazing he can be so confident and bold and show resiliency despite never having known sight. So, at least he doesn’t know what he’s missing. But he’s just bold and in the middle of everything.”

Lexi Scott bundles up Friendly for a visit to the Veterinary Health Center. Courtesy photo.

All-Around LIFE SAVERS

In 2015, the Veterinary Health Center announced that its previous in-house blood donation program would now be open to the public. Since then, the program has seen several furry faces contribute to the blood bank for fellow patients.

Under the current supervision of Brooke Neiberger, oncology veterinary nurse, the program has nearly six times the amount of donors as when it was handed off to her two years ago.

Blood Types and the Greyhound Colony

Dog blood types are very different than human blood types. They receive one of two distinctions, either positive or negative, and similarly to human blood, negative blood can be given to any dog while positive blood can only be given to other positive dogs. The greyhound colony that started this whole program is based on this important factor of their blood type.

“So, I don’t know the exact stat, but greyhounds are more likely to have negative blood types,” says Neiberger. “The hospital actually used to have a greyhound colony before I started, like 20 years ago or so, and the students would take care of the dogs that were here and then they would pull from them once or twice a week.”

This program is what launched the community, volunteerbased system the VHC operates now. Neiberger raves about the benefits of this system; however, this change has not come without its challenges for her and the program.

“I screen so many dogs, but not many are accepted. So about one in ten get accepted because they have to have the right blood type to get accepted. I can get a lot of the positive blood type, a lot of dogs come back as being positive, but I can only have a certain amount of them in the program

because we don’t use it as often. I have 15 [positive donors] in program currently, but the negative blood can go to anybody.”

Her full-time job as an oncology nurse sometimes interferes with the dedication she can provide to the program as the only nurse who is assigned to do the donations. Her dreams and hopes remain high, however, when it comes to expanding and growing the program into what she believes it can be.

Saving Lives All Around

Meet Hazzy, short for Trip Hazard, belonging to MaRyka Smith, dual DVM and Ph.D. student; Hazzy serves double duty in saving lives at the VHC as a blood donor and in her free time through another interesting type of service.

“Hazzy performs HRD — human remains detection or cadaver dog,” MaRyka says. “I brought her home at about eight weeks and at our first certification test, she was about 15 months old and we are due for recertification this summer and we have actually received a scholarship to pay for the seminar that we will do our certification at in early August in Iowa.”

Hazzy and MaRyka serve as a team in human remains detection searches all across the United States. While most of their searches have been in Kansas, they have been called to do searches in other states such as Iowa. Their

Hazzy and her owner MaRyka Smith, after a blood donation.

Story and photos by Kennedy Mounce, student writer

Man’s best friend steps up to save lives, in more ways than one.

dedication to training and to the job behind it all is what truly makes them such a great duo.

“She loves working,” MaRyka says. “For her it’s just a game, find the smell and then she gets her toy. Her favorite thing is a ball on a rope. She loves people, loves to go places and loves snacks. Overall, she’s just a standard Labrador, eats about everything.”

When it comes to blood donation, Hazzy’s ability to remain calm and dedicated to the task comes in handy. Her calm nature has made her a perfect candidate for the blood program and has provided several benefits to both her and MaRyka.

“I think the benefits certainly outweigh the risks — there’s a risk every time you put a hole in a dog with a needle but the benefit of them getting their annual blood work done, a bag of food, and all of their preventatives paid for is worth it. There is no anesthetic risk to it, they just lay on the table, and as long as dog is fine with being restrained, even that’s not an issue. If the dog is panicky or not the best with strangers, being a donor might not be the best fit for them, but for one like Hazzy — she was a first-year anatomy learning subject — it’s nothing outlandish for her and nothing but benefit for us and for the pets who receive the blood.”

The “Why” Behind It All

Despite the trials that the program has faced, the results from the program have created a truly amazing result for patients, donors and owners alike.

