Pegasus Press Spring 2014

PEGASUS PRESS Spring 2014

M I S S I S S I P P I S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y • C O L L E G E O F V E T E R I N A RY M E D I C I N E

E A R N I N G

R E S P E C T

B Y

E X C E E D I N G

E X P E C T A T I O N S

a message from the

DEAN Dr. Kent Hoblet

Our mission at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine is to train future veterinarians, educate veterinarians and scientists, and improve the quality of life for producers and pet owners.

We take this mission seriously as we continually prioritize the needs of our agriculture-driven state.

Agriculture is a $6.3 billion industry in Mississippi and employs approximately 29 percent of the state’s workforce. Issues that impact the health and well-being of poultry, catfish, and cattle are some of the major areas on which our researchers are concentrating, providing real-world solutions that will benefit producers, consumers, and our environment.

Poultry is Mississippi’s number one agricultural industry, providing more than $2.7 billion in farm-gate revenue to our state’s family farmers in 2013. Overall, at Starkville and at our Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in the Jackson area, we have nine faculty members conducting research on poultry health. Among current projects, researchers are studying a condition that affects the laying capacity of hens in breeder flocks. The syndrome, which has emerged over the past five years, causes significant rates of mortality, resulting in higher production costs and, ultimately, higher costs to consumers. As our researchers work to identify the cause of this problem, they are helping to ensure the continuing strength of Mississippi’s leading agricultural industry.

Eleven faculty members located in Starkville and at our Aquatic Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in the Mississippi Delta are involved in fish health research. One current area of investigation is channel catfish virus, which can kill entire ponds of market-ready fish, resulting in significant losses for the producer and higher prices for the consumer.

Researchers are focused on developing vaccines, advanced detection techniques, and management strategies that catfish farmers can use to eliminate this disease.

The establishment of the Dr. Mikell and Mary Cheek Hall Davis Endowed Professorship of Beef Cattle Health and Reproduction has enabled us to increase our emphasis on improving cattle marketability in Mississippi. With nearly a million cattle in the state, our scientists must work hard to improve cattle health, well-being, performance, and, ultimately, value. Bovine respiratory disease is a constant threat to profitable cattle production. Investigators in the Department of Pathobiology and Population Medicine work diligently to develop strategies to prevent this disease and to reduce reliance on antibiotics.

The work that members of our faculty are doing contributes to the economic well-being of many rural Mississippi communities by addressing the threat of disease in animal agriculture. However, we realize that another part of the equation is enabling our producers to meet the standards of regulatory compliance. As we look to the future, we seek to add faculty at the College who will work with our team of infectious disease researchers, epidemiologists, and species specialists to further enable producers to realize their highest potential in the marketplace.

Public health is also an area in which we could do more: 75 percent of the nearly 40 new pathogens that have emerged in the past 25 years and directly affect humans have originated with animals. Specialists in veterinary public health can work with others in the university as well as state public health officials to improve the health of animals and people in our state by identifying emerging infectious diseases.

Because many diseases occur at the human/domestic animal/wildlife interface, Mississippi would benefit from the services of an environmental/ conservation veterinary epidemiologist. Hunting and fishing are huge drivers of the economy in many parts of our state, and a veterinary professional focused on understanding and improving the health of wildlife populations (and, in turn, the health of humans and domestic and food animals) would benefit the state’s economy.

I am proud of the work our faculty researchers are doing to improve the health of animals, of Mississippians, and of the Mississippi economy.

As we work together with ranchers, producers, and farmers, we can build a bright future for agriculture, food safety, and environmental sustainability.

MSU-CVM has internationally recognized experts in poultry, livestock, and aquatic animal health, and we are committed to growing and stretching to meet the needs of our state and our region as we move forward.

Dr. Kent H. Hoblet Dean & Professor | CVM Office of the Dean | (662) 325-1131

PEGASUS PRESS

MISS ISS IPP I STATE UN I VERS IT Y • C OLLEGE OF V ETER INARY ME D I C I NE

Pegasus Press is published three times each year by the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

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Dean Pegasus Press Managing Editor Dr. Kent Hoblet Dr. A. Wayne Groce Associate Dean Pegasus Press is produced by Dr. Robert C. Cooper the MSU Office of Agricultural Associate Dean

c o n t e n t s

Communications.

Research & Graduate Studies

Dr. Mark Lawrence Editor Keryn Page Associate Dean Academic Affairs Graphic Designer Dr. Margaret Kern Kim Trimm

Assistant Dean Photographer Admissions & Student Affairs Dr. Rich Meiring Tom Thompson

Director of Outreach Writers Karen Templeton Bonnie Coblentz Susan collins-smith Director of Communications Amelia Killcreas Brandi Van Ormer Keri Collins Lewis

5 Add r e s s i n g w o r l d hu n g e r

6 Major NIH grant

8 Alumna of the Year

10 S t ud e n t ’ s W o r l d T r a v e l s

Director

Animal Health Center Direct suggestions, requests,

Dr. Joey Burt comments, and story ideas to:

Head Dr. A. Wayne Groce Department of Basic Sciences (870) 866-5062 (cell) Dr. Stephen Pruett (662) 325-1131 (MSU) groce@cvm.msstate.edu Head

Department of Clinical Sciences

www.cvm.msstate.edu

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14 G e n e r o u s g i f t s t o C V M

Dr. Ron McLaughlin www.facebook.com/msucvm Head

Department of Pathobiology Discrimination based upon race, & Population Medicine color, religion, sex, national origin, Dr. Bill Epperson age, disability, or veteran’s status is a violation of federal and state law Executive Director and MSU policy and will not be tolerated. Discrimination based upon Mississippi Veterinary Research sexual orientation or group affiliation & Diagnostic Laboratory System is a violation of MSU policy and will Dr. Lanny Pace not be tolerated.

COVER PHOTOS: (front) Drs. Sue Ann Hubbard and Kevin Maschek evaluate the health of chickens in a Mississippi commercial broiler production facility. (back) CVM student Jennifer Carney (foreground) and resident Dr. Betty Chow visit with an oncology patient at MSU-CVM.

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Ambulatory Trip Provisioning

There is an old adage that an army travels on its stomach. The same is also true for ambulatory veterinary services. One must keep fuel in the body as well as in the practice vehicle to keep on keeping on. I would like to share some of my dining experiences and opinions formed while delivering ambulatory veterinary services, frequently accompanied by students.

I consider any dining establishment that provides soft-serve ice cream “on tap” likely to be a pretty good place to eat. My fondness for this frozen dairy delight is probably partly genetic but primarily a result of imprinting. In my younger days, when I had the treat of accompanying my father on a trip in the 1949 pickup truck to carry livestock to market or to procure feed, materials, or machinery for the farm, the current plethora of fast-food outlets was nonexistent. We would stop for lunch at a country store where the standard lunch menu included bologna, cheese, canned sausages, sardines, and saltine crackers. Not for my dad, though. He would buy a quart (snack) or half-gallon (meal) of ice cream.