“Just as in human medicine, blood products (whole blood, packed red blood cells, fresh frozen plasma) are crucial for therapy of a number of diseases in our patients,” says Dr. Kenneth Harkin, professor and section head of small animal internal medicine. “It could be a dog that

has lost a lot of blood in surgery or after being hit by a car, a dog that ingested rat poison and is bleeding, or any of a number of other diseases resulting in severe anemia. If we didn’t have these blood products available to use from our donors, we would not be able to save a lot of the patients we save today.”

MaRyka has experienced the benefits of this life-saving program first-hand. Her testimony of Hazzy’s donations are what bring the reality of this program to life.

“I got a text one night from a student who was working in the ICU,” MaRyka recalls. “They had used her blood and they had recognized her name as the donor so that was kind of heartwarming to know that she really had potentially saved another dog. I just feel like if it’s a way we can give, it’s great because it doesn’t cost us anything extra it’s certainly worthwhile — kind of like me getting cookies after donating blood.”

Everyone involved in the Canine Blood Donor Program has their own reason behind their participation, as saving lives is an everyday activity in this field. This program is certainly no exception to that rule, but it can only truly fulfill that role with enough volunteer donors. To learn more about the program, visit www.ksvhc. org/services/specialty-services/internal/ canine-blood-donor-program.html or email vhcblooddonor@vet.k-state.edu.

Opposite left above: Brooke Neiberger draws blood from Red, a regular donor, assisted by two veterinary students, now Drs. Tera Brandt and Brittany Kovar. Right: Petey shows off a donation, which can save up to two canine lives.

Dr. Renee Schmid, class of 2001, relaxes at home with her dog, Blossom. Courtesy photo.

A Servant to Her Gifts

Dr. Renee Schmid’s rejection letter from the first time she applied to veterinary college sits right next to the acceptance letter she received the following year. Those letters serve as a reminder of how far she has come. They are symbols of her perseverance, determination and resilience — traits that helped her achieve her childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian.

Since that first rejection letter to today, her career has followed a nontraditional path, but one that leaves her feeling fulfilled at the end of the day.

Challenge accepted

After her beloved basset hound developed lymphoma and had to be euthanized, as an adolescent Dr. Schmid made a firm decision about her future.

“That’s when I really decided that I was going to devote my life work to helping animals,” Dr. Schmid says. “And that’s what really made that transition from wanting to be a veterinarian to knowing that I was going to be a veterinarian.”

Getting into veterinary college was not an easy path. At first, Dr. Schmid didn’t really apply herself during the beginning of her undergraduate years. She just assumed it was easy to get into veterinary school after completing her classes, not considering there might be competition for a seat.

That misunderstanding led to someone advising her to seek a different career path — or find a “Plan B” — since she would “never be a

veterinarian.” To her, those words signified a challenge and motivated her to reach her goal.

“If somebody wants me to do something, tell me I can’t do it,” Dr. Schmid says, laughing. “It gave me the motivation I needed to become a good student and do the things I needed to do.”

As a result, she focused on her studies. Despite being rejected the first time she applied, Dr. Schmid didn’t give up on her dream and was rewarded with admission to veterinary school the following year, in 1997.

She attributes her K-State education for enabling her the opportunity to grow in her chosen career path.

“It set me up with the tools that I needed to succeed and to be successful in my career,” Dr. Schmid says.

Forging her way

After graduating in 2001, Dr. Schmid moved back to Wichita and joined the clinic she worked at during high school. Five years later, she found herself back at K-State for an anesthesiology residency.

“I had just gotten the itch to do more than general practice and really wanted to specialize in something,” Dr. Schmid says. “I was going back and forth between medicine and anesthesia, and there happened to be an opening for an anesthesia resident. I really liked the idea of the fast pace, the criticalness of it.”

During her residency, she met her husband, Luke, who was in the DVM

Story by Wendy Barnes, student writer.

Dr. Renee Schmid, class of 2001, shares the secret to forging her own path to success.