We would take our communal carton out to the “liars’ bench” on the porch of the store where we would use our wooden “spoons” to uncover the bottom as quickly as possible.

In spite of tending an acre and a half of strawberries on our family farm for many years (makes my back twinge just to speak of it), I really enjoy strawberry shortcake. We ate it at noon and supper when strawberries were in season. The best strawberry shortcake I was ever privileged to enjoy was served at a restaurant in the former Port Gibson, Mississippi, train depot. It filled a dinner plate and was liberally topped with real vanilla ice cream (not just a spritz of something from an aerosol can).

A family-operated grocery in Aberdeen, Mississippi, prepared (while you watched) the best cold deli sandwiches that I ever encountered.

The matriarch of this family also prepared an astounding number of fried fruit pies for each day’s lunch crowd. It’s a cliché, I know, but they literally melted in your mouth. I brought some back for the ladies on the MSU-CVM operators’ desk periodically. Ms. Jackie Berch can attest to the quality of those that survived the trip back from Aberdeen. On occasion, however, declining blood sugar levels and the olfactory emanations from the greasy paper bag on the dashboard overwhelmed our good intentions of sharing them.

A five-pound bag of cold, crisp apples often found its way into the small refrigerator of our ambulatory vehicle for the day. They were delicious (it said so on the bag) and provided a much appreciated snack break during long days of herd health activities.

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Each region of our country has its unique dietary staples.

Availability, climatic and soil conditions, tradition, and other factors influence our preferences. Well-prepared American farm-raised catfish is ubiquitous in the region, thus making this popular fish product available year-round even in places great distances from where it is harvested.

Okra, turnip greens, collard greens, cornbread, field peas, pinto beans, crawfish, and anything that will hold enough batter to deep fry it are examples of unique fare in our region.

Many ambulatory veterinary service trips around Mississippi included one or more meal stops. Some of our doctors-to-be did not seem to be familiar with the business plan of independent restaurants whose menu and serving process were based upon “Today’s Special” or the “Plate Lunch.” This menu was usually presented on a chalkboard or on photocopies on the table. To procure “Today’s Special,” one selected a meat, a set number of vegetables from a short list (often including the regionally unique vegetables listed above), cornbread or a yeast roll, a drink, and usually a simple dessert. Generally, these plates were delivered to your table before you could get the wrapper off your drink straw. If you chose not to adhere to their suggestions, you would be sorry. If someone in our party ordered a cheeseburger with fries and a drink, they would end up with their meal in a to-go shell because the rest of us would be finished with our meal and waiting patiently in the van.

In situations where schedule constraints, lack of appropriate attire, or late evening travel did not allow us to partake of our favorite entrées, we could always make a selection from Chef Nabs’ short but delectable menu, add a confection from Debbie’s dessert cart, and wash it all down with an acceptable vintage of diet soda while we kept on trucking.

Until we meet again to share reflections and recollections from the tractor seat, please remember, if you are not hurting, you probably are not doing enough.

Thank you.

A. Wayne Groce, DVM Professor Emeritus | groce@cvm.msstate.edu

MSU-CVM

Plays

important

Role

in FAO Partnership

PHOTOS: (top) MSU President Mark E. Keenum (right) and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Deputy Director General Daniel Gustafson sign a memorandum of understanding that expands a 2010 agreement for collaborations addressing aquatic animal health, disease prevention, and emergency diagnostics. (FAO photo by Indro Soesilo) (bottom) During a five-day mission to Rome with top MSU academic officers, President Keenum met with United Nations World Food Program executive director Ertharin Cousin. (WFP photo by Justin Smith)

MSU officials formally broadened a 2010 agreement to work together with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on initiatives to address world hunger and poverty.

In January, MSU President Mark E. Keenum and FAO Deputy Director General Daniel Gustafson signed a memorandum of understanding that expands the 2010 foundation for collaborations. The MOU focuses most immediately on aquatic animal health, disease prevention, and emergency diagnostics, and it also recognizes MSU as a Center for Knowledge for Aquatic Health.

Leading this center is CVM associate dean Dr. Mark Lawrence. A strong research focus in aquatics will help Lawrence and his colleagues in the center carry out research, extension, and education activities related to aquaculture sciences.

The MOU makes MSU and specifically, the CVM, a member of the Global Aquaculture Advancement Partnership and will engage the CVM’s existing facilities and expertise in aquatic animal disease diagnostics and management to expand the work of FAO’s Emergency Prevention System. It is a component of FAO’s Food Chain Crisis Management Framework to prevent food chain emergencies and to promote effective containment and management of the most serious epidemic pests and diseases and food safety threats through international cooperation.

“This is an opportunity for our College to share its knowledge to help improve aquatic health around the world and to help communities with hunger issues become more self-sustaining,” CVM Dean Kent Hoblet said. “What our researchers learn internationally will help us continue to sustain and improve the state’s aquaculture industry and maintain our strong research core here at the CVM.”

The U.N. established the FAO in 1945 to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living for all people in FAO member countries; to secure improvements in the efficiency of production and distribution of food and agricultural products; and to contribute toward expanding the world economy and ensuring humanity’s freedom from hunger.

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MSU Researchers

SECURE Major NIH Grant

MSU has been awarded a $10 million grant for five years of support from the National Institutes of Health to further research focusing on diseases that affect animal and human health.

The research will be conducted among three core centers at MSU: the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Institute of Genomics, Biocomputing, and Biotechnology, and the Institute for Imaging and Analytical Technologies.

CVM will administer the grant and research activities.

NIH’s Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence, or COBRE, provides competitive grants in support of multidisciplinary centers that strengthen institutional biomedical research capacity. MSU researchers started the planning process for competing for the grant in 2010.

“It is an extremely competitive process,” said Dr. Stephen Pruett, CVM head of Basic Sciences and principal investigator on the COBRE grant. “Most of the applicants are human medical colleges, so we were in the minority as a veterinary college. We have great leadership and a talented group of researchers that helped us achieve this.”

The unique nature of the grant establishes a mentoring program for a core group of researchers. The MSU researchers in this group include Dr. Janet Donaldson, associate professor in Biological Sciences; Drs. Mariola Edelmann, Bindu Nanduri, and Keun Seok Seo, all CVM assistant professors in Basic Sciences; and Dr. Henry Wan, a CVM associate professor in Basic Sciences.

Over the course of the five-year grant, the researchers will work on projects that promote a greater understanding of animal and human health. The success of the grant will be measured by the researchers’ ability to get additional NIH-funded grants to further research in infectious diseases that impact both animal and human health.

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“Dr. Seo is leading the way in Staphylococcus aureus research. What he’s studying is leading to vaccines that could protect cattle and humans from dangerous staph infections,” Pruett said.

“Dr. Donaldson is providing important research on how listeria behaves in the gall bladder. Her discoveries are paving the way for new methods to control or prevent dangerous listeria outbreaks.”

The researchers also will work collaboratively to design new infectious disease research projects and compete for further NIH funding as a team.

“Mississippi State has a tremendous amount of expertise in infectious disease,” said Dr. Greg Bohach, vice president for MSU’s Division of Agriculture, Forestry, and Veterinary Medicine. “We are honored to have NIH recognize this and provide the funding and the trust to take our research to the next level. The talent and focus is here, and we will continue to provide research that protects the safety of animals, humans, and the food supply.”

For more information on NIH COBRE grants, visit http://www.nigms.nih.gov/ Training/IDeA/COBRE.htm.

By Karen Templeton PHOTO: Dr. Keun Seok Seo examines cultures of staph organisms in his laboratory. Seo and a group of MSU researchers are working on projects that promote a greater understanding of animal and human health.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103646. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Meet

The faculty

Dr. Robin Fontenot CVM Job Combines Love of Horses and MSU

Dr. Robin Fontenot’s job is a little girl’s dream come true.

Fontenot, a Vicksburg native, announced her intention to become a veterinarian at the age of four and fell in love with horses as a child.

“I’ve been obsessed with horses since I’ve been breathing, and I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian as far back as I can remember,” said Fontenot, a CVM assistant clinical professor. “When I asked my mom about it recently, she said that I announced my career plans when I was four years old.

She isn’t quite sure where I even learned what a veterinarian was at that age.”

Her fascination with horses led her straight to MSU after high school, where she was accepted into the veterinary college’s early-entry program. After graduation in 2008, she completed a year-

long, rotating equine medicine and surgery internship at MSU. She then spent four years at Virginia Tech, where she finished a large animal surgery residency and earned a master’s degree.

As a specialty, horses were a natural choice for her.

“Horses are very different to work with compared to small animals,” said Fontenot, who was nine years old when she got her first horse. “They are true athletes, and yet, they have all the special aspects of companion animals. There is no other species like them.”

When Fontenot returned to MSU and the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Animal Health Center in July 2013, she combined her first love with her second.

“I started working in the equine department when I was an undergraduate in 2002,” she said. “That was my first in-depth exposure to the day-to-day workings of a referral facility, and I absolutely loved it.”

Although she had a wonderful job at Virginia Tech, she was thrilled when an equine surgeon position opened up at MSU.

I’ve wanted to be a veterinarian as far back as I can remember.

“Mississippi is home for me,” Fontenot said. “My family and many of my dear friends are here. Plus, my husband and I really missed living in the South.”

As an assistant professor, Fontenot spends some of her time delivering lectures, leading laboratory classes for veterinary students, and advising residents on research projects. But most of her time is spent teaching from the clinic floor at the Animal Health Center.

“Although I definitely love all aspects of my job, I really enjoy clinical teaching the most,” she said. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the residents, interns, and students grow their knowledge base from working with hospital cases.”

By Susan Collins-Smith PHOTO: Dr. Fontenot welcomes clients and their equine charge to the MSU-CVM Animal Health Center.

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Taylor Named

2014

CVM Alumna of the Year Each of MSU’s eight academic colleges honored a graduate for outstanding personal, professional, and community achievements again this February at the university’s 2014 Alumnus of the Year ceremony. This year, the College of Veterinary Medicine chose 1983 DVM graduate Dr. Susanne Taylor.

We thank Dr. Susie Taylor for her dedication to veterinary medicine and to our College, and for her commitment to each new generation of veterinary professionals.

Dean Kent Hoblet

Dr. Susanne Taylor has seen many MSU-CVM graduates come through her doors at Wolfchase Animal Hospital in Bartlett, Tennessee. Whether those graduates were simply visiting, starting an externship, or coming on board as employees, none of them could fail to notice a sign of welcome in Taylor’s practice that looms large overhead: a Pegasus and MSU-CVM seal reproduced in shining stained glass.

Taylor often jokes that she’s “99 percent MSU and 1 percent Tennessee,” and her devotion to her alma mater is real. Since her graduation in 1983, she has made it a priority to give back to the institution that she says gave her a wonderful career.

Taylor went into large animal practice “out of a truck” after her graduation, but very soon afterward, she opened a clinic in a leased shopping center space and hired another veterinarian to help out with small animal services. She continued to treat both large and small animals until the practice outgrew the leased space, and she built Wolfchase Animal Hospital in 1997. She currently employs three other veterinarians, two of whom are alumni of MSU-CVM. These additional practitioners are enabling her to slow down a bit and focus more on practice management and a few surgeries, as well as her family farm near Oakland, Tennessee, where she raises registered Angus cows.

A member of one of the CVM’s very first graduating classes, Taylor has never forgotten what it’s like to be a new veterinarian. For the past 30 years, she has been dedicated to sharing her knowledge and resources with students and new graduates. She was a member of the advisory committee when the College

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started its own veterinary technology program, has donated instruments and other resources to assist in student education and animal care in the Animal Health Center, and finds a spot for every MSU-CVM student who wants to do an externship at her clinic. She visits the CVM often, mentoring students as they navigate the early stages of their veterinary careers.

During her recent visit as Alumna of the Year, Taylor’s familiarity with current programs at the College meant that instead of the normal “touring” activities planned for less frequent visitors, she could spend more time visiting with current students and old colleagues. In addition to a morning talk for CVM faculty, staff, and students, Taylor visited the Community Veterinary Services rotation and took part in a roundtable luncheon with the students. At both engagements, she answered many student questions and shared the insight she has gained in her 30-plus-year career.

Her most appreciated piece of advice to students during her visit was her reassurance that “you don’t have to remember every single thing you learn in school.” As she shared stories of things she’s learned and experiences she has had, both DVM and VMT students were relieved to realize again that there is a light at the end of the college tunnel, and that there are many people—faculty, staff, and alumni—who stand ready to help new graduates grow and learn at every stage.

“MSU-CVM proudly salutes Dr. Susie Taylor as our 2014 Alumna of the Year,” said CVM Dean Kent Hoblet. “We thank her for her dedication to veterinary medicine and to our College, and for her commitment to each new generation of veterinary professionals.”

By Brandi Van Ormer

The extensive renovations of the necropsy and mechanical support areas of the Wise Center should be complete by late this summer. These upgrades will provide savings in climate control costs and an improved gross pathology teaching environment. Layout and design changes are intended to facilitate sample handling and application of biosecurity protocols.

Necropsy Renovation Nears Completion PHOTOS: (top & bottom right) The large animal sample receiving area is located on the east side of the building and opens into the large cold storage rooms, which connect with the large animal necropsy room.

(bottom left) A spacious teaching amphitheater allows a large group of students and faculty to observe gross pathology case rounds presentations.