Dr. Schmid (right) attends to a lion with assistance from a fellow resident during her anesthesiology residency at K-State. Courtesy photo.

class of 2007. After they married and their first daughter entered the world, she shifted her focus.

“I continued my residency for about six months after we had our first daughter, and mother’s guilt was overwhelming for me,” Dr. Schmid says. “The entire plan the whole time was that I would continue, but I left after two years of my anesthesia residency to just start raising babies.”

Married to a native Nebraskan, the family moved to Scribner after several years in Kansas and Texas, after her spouse was offered an opportunity to work in a mixed animal practice. Since they were planning to settle in either Kansas or Nebraska, it felt like the right choice for their lives at the time.

“An opportunity came up for him, and, at the time, my 99% job was being a stay-at-home mom,” Dr. Schmid says. “Once we started having children, I just wanted to be home with them. And so, we moved for his opportunity.”

While she says she kept her skills sharp by helping friends with their practice in Bellevue and Andover, she tired of commuting. Her goal — find a job that would allow her to move out of general practice and let her stay home with her children.

Dr. Schmid says. “I contacted them and started looking for that pharmacovigilance route, which is regulatory reporting for pharmaceuticals, pesticides, different chemicals and products.”

The discovery of SafetyCall International — the parent company of Pet Poison Helpline — changed her work trajectory. The discovery of SafetyCall shifted her towards a less conventional career path for a DVM. When she contacted them there was an opening on the pet poison side of the company and she took the job.

“I really just kind of fell into it, to be honest,” Dr. Schmid says. “And I really enjoyed it. It worked excellent for my family. I was able to work in the evenings while my husband could take care of the kids, and I could be home with them during the day. And I just really enjoyed toxicology.”

Dr. Schmid says there were other benefits to the career change.

“I felt like the therapies and things we were consulting veterinarians on, brought in my general practice experience, my emergency practice experience, my anesthesia residency — it just combined all of those features,” Dr. Schmid says. “It has been a really great fit and I have been here for about nine and a half years now.”

Family first

As her children got older, Dr. Schmid took on more responsibilities at work, eventually working her way to become a boarded specialist in general toxicology and veterinary toxicology and into her current position as the Pet Poison Helpline Manager of Veterinary Medicine and Professional Services. Even with her current leadership role in the company, she still manages to meet her family’s needs.

“Now I think we’ve done it long enough that we’ve found a good balance in our home,” Dr. Schmid says. “The kids’ needs are less, but they’re still there — they’re just a bit different. Helping a high schooler with their algebra or a grade schooler trying to figure out life is still a challenging time with them. Luke has been extremely supportive of my career goals, so caring for our family is definitely a team effort.”

A New Path

Dr. Schmid’s resolve to change career paths spurred her to start looking for remote work. Not wanting to leave the veterinary field, she started exploring suitable options for her skillset.

“Someone had told me about a K-State graduate who did pharmacovigilance from their home in Nebraska,”

Sharing her knowledge

Dr. Schmid’s current position provides her with a variety of opportunities, including educating other veterinary professionals.

“The education I’m able to provide veterinarians across the country is my favorite part,” Dr. Schmid says. “Not only through phone consultation work, but also through lectures

Dr. Schmid, her husband Luke and their three kids tailgate at one of the CVM’s “Vet Town” pregame parties. Photo by Wendy Barnes.

and presentations at conferences, and through webinars. Toxicology is an exciting portion of the field, but we don’t get a lot of training in school because there is so much information to learn overall in only a four-year period.”

She also stays connected to her alma mater. Dr. Scott Fritz, clinical assistant professor of toxicology, says she guest lectures in his course.

“You can tell she takes a genuine interest in the veterinary students within our course, and she brings the experience from a national call-in center,” Dr. Fritz says.

Dr. Schmid gives students an inside view of toxicology evidenced by various cases she has encountered.

“The veterinary students really respond to her,” Dr. Fritz says. “They appreciate her coming in. They’re tuned in; they’re zoned in because they know this is a national presence — somebody who gets to see all these cases from all over the place.”

Looking forward and looking back

Looking forward, Dr. Schmid says she plans to grow her career and her leadership role within the Pet Poison Helpline. While she doesn’t see herself going back to general practice, she is open to the possibility of providing educational opportunities for future K-State veterinary students.

Her goal is to positively contribute to the veterinary profession and her community, something working at the Pet Poison Helpline allows her to do for not only professionals, but pet owners and their pets as well.

Dr. Schmid says her career path provides a positive example others could follow, especially if they are determined and don’t give up.

“I hope people will see that I’m an example of how you can succeed with determination and perseverance and to not give up on their dreams,” she says.

84th annual conference for veterinarians

2022 Distinguished Alumnus Award

Dr. William C. Bergin, Kamuela, Hawaii, holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture in 1963, bachelor’s degree in biological science in 1965, Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in 1967 and master’s degree in physiology in 1968, all from Kansas State University. Dr. Bergin established three veterinary practices between 1968-2020: West Hawaii Animal Clinic, Veterinary Associates Inc., and Aina Hou Animal Hospital. From 1970 to 1995, he was the lead veterinarian for the Parker Ranch, one of the largest and oldest cattle ranches in the United States. He currently serves as an honorary member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Association of Equine Practitioners and Hawaii Veterinary Medical Association.

2022 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award

Dr. Janver D. Krehbiel, Okemos, Michigan, was born in Pretty Prairie, Kansas, and grew up on a family farm. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at K-State in 1962. Now retired, Dr. Krehbiel enjoyed a 42-year career as an instructor in veterinary pathology and administrator for the Michigan State University (MSU) College of Veterinary Medicine. As a faculty member at Michigan State, Dr. Krehbiel enjoyed instructional responsibilities as a small animal clinician, diagnostic pathologist, and clinical pathologist. His primary administrative duties included 10 years as director of the clinical pathology laboratory, and service as acting and associate chair of the Department of Pathology

Dr. Ty Brunswig, Great Bend, Kansas, was raised in WaKeeney, Kansas. Growing up, he helped his father, Dr. Brian Brunswig, a veterinarian who graduated from the veterinary college at K-State in 1984, and his mother, Trish, at their animal clinic, serving as everything from veterinary technician to janitor. The Brunswigs also had a 150 head cow herd and 450 head backgrounding operation at the family farm. It was there that their son learned the basics of cattle management and medicine. Dr. Brunswig attended Fort Hays State University where he played as Tiger defensive tackle and received a degree in animal science. He then attended Kansas State University where he received his DVM in 2014. He is now a partner at Animal Medical Center in Great Bend.

Dr. William Bergin, DVM 1967

Dr. Janver Krehbiel, DVM 1962

Dr. Ty Brunswig, DVM 2014

2022 E.R. Frank Award

1989

Dr. Susan C. Nelson, Manhattan, Kansas, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Hastings College and then obtained her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1989 from Kansas State University. She worked as an associate veterinarian in private small animal practice in Manhattan for 14 years before joining the small animal clinical faculty at K-State in 2003. Dr. Nelson is well known for frequently sharing pet healthcare tips, carried in a variety of newspaper and media outlets, on topics such as rabies prevention, weight and diet management, weather and emergency preparedness, and seasonal safety advice. In 2020, Dr. Nelson was presented with the Dr. William and Deanna Pritchard Veterinary Service and Outreach Award. In 2018, she was presented with a Jr. Faculty Mentoring Award. The K-State Office for the Advancement of Women in Science and Engineering, known as KAWSE, recognized Dr. Nelson in 2017 during the annual Women of Distinction Ceremony.