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Spring 2014 |9

Veterinary Medicine Takes Student

ARound The World Here, Hall talks to Pegasus Press about her most recent journey, which began in June 2013.

Tell us more about the first leg of your trip, in the South Pacific.

Tori Hall (Class of 2014) has an appetite for adventure. For evidence, you have only to look at her four years of veterinary school.

During her first year at the CVM, the Cincinnati native began a veterinary camp for children, a program that has continued and grown each year since.

She has traveled to Kenya to work with cattle, she did a stint with the South Africa Wildlife program, and she also traveled to Nicaragua to work with World Vets.

Her most recent trip abroad lasted five months and combined a humanitarian/ civil aid mission in the South Pacific and an internship at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Frequent flier miles? She has them.

She also has an appreciation for the opportunities all around the world available to veterinary professionals.

“It’s exciting how veterinary medicine can literally take you into any corner of the world,” she said. “I’m fortunate that Mississippi State supported me running off for five months.”

After the 2004 tsunami in Asia, it became apparent that we all needed some practice on how to respond to disasters in the South Pacific and how to work together when delivering aid.

There were so many different groups and countries working together—Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, South Korea, and so many more.

I was a part of the medical team that included physicians, nurses, veterinarians, and dentists. The veterinary team was staffed mainly by World Vets, a global nongovernmental organization out of the United States. I lived on the USS Pearl Harbor as it traveled around the islands in the South Pacific. Our team of veterinarians and technicians spent a little over a week on each island.

What kind of veterinary work did you do on the islands?

We went to the Marshall Islands, the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati. These islands have large street dog populations and large populations of swine and poultry.

The most important thing we did to help,

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besides the small animal clinics, was help train Ministry of Agriculture officers on each island on things like basic disease control, husbandry of food animals, management of foreign animal diseases, food safety, and deworming protocols.

And then: Vietnam. This was a part of the agreement Mississippi State has with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Tell us about your internship as a part of this program.

I worked with FAO’s Emergency Center for Transboundary Animal Diseases in Vietnam, which focuses mainly on avian influenza issues. In addition, the government of Vietnam had asked for the FAO’s help on emerging wildlife farms. In Vietnam, people are basically starting to farm everything from civet cats to crocodiles. The biggest issue is that there are no ethical, disease control, or husbandry standards.

The FAO is trying to develop standards to register and regulate these farms, because the chance for transmission of an emerging disease is huge—there are people living side by side with all kinds of exotic animals. Our team set up the framework to do a wildlife census of these farms. It took a lot of coordination to get everyone on the same page to create a biosecurity, food safety, and wildlife farming manual that will soon be published. Better food safety and biosecurity are good in so many ways for the Vietnamese: health for animals and people, of course, and also economic benefits.

What were some of the most interesting things you experienced on your journey?

Well, living on a Navy ship was pretty crazy in and of itself. Watching the collaboration between the military, nonprofit organizations, and third-world countries was also amazing—they were truly trying to deliver real solutions to real problems. It was also eye-opening to realize that the education I’ve gotten at MSU-CVM allowed me to train government officials in these countries on basic practices, and training them meant that we could impact an entire island community. Oh, and it was also funny to realize that because I participated in the Dixie National as a part of the veterinary team during my food animal rotation, I was the pig-snaring expert on the mission this past summer.

Were there any life-changing moments for you as a veterinary student?

It was exciting how much people crave knowledge in the islands we visited.

The governmental officials were eager for the training, knowledge, and especially hands-on experiences we offered. This trip challenged me to think about how I can best convey the simple messages that people need to hear—messages that can change someone’s life. For instance, many of the islands have big parasite problems, but nobody focuses on the dog populations; they just deworm the children. The dogs may be the source of the problem, and we had to convey that, so we put together a number of health fairs for the public.

We also spent a lot of time talking to people from the government about how to

manage potential outbreaks of zoonotic diseases—how to focus on the animals where the diseases originate instead of only the impact on the people. There were tremendous One Health implications to these kinds of problems, but the people in charge weren’t really exploring those connections.

This most recent trip wasn’t the first time you’ve traveled as a veterinary professional. Where did you begin?

It all started because I did the earlyentry program at MSU-CVM. That program was the reason I came to Mississippi State, and because I was in early entry, I was able to spend a whole semester in Kenya. I had always envisioned myself as an emergency veterinarian in a small animal practice, but Kenya opened my eyes to a world of opportunities for veterinarians that I never could have imagined.

So what’s in the future for you?

Short term, I’m going to finish my master’s after DVM graduation, with a focus on preventive medicine. I’m still trying to figure out how exactly I will fit

into the international scene, whether it’s livestock- or wildlife-related. Some things are uncertain, but I know for sure I want to go international. There’s still a lot of world to see.

What do you think is the benefit of travel for veterinary professionals?

First of all, the change that happens when you open your mind to see another part of the world is invaluable; you gain perspective on your own life. The world is a huge place and there’s so much work to be done, and what you realize when you travel is that the work has to be innovative and creative; when you’re working in non-ideal conditions, you have the opportunity to think differently and figure stuff out. There seems to be no end to the global possibilities to do good things that really help people, and that is very exciting.

By Brandi Van Ormer Photos: Hall shows her MSU maroon and white colors on the deck of the USS Pearl Harbor. (opposite page) Tori Hall and a colleague instruct Pacific Islanders on proper animal health care.

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Poultry Residency Program a Win-Win for Industry and DVM Graduates

By Karen Templeton

A new dual-degree and residency program at MSU-CVM aims to address the growing need for specially trained poultry veterinarians in Mississippi and the United States. The poultry specialist program supplements the four-year DVM program with hands-on education for those veterinarians interested in poultry medicine, health, and management.

Poultry has ranked number one among Mississippi’s commodities for the last 19 years and in 2013 was valued at $2.7 billion in farm gate revenue alone.

As the industry grows, it becomes increasingly important to have specially trained poultry veterinarians available to this vital industry.

“We want to prepare veterinarians for roles in non-traditional veterinary practice, such as in the private sector, in academic research, or in regulatory or public health service,” said Dr. Sue Ann Hubbard, clinical professor at the Mississippi Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Pearl. “We’ve crafted a program of study that can be tailored to each student’s strengths and interests.”

Current MSU veterinary students can enroll in the program as dual-degree students and complete coursework in Starkville and in Pearl. And for veterinary school graduates, a residency program provides focused, hands-on experience at the laboratory and in the field.

“We work closely with industry professionals, as one of our goals is to serve their needs and keep their flocks healthy,” Hubbard said. “They love our students. They help shape their future careers and engage them in relevant issues, which helps keep the students ahead of the curve.”

The CVM poultry medicine degree program is one of only five certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.

Over the last few years, student interest in the program has increased significantly.

“We credit the new interest in poultry veterinary medicine to the industry we serve and to our increasing national reputation,” Hubbard said. “We have veterinary graduates from around the country asking to be a part of the program.

We are proud of the opportunities we can provide them alongside our state’s top agricultural commodity industry.”

Students and residents in the program work on everything from developing plans to protect the health of backyard flocks to researching veterinary vaccine reactions.

They benefit from the diverse experiences and exposure to current industry issues, and their research provides the industry with information about increasing marketability and protecting poultry health.

“We’ve had students and residents in the program who have provided research findings that have direct benefits to Mississippi’s poultry, specifically the broiler industry,” Hubbard said. “Our students are eager to apply all they’ve learned and work hand-in-hand with producers in making a difference.”

Dr. Kevin Maschek’s major adviser at the University of Florida introduced him to the idea of poultry veterinary medicine as a career option.

“Around my second year of veterinary school, I got exposure to poultry medicine and it took off from there,” Maschek said.

“I completed an externship at the University of Georgia and, after graduation, applied for the residency at MSU-CVM.”

Since beginning his residency in July 2013, Maschek has worked primarily with broiler producers, but he has also worked with backyard birds and done some diagnostic work.

“My main focus is on researching a natural product that can be used as a pesticide in the industry,” he said. “I’m getting a lot of experience in clinical investigations, specimen collection, and diagnostics.”

Maschek said every day of his residency is a little different, and in his efforts to assist producers, he is learning volumes from them.

“Dr. Maschek’s work in Mississippi is a perfect example of what we provide the industry and how they help us,” Hubbard said. “We want our trained poultry veterinarians to get right out there and work to continuously improve the industry and the markets they serve.”

Whether it is at the laboratory, in a processing plant, or at a hatchery, Maschek is gaining what he believes will guide him in his career.

“I’m learning so much from the Mississippi poultry industry and the MSUCVM faculty, but I really don’t feel like a student in this program,” Maschek said.

“Everyone treats me like a colleague and appreciates what I can provide. It really feels like I’m a part of a family.”

Photo: CVM poultry medicine resident Dr. Kevin Maschek and Dr. Sue Ann Hubbard discuss the health status and management of a Mississippi broiler flock.

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CVM Office of

Development News

Goodbye and

HAIL STATE!

PHOTOS: (top) Keith and Maggie May Gaskin (bottom) Keith Gaskin spends time with a CVM donor’s furry friend.

My journey as a fundraiser at MSU began in 1996. I was 32, my daughter was two, and my son was a newborn! I was excited and grateful for the opportunity to work for the university that I grew up cheering for and talking about most of my life. Little did I know what wonderful opportunities were awaiting me!

During my time at MSU, I have worked as a fundraiser in three colleges (Engineering, Forest Resources, and Veterinary Medicine) and followed the leadership of five presidents, three vice presidents of development and alumni, six executive directors of development, and about 13 deans (if I count all the interims). I have worked side by side with at least 30 different fundraisers and spent quality time with hundreds of university alumni, donors, and friends.

I’ve traveled to at least half of the 50 states on business for the university—yes, even Hawaii. I’ve played pool at Ground Zero with Morgan Freeman and walked around the CVM with Jack Hanna and his penguins. I have visited our legislators in Washington and Jackson on special occasions, and I’ve attended countless weddings, hospital rooms, funerals, graduations, special events, and athletic events representing MSU. During all of this, MSU also gave me the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree and a PhD.

My résumé now states that I had direct involvement in raising more than $40 million at MSU to support student scholarships, fellowships, endowed faculty positions, and campus improvements. That number makes me proud, but when I read it, I see the faces of the donors who found the joy of giving back, the faces of students who had the opportunity to tell them the transformational impact their generosity had on their lives, the faces of faculty who were given an opportunity to expand their research for the betterment of society, and the faces of large and small animals that were saved from their illnesses.

So, today, I am a few months shy of 50, and my daughter is a happy junior here at MSU. My 18-year-old son, who is on the autism spectrum, is benefiting greatly from special needs programs at MSU like Camp Jigsaw. My wife, an MSU alum, and my children all proudly call themselves “Bulldawgs,” as do I.

The next step in my career has taken me to the University of Alabama as the associate vice president for university advancement. I will use the professional experiences and continued education given to me by MSU to lead a team of fundraisers who will have a small part, as I have, in changing the world by helping others experience the power of philanthropy through higher education. For that, I am truly excited and grateful.

Thank you, MSU, and all of the donors who support you!

Hail State!

Keith Gaskin CVM Senior Director of Development 14 | EARNING RE S PE C T BY E X C EE D ING E X PE C TATION S

A $12.3 million gift from MSU alumni Tommy and Terri Nusz of Houston, Texas, will benefit multiple academic colleges and units at the 135-year-old university, including the CVM.

Because of the couple’s focus on equine health, a portion of their gift assists the CVM with an endowed position known as the Terri Nusz Endowed Equine Professorship. Earnings from the $1 million endowment will provide a faculty holder salary supplement and support in teaching and research.

Terri Nusz oversees the family’s various interests in equine sport, including TnT Equine Partners, Amalaya Investments, and Oasis Stables. The Nuszes want to encourage faculty efforts in equine studies.

“We are grateful for this special gift to our College,” Dean Kent Hoblet said. “This endowment will allow us to expand our program significantly and increase our research activities in equine-related health issues. We will honor the Nuszes and their commitment to equine health through this endowment.”

The gift continues the Nuszes’ support of MSU and is one of the largest to date for the MSU Foundation’s current fundraising endeavor, Infinite Impact: The Mississippi State University Campaign.

“This leadership-level commitment from Tommy and Terri Nusz will have a far-reaching impact in helping Mississippi State University provide leadership and advance its mission of education, outreach, and research,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum.

Tommy Nusz is president, CEO, and chairman of the board of Houston-based Oasis Petroleum. He cofounded the independent exploration and production company in 2007. In his more than 30 years in the oil and gas industry, he worked as an engineer for Superior Oil, Mobil Oil, and Meridian Oil before being named vice president for several divisions of Burlington Resources, which was eventually acquired by Conoco Phillips. He also is a National Petroleum Council member.

“Our recent gift to Mississippi State is a manifestation of our family’s love of the university. Each of us selected areas of MSU

where we believed we could make the most impact within the university and out into the world,” Tommy Nusz said.

For more on the university’s fundraising activities and Infinite Impact campaign, visit www.infiniteimpactmsu.com.

PHOTO: Dr. Jacquelyn Bowser adjusts the intravenous fluid delivery rate on a patient in equine ICU.

Support MSU-CVM There are a number of ways to support the CVM’s efforts. You may want to consider making an annual gift or creating an endowment.

Annual gifts are crucial to the CVM because they provide ongoing support for the College, individual departments, research programs, academic programs, and student support services. Your annual contributions provide critical assistance and ensure that we maintain quality programs and a high level of excellence. Your gift can be designated to support any of the CVM’s needs and can be used immediately to make a difference.