Dr. Mike Apley, Manhattan, Kansas, received a bachelor’s degree in 1981, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1987 and a Ph.D. in clinical pharmacology in 1992, all from K-State. He started his career in veterinary medicine with a general practice in central Kansas, then moved to a feedlot consulting/contact research practice in Colorado. Before becoming a professor at K-State in 2005, he was a faculty member at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. As the holder of the E.J. Frick Professorship in Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Apley currently teaches in pharmacology and food animal courses, and also coordinates the advanced feedlot production medicine course. Currently, he serves as the vice chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.

Dr. Susan Nelson, DVM

Dr. Mike Apley, DVM 1987

Alumni recognition awards

Veterinary Meeting & Expo 2020

Dr. Osmundo Castilla, DVM 1966

Dr. Osmundo Castilla, Miami, Florida, originally from Juigalpa, Nicaragua, graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in 1964 and his DVM in 1966, both from Kansas State University. He also earned a master’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, in 1973. Dr. Castilla retired in 2016 as senior staff veterinarian for the National Center for Import and Export (now Strategy and Policy) for Veterinary Services in the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in Riverdale, Maryland. He was responsible for designing, negotiating and implementing the animal export policy of the USDA for the Americas and Caribbean. He was also an adviser to the USDA’s Area Veterinarian in Charge offices on certification of animals and germplasm for International trade.

Fetch dvm360 Conference 2021

Dr. James Kenyon, DVM 1975

Dr. James Kenyon, Cedar Falls, Iowa, grew up on a farm in Graham County, Kansas, and graduated from Bogue Rural High School in 1966. He earned his DVM degree at K-State in 1975. Dr. Kenyon served on active duty in the Army Veterinary Corps from 1975 to 1977, and as a major in the Reserves through 1990. He worked as a mixed animal veterinarian for 35 years in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, Iowa. Through his mentoring, 18 student workers went on to become veterinarians. In retirement, Dr. Kenyon has authored several books: “The Art of Listening to the Heart,” published in 2017; “A Cow for College and Other Stories of 1950’s Farm Life” in 2018; “Golden Rule Days, History and Recollections of 109 Closed Kansas High Schools,” which was named winner of the 2018 Martin Kansas History Book Award.

American Veterinary Medical Association 2021

Dr. Molly McCue, DVM 2000

Western Veterinary Conference 2021

Dr. J. David Wheat, DVM 1980

Dr. Molly McCue, St. Paul, Minnesota, runs an equine-genetics laboratory and serves as the associate dean of research at the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. Dr. McCue graduated summa cum laude from Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She went on to do an internship in large animal medicine at the University of Georgia before returning to Kansas State in 2001 to pursue a master’s and complete a residency in equine internal medicine, which she completed in 2004. In 2007, Dr. McCue moved to Minnesota to pursue doctoral and postdoctoral research, taking a position at the College of Veterinary Medicine as an assistant professor in 2008.

Dr. J. David Wheat, Arcadia, California, grew up in Manhattan, Kansas, where his father was a genetics professor for 30 years at Kansas State University. Having a keen interest in horses, he spent several years as a wrangler at Rock Springs Ranch, southwest of Junction City. Dr. Wheat earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science and industry in 1976 and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1980, both at Kansas State University. He began his career at a five-person equine practice in San Dimas, California. The practice was involved with the care and treatment of pleasure horses and racehorses at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Del Mar. In 1983, Dr. Wheat opened his own practice geared toward equine sports medicine. Currently, it is a four-person practice that travels to large stables in the area, where it services horses used in various athletic disciplines.

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

Dr. Jeff Pearson, DVM class of 2014, appeared recently as a contestant on TV’s Wheel of Fortune and won about $7,000, although coming in third.

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.

Alumni Fellow Award

2022 recipient Dr. Tolani Francisco, DVM 1990

Dr. Tolani I. Francisco, DVM, MPH, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is the wild horse and burro coordinator for the U.S. Forest Service. In her role she works with the National Forests that have wild horse or wild burro territories.