Endowments to the CVM help to provide a resource for generations to come. Your contribution is held in perpetuity, the principal is invested, and only the income from the investment is spent, allowing your legacy to continue for years to come.

Endowments may be named for the donor or in honor of another person of the donor’s choosing.

Make a Donation!

For more information on annual and endowed funds and how to become involved in efforts at the CVM, please contact the Office of Development staff.

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CVM Office of Development

WARD ENDOWMENT Transforms CVM Service

The generosity of one significant donor has led to a steadily growing number of pets receiving top-notch treatment through the MSU-CVM Small Animal Internal Medicine service.

In 2002, Joe Ann Ward made an endowment to CVM in the name of her late husband and created the Dr. Hugh G. Ward Chair in Small Animal Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Ward had been instrumental in founding the CVM and was a big supporter during the veterinary college’s early days in Mississippi. Mrs. Ward also funded the Joe Ann Ward Internal Medicine and Critical Care Unit at CVM.

“The generous endowment provided

by Mrs. Ward in honor of Dr. Hugh G. Ward has had a tremendous and lasting impact on the College of Veterinary Medicine,” said Dr. Ron McLaughlin, head of the CVM Department of Clinical Sciences. “It has allowed our internal medicine service to recruit and retain quality faculty, residents, and graduate students; provide state-of-the-art medical care for clinical patients from around the region; and conduct important scientific research that benefits both animal and human health. The value of Mrs. Ward’s contribution to the quality of our program can’t be overstated.”

Dr. Patty Lathan, an assistant professor of small animal internal medicine, has firsthand experience with the advantages this endowment brings to her patient care efforts.

“One of the biggest benefits we receive from it is the ability to fund small resident projects, which helps us promote both the teaching and research missions of the program,” she said.

Dr. Andrew Mackin, a professor in CVM’s Department of Clinical Sciences and service chief of its Small Animal Internal Medicine unit, was named the Ward chair. He said the endowment made it possible for the unit to significantly improve the quality of treatment patients receive. The full spectrum of specialties now includes general internal medicine, cardiorespiratory medicine, critical care, oncology, hematology, and transfusion medicine.

“Referring veterinarians from Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas dealing with challenging cases turn to us for diagnostic and therapeutic investigations,” Mackin said. “While doing this, we are also providing high-grade clinical teaching to veterinary students, interns, and residents.”

16 | EARNING RE S PE C T BY E X C EE D ING E X PE C TATION S

Mackin said the high level of expertise available at CVM, coupled with the patient care capabilities in the Joe Ann Ward Internal Medicine and Critical Care Unit, make this possible.

“The expertise and facilities available to our service provide our patients with access to advanced imaging capabilities, endoscopic equipment, and a wide range of techniques,” he said. “This includes oxygen and ventilator support, interventional radiology techniques such as heartworm extraction, placement of tracheal and urethral stents, and advanced chemotherapy and radiation.”

The endowment gift has had many positive impacts.

“We have been able to attract and retain quality clinical faculty, residents, and graduate students, and it is truly remarkable what we have been able to build over the past few years with the resources provided by this endowment,” Mackin said. “In addition to building the clinical service, we have used the money to help fund clinically relevant research projects, which has led to more publications and grants, which has in turn attracted top-level graduate students and brought MSU and its medical faculty national recognition.”

He said discoveries used to improve pets’ lives could ultimately advance human healthcare.

The endowment also is helping to make oncology research and treatment possible at the veterinary college. Much of the research is focusing on the role of blood platelets in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

And since there is little difference between the cancerous tumors found in humans and dogs, this research has the potential to help both human and animal patients.

“A full range of oncology services means we can provide hope, compassion, and healing to our patients, while offering innovative treatment options of the whole patient,” Mackin said.

The Small Animal Internal Medicine service is operated by five faculty specialists boarded in internal medicine, with Mackin

serving as head. There are currently three small animal internal medicine residents, five small animal interns, and one small animal medicine/oncology intern. The unit is supported by three veterinary technicians.

“Not that long ago, there were times when the medicine service had only one active faculty member and a single resident,” Mackin said. “Without the support of Mrs. Ward’s generous endowments, the growth experienced by our service would not have been possible.”

Keith Gaskin, MSU senior director of development, said the gift was transformational for the veterinary college.

“Other donors have followed her lead, and with tears of gratitude in their eyes, clients of the animal hospital have asked me to thank her on their behalf because her generosity helped save their beloved pets’ lives,” Gaskin said.

By Bonnie Coblentz PHOTOS: (left) Internal medicine faculty, residents, and students work during a busy period in the Joe Ann Ward Internal Medicine and Critical Care Unit. (bottom left) Veterinary and veterinary technology students gain valuable experience working with both routine and emergency cases. (bottom right) An anesthesia rotation student monitors a patient in the post-anesthetic recovery area.

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Alumni P r o f i l e

It’s usually a little chilly in Dr. Wanda West’s workplace.

West, a member of the CVM Class of 1988, is a veterinary research fellow at BristolMyers Squibb, as well as the company’s attending veterinarian.

The cooler temperatures in her office mean that the animals in her charge are perfectly comfortable, even if she isn’t.

“The animals have to be maintained at certain temperature, humidity, and lighting conditions for optimal health,” she said, “and that’s what matters.”

A dedicated laboratory animal veterinarian, West has forged a career path in biomedical research that melds her interests in both research and veterinary medicine.

“Every day, I go to work to save lives and make miracles,” West said.

“If you’re taking a medication for a disease, or know someone who has, then biomedical research has touched your life.

Our mission is to provide new hope for patients.”

West’s interest in research blossomed early. Before she even began veterinary school, she worked as a research assistant at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Once she started classes at MSUCVM, she found her classmates didn’t quite understand her intended career path of laboratory animal medicine.

“Some of them would say, ‘Why would you want to do that? Why not be a real veterinarian?’” West said.

But West found a mentor in Dr. John Harkness, who advised her on how to proceed in a career as a laboratory animal veterinarian.

And proceed she did: after graduation, she completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at North Carolina State University. She then completed a laboratory animal medicine residency program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, after which she got her first “real job” at DuPont Pharmaceuticals in Delaware. While working there as a principal research veterinarian, she earned a PhD in pharmacology/ neuroscience at Temple University.

“My career path just clicked,” West said. “And my experience and training at Mississippi State opened up a lot of doors for me.”

West’s primary goal at BristolMyers Squibb is to ensure that the most important part of biomedical research is always at the forefront: compassionate care for the animals.

“We owe these animals our lives, and I make sure that the scientists I support remember that the animals are the most important part of their research,” she said.

West feels confident that the work she and her fellow scientists do helps people to live longer, healthier lives.

“I work with some of the best and most talented immunologists, oncologists, virologists, and more. I come to work every day excited about what we do,” she said.

Currently, in addition to her roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb, West also teaches at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania, is president of the American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners, and is an equine veterinarian for the United States Equestrian Federation.

18 | EARNING RE S PE C T BY E X C EE D ING E X PE C TATION S

Dr. Wanda West Alum Cares for Laboratory Animals

“Veterinary medicine is so diverse,” West said. “And while I’m a big advocate for laboratory animal medicine, I also like to tell current veterinary students not to limit themselves. One of the best things any student can do is to have a variety of experiences—network, spend time working at different specialty practices, and participate in preceptorships/summer internships.”

Since she first entered professional life, West has noticed an interesting trend, no matter where she travels: more and more MSU-CVM alumni are popping up.

“As I attend meetings and conferences, I realize more and more that we’re out there, making strides, making paths, and flourishing,” she said.

While with her cat at her local veterinary office recently, she noticed that her practitioner was 2011 CVM grad Katie Bevilacqua.

“And that made me feel great,” West said, “because if you have a Mississippi State veterinarian, you’ve got one of the best.”

By Brandi Van Ormer

Every day, I go to work to save lives and make miracles.

Xiufeng (Henry) Wan (PI). USDA APHIS. Risk assessment of H7H9 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses to agriculture and public health. $25,000

& Awarded to CVM Faculty

Mark L. Lawrence (PI); Matthew J. Griffin and Attila Karsi (co-PIs). USDANIFA. Genomics, virulence, and detection of emerging pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila in channel catfish. $500,000

Internal Grants

External Grants Janice E. Chambers (PI). Dow AgroSciences, LLC. In vitro sensitivity study of rat tissue cholinesterase to chlorpyrifos-oxon inhibition. $12,747.79 Linda A. Detwiler (PI). USDA APHIS. National public veterinary careers internship/externship program 2014. $100,000 Xiufeng (Henry) Wan (PI). National Institutes of Health. Glycan receptors specific for canine influenza infection. $425,359 Ryan Butler and Andrew Claude (coPIs). American Heart Association. Effect on stem cell differentiation of collagen fibers in infarcted hearts (child account of parent grant awarded to Dr. Jun Liao, MSU Agricultural and Biological Engineering). $8,154 Lanny W. Pace (PI); Alejandro Banda and Danny L. Magee (co-PIs). Mississippi Board of Animal Health. NPIP lowpath AI laboratory contract 2013. $99,337.60 Keun Seok Seo (PI). MSU Research and Technology Corporation (Animal Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency, South Korea). Selection and genetic recombination of critical virulence factors of Staphylococcus aureus for development of bovine mastitis vaccine (year two funding). $75,968 Michael J. Mauel (PI) and Lanny W. Pace (co-PI). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Using MVRDL to increase FDA vet-LRN sample analysis capacity during animal food/feed emergency events (year two funding). $16,500

Suzanne Genova (PI); David R. Smith and Carla L. Huston (co-PIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Survey of passive transfer status in beef calves. $5,000 Barbara Kaplan (PI). MSU Office of the Graduate School. Graduate recruitment assistance grant. $500 Allison Khoo, John Thomason, and Jillian Haines (PIs); Andrew Mackin and Erin Brinkman-Ferguson (coPIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Gravity-assisted esophageal transit time in dogs with megaesophagus. $2,000 Katie Cooley-Lock, John Thomason, and Todd Archer (PIs); Patty Lathan and Matthew Ross (co-PIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Concentration of thromboxane and prostacyclin in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. $2,000 David Hutcheson (PI); Ryan Butler and Steve Elder (coPIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Comparison of two 3.5 mm string of pearls plates versus a single 3.5 mm broad dynamic compression plate in a single cycle to failure in both bending and torsion. $1,930

Alyssa Sullivant and Todd Archer (PIs); Andrew Mackin, Jim Cooley, and Todd Pharr (co-PIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Validation of immunohistochemistry techniques for evaluating gastrointestinal histamine receptors in dogs. $2,000 Brenna Burkett and Robin Fontenot (PIs); John Thomason, Michael Brashier, and Camilo Bulla (co-PIs).

MSU CVM ORGS. Effects of preoperative administration of firocoxib, flunixin meglumine, and phenylbutazone on platelet function and thromboxane synthesis in healthy horses. $2,000 Alba Rodil Uricare and Jacquelyn Bowser (PIs); Cyprianna Swiderski, Michael Brashier, and Lais Costa (co-PIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Comparison of two bronchoalveolar lavage aspiration techniques in the horse. $2,000 Saya Press and John Thomason (PIs); Todd Archer, Andrew Mackin, and Matthew Ross (co-PIs). MSU CVM ORGS. Eicosanoid levels in dogs receiving blood transfusions. $2,000

01 4 2

MATCH Day results

Results of the 2014 Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program were recently finalized, with students and institutions being matched based on their previously declared mutual fields of interest. The program is sponsored by the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians.

MSU-CVM senior students matched for small animal internships Caitlin Allori, VCA Aurora and Berwyn Animal Hospital, Illinois Matthew Friend, Memphis Veterinary Specialists Merrick Fultz, BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Florida Tracie Guy, University of Missouri Jenica Haraschak, North Carolina State University Sarah (Hadley) Harris, Carolina Veterinary Specialists Elizabeth Hiebert, Virginia-Maryland College of

Veterinary Medicine Kristina Kalevas, Veterinary Specialty Hospital of the Carolinas Darin Kepler, Auburn University Brooklynn LaFoon, Bluepearl Veterinary Partners of Michigan/

Michigan Veterinary Specialists Greg Levine, Garden State Veterinary Specialists, New Jersey Susannah Mays, Memphis Veterinary Specialists Michael Orencole, WestVet Emergency & Specialty Center, Idaho Caitlin Vaughn, Ocean State Veterinary Specialists, Rhode Island Samantha Vitale, University of Georgia Jason Wright, Louisiana State University Alexandra Yu, South Texas Veterinary Specialists

Interns coming to MSU Small animal rotating Dr. Chi-Ya Chen, National Chung-Hsing University, 2008,

and Colorado State, 2013 Dr. Samuel (King) Chiu, University of Melbourne, 2013 Dr. Michelle Foote, Tuskegee University, 2010 Katherine Gerken, Auburn University, 2014 Dr. Lan-Hsin Kuo, University of Melbourne, 2011

Equine rotating Dr. Sara Brewington, University of Missouri, 2014 Dr. Meghan Simoneaux, Louisiana State University, 2014

Specialty oncology/medicine Dr. Samantha Woods, LSU, 2013, currently in a small

animal rotating internship at Texas A&M University

20 | EARNING RE S PE C T BY E X C EE D ING E X PE C TATION S

Food animal Dr. Lesley Marie Moser, graduating senior at University

of Tennessee

Specialty equine surgery Dr.