Dr. Francisco has held various other positions throughout her career including with the U.S. Air Force as a public health officer; as the regional epidemiology officer for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Veterinary Services, serving in Helena, Montana; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Trinidad, Bolivia. While in Boliva, she oversaw foot and mouth disease eradication efforts in the two largest departments. She started her veterinary career in a mixed animal practice in Reno, Nevada.

Additionally, Dr. Francisco has offered care for all tribal animals at the Pueblo of Laguna (large and small) since 1990. She is married to Jason Schlie, who is a Conservation Law Enforcement officer at White Sands Missile Range.

Dr. Francisco earned her DVM from K-State in 1990. She holds a master’s degree in public health from Walden University.

1943

Dr. William B. Miesse

April 6, 2021

Collierville, Tennessee

1945

Dr. Gerald Dean Goetsch

Jan. 14, 2021

West Lafayette, Indiana

1946

Dr. Russell W. Hardin

Aug. 4, 2021

Lebanon, Indiana

Dr. Robert Paul Litt

Oct. 3 2021

Lake Worth, Florida

1951

Dr. Francis Max Beam

April 16, 2021

Washington, Kansas

Dr. James Stanley Jewell

Sept. 9, 2019

Washington, Iowa

1953

Dr. Leighton E. Fairbairn

April 9, 2021

Garden City, Kansas

Dr. Glen Eugene Hurley

June 20, 2021

Courtland, Minnesota

1954

Dr. Charles E. Herren

Aug. 2, 2021

Alma, Kansas

Dr. John J. Swanson

May 16, 2021

Kansas City, Kansas

1955

Dr. Winfred A. Andrews

Jan. 10, 2021

Bonner Springs, Kansas

1958

Dr. Delvin Duane Duntz

June 12, 2021

Higginsville, Missouri

Dr. Thomas Jefferson Landis

Aug. 18, 2021

Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Dr. David Larry Madden

Feb. 13, 2021

Sykesville, Florida

1959

Dr. John William Forsberg

Nov. 3, 2020

Whitefish, Montana

Dr. Dale R. Hodgson

March 23, 2021

Hurst, Texas

Dr. Bradley Phillip Neer

Sept. 1, 2020

Manhattan, Kansas

Dr. Ronald Charles Poppy

Sept. 19, 2021

Huntington, Indiana

1960

Dr. David M. Carlson

June 8, 2021

Greenfield, Illinois

Dr. Donald Edwin Seibel

Sept. 3, 2021

Chandler, Arizona

1961

Dr. Merton Lyle Dierks

Oct. 22, 2021

Ewing, Nebraska

Dr. Joe H. Rainman

Jan. 19, 2021

Garden City, Kansas

1962

Dr. Oscar F. Clabaugh

July 10, 2021

Oskaloosa, Kansas

1963

Dr. Larry Charles Caster

Feb. 8, 2020

Watertown, South Dakota

Dr. Wallace Dan Houser

Jan. 28, 2021

Webb City, Missouri

Dr. Bruce Parker Hull

March 1, 2018

Phoenix, Arizona

Dr. Anne Michaux Scully

Aug. 13, 2021

Bottineau, North Dakota

1964

Dr. Warren Sheldon Bivin

Sept. 27, 2021

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Dr. Charles D. Clinkenbeard

Aug. 18, 2021

Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Dr. Elmer George Davis

Jan. 25, 2021

Great Falls, Montana

Dr. Myron Nels Jorgensen

Feb. 3, 2021

San Jose, California

Dr. Leon J. Mills

Nov. 14, 2021

Herington, Kansas

Dr. Marlan Edmond Ray

Jan. 15, 2019

Sumiton, Alabama

1965

Dr. John Richard Baker

Sept. 12, 2020

Florence, Kentucky

Dr. Michael Allen Stedham

Jan. 28, 2021

Centralia, Washington

1966

Dr. Donald Lee Harris

Nov. 28, 2020

Neillsville, Wisconsin

Dr. Robert Wiley Minter

Aug. 6, 2021

Wynnewood, Oklahoma

Dr. Herschel A. Stacey

May 13, 2021

North Platte, Nebraska

1967

Dr. Jack Saunders Dunham

June 25, 2021

Bonner Springs, Kansas

1968

Dr. Richard A. Barta

Jan. 12, 2021

Independence, Kansas

Dr. Marvin James Farr

Dec. 1, 2020

Scott City, Kansas

1969

Dr. Stephen J. Aberle

Dec. 18, 2020

Sabetha, Kansas

1971

Dr. James R. Guglielmino

April 10, 2021

Kansas City, Kansas

Dr. Lannie L. Hanel

June 24, 2021

Belleville, Kansas

Dr. Rodney J. Schieffer

May 29, 2021

Olathe, Kansas

1972

Dr. Steven Robert Welty

Nov. 23, 2020

Hutchinson, Kansas

1974

Dr. Dean Arthur Rice

Oct. 13, 2021

Phoenix, Arizona

1978

Dr. C. Michael Stafford

July 23, 2021

Novato, California

1979

Dr. Alan G. Bosomworth

Aug. 2, 2021

White City, Kansas

Dr. Steven Michael Stiefel

Feb. 25, 2021

Frederick, Maryland

1980

Dr. Gary Lee Baehler

May 23, 2021

Hesston, Kansas

1982

Dr. Gordon Max Mickelson

Oct. 10, 2021

Big Piney, Wyoming

1984

Dr. Bradley Willard Fenwick

July 22, 2021

Manhattan, Kansas

1985

Dr. Clinton W. Crusberg

Jan. 26, 2021

Houston, Texas

Dr. Darwin Miles Deets

Feb. 13, 2021

El Dorado, Kansas

1986

Dr. Robert Glenn Hensleigh

Jan. 12, 2021

Winchester, Kansas

1988

Dr. Darrel Ray Clark

Sept. 22, 2021

Seneca, Missouri

Dr. Yuval Nir

July 13, 2020

Burr Ridge, Illinois

1991

Dr. Matthew Charles Garver

June 20, 2021

Albia, Iowa

1998

Dr. Robert Joe Keener

Sept. 23, 2021

La Crosse, Kansas

2013

Dr. Victoria Marie Beale

Sept. 4, 2020

Mount Laurel, New Jersey

Friends of the college

Barbara Leith (wife of Dr. David Leith former professor in the CVM)

Oct. 22, 2021

Manhattan, Kansas

Dr. Upali M. Jayasekara, Ph.D. in Pathology 1978

Sri Lanka

April 26, 2021

Dr. Jane Westfall, professor emeritus, First female faculty member to become a full professor in the CVM

Jan. 24, 2021

Manhattan, Kansas

Kansas State University prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex (including sexual harassment and sexual violence), sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, ancestry, disability, genetic information, military status, or veteran status, in the university's programs and activities as required by applicable laws and regulations. The person designated with responsibility for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning the nondiscrimination policy is the university's Title IX Coordinator: the Director of the Office of Institutional Equity, equity@k-state.edu, 103 Edwards Hall, 1810 Kerr Drive, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-4801. Telephone: 785-532-6220 | TTY or TRS: 711. The campus ADA Coordinator is the Director of Employee Relations and Engagement, who may be reached at charlott@k-state.edu or 103 Edwards Hall, 1810 Kerr Drive, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506-4801, 785-532-6277 and TTY or TRS 711.

WILLIE WILDCAT, DVM

VANIER K - STATE FAMILY SCHOLARSHIP IN THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

You create a new scholarship via a onetime gift or pledge up to 5 years

Your gift is matched 1:1 by the Vanier family.

$5,000 in scholarship awards will be made in each of the first two years. Thereafter, the annual earnings from principal will be used for the annual award.

Dr. Gregg Hanzlicek (right) analyzes feed with fourth-year student Maddie Butterfield at Ohlde Family Farm during the Dairy Production Medicine Class. Story on Page 18.

Photo by Audrey Hambright.