Jamie Zimmerman, University of Wisconsin, 2012, currently in an equine rotating internship at the University of Missouri. Dr. Zimmerman also completed a clinical internship (2012–13) at the Morrie Ward Equine Clinic in Delavan, Wisconsin.

Residents coming to MSU Dr.

Dr.

Dr.

Dr.

Dr.

Natalie Schroeter, Ross University, 2013/The Ohio State University, small animal internal medicine, currently a small animal intern at Friendship Hospital for Animals, Washington, DC Kristen Fizzano, Colorado State University, 2013, comparative anesthesiology, currently a small animal rotating intern, Carolina Veterinary Specialists Alison Plumley, Washington State University, 2012, radiology, currently a diagnostic imaging intern, Washington State University Allison Kenzig, The Ohio State University, small animal surgery, currently a rotating intern, University of Missouri Ranendra Dutta, PhD–University of Toledo College of Medicine, Master of Veterinary Science–Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, India, theriogenology

CVM interns matched for specialty internships or residencies Dr. David Hutcheson, small animal surgery residency,

University of Missouri Dr. Jacqueline Scott, small animal specialty surgery internship,

Ottawa, Canada Dr. Saya Press, small animal emergency/critical care residency, The Ohio State University Dr. Alison Khoo, small animal medicine residency, Western College

of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatchewan, Canada Dr. Betty Chow, small animal internal medicine specialty internship,

BluePearl Veterinary Partners, Grand Rapids, Michigan

CVM graduates matched for residencies Steven Davison (2014), laboratory animal medicine,

University of Florida Dr. Rebecca (Becca) Flores (2013), emergency and critical care medicine,

University of Pennsylvania Dr. Joseph (Pierce) Sullivan (2012), laboratory animal medicine,

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

New Faculty Cade Dr. Jeb Cade joined the Clinical Sciences faculty in September as an assistant clinical professor. He works with Community Veterinary Services to provide care for both exotic species and more typical pets.

Before coming to MSU, Cade was an associate veterinarian with North State Animal & Bird Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.

He earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude in general science in 1997, a master’s in horticulture in 2001, and the DVM in 2006, all from Mississippi State University.

KHAITSA Dr. Margaret L. Khaitsa joined the Pathobiology and Population Medicine faculty in December as a professor of veterinary epidemiology with an international emphasis.

She is planning a summer 2014 study abroad course titled “Tropical Veterinary Medicine and One Health” in Uganda.

Khaitsa came to MSU from North Dakota State University, where she was an associate professor of epidemiology.

She earned a bachelor of veterinary medicine degree in 1982 from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda;

a master’s in tropical veterinary medicine in 1987 from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom; and a doctorate in veterinary preventive medicine/epidemiology in 1999 from The Ohio State University.

Khaitsa serves on the board of directors of the Association for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine and on the editorial board of The Africa Journal of Animal and Biomedical Sciences.

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Earns Reaccreditation The American Association of Veterinary Laboratory

Diagnosticians (AAVLD) recently awarded a five-year full accreditation to the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory System. AAVLD’s stamp of approval for facilities and laboratory capabilities is recognized nationally and internationally by veterinarians, regulatory agencies, and commodity industry clients.

The MVRDL system includes the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory and the Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, both in Pearl, the Aquatic Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Stoneville, and the College of Veterinary Medicine Diagnostic Laboratory Services at MSUCVM. This laboratory network provides essential services in microbiology, pathology, clinical pathology, molecular diagnostics, serology, and virology. All 82 counties in the state are served by the laboratory system, which receives around 70,000 cases annually.

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We each play a vital role, and it takes all of us to get through each complex day.

STAFF

SPOTLIGHT No Two Days Are Ever the Same Maggie Horner

For 16 years, Maggie Horner has been an active member of the Community Veterinary Services team at the CVM.

“Our door is always open, and we never know what will walk in,” Horner said. “Our service on the small animal side is the only service that accepts non-referral clients, so no two days are ever the same.”

Horner and the CVS team conduct routine health maintenance and preventive medicine, such as vaccines, routine blood work, and elective surgeries. They also handle pet emergencies.

“When we get critical cases, we’ll do the initial work-up, then, if needed, refer the patient to internal medicine or surgery,” the veterinary technician said.

Horner said she enjoys the occasionally more complex specialty dermatology and dental cases referred by other veterinarians in the region.

“We work with our board-certified dermatologist to see patients with allergies and skin infections,” she said.

“Dermatology cases are more involved, with more thorough histories as we try to figure out the origin of the patient’s issues.

We also work with Dr. Diana Eubanks on

routine prophylaxes, involved extractions, and the occasional root canal.”

In addition to cats and dogs, Horner has a lot of students walk through her door.

“I am one of three veterinary technicians who mentor third-year veterinary students and fourth-year veterinary technology students who rotate through our service,” she said. “I help supervise them and try to see that they get the hands-on experience they need.”

Horner and her colleagues supervise up to nine veterinary technology students and up to twelve veterinary students at the same time.

“Veterinary students rotate on and off every six weeks, and vet tech students rotate every three weeks, so we’re always learning new names and the faces that go with them,” she said. “There’s never a dull moment!”

Horner feels strongly that the students should get to have as much hands-on experience as possible while on rotation, because this is their opportunity to apply the technical skills and knowledge acquired during their previous years of study.

“This is when everything they have learned comes together,” she explained.

“It’s very rewarding when I see the lightbulb come on as they put together what they’ve been studying with what the patient needs.”

The students work with Horner to tailor information to each client.

22 | EARNING RE S PE C T BY E X C EE D ING E X PE C TATION S

“One of the most important roles we have is client education,” she said. “We go over what the patient needs, such as medication or wound treatment. We also discuss what family members need to do, such as hand-washing if the pet has a potentially zoonotic disease. Every patient is different, so this conversation changes all the time.”

One of Horner’s favorite aspects of working at CVM for so long is watching the students grow into professionals.

“We build bonds, and occasionally we get to work side-by-side with them when they come back to CVM, which is the case with Dr. Christine Bryan, Dr. Jeb Cade, and vet tech Andi Hannigan. I even get to work with the technician who helped train me, Patricia Gill,” she said.

With so many people, clients, patients, and records to keep track of, it would be easy for Horner to get stressed out, but she seems to take everything in stride as she bustles about the clinic.

“Our little area is big on teamwork,” she said. “We each play a vital role, and it takes all of us to get through each complex day.”

By Keri Collins Lewis PhotO: (from left) Delaney Sims, a fourth-year Veterinary Medical Technology program student, Dr. Jeb Cade, and Maggie Horner perform a physical exam on a kitten in Community Veterinary Services.

CVM Notes & News Alumni News • Dr. Cheryl M. Stroud (DVM 81) is the new executive director of the nonprofit One Health Commission, which works to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration to address health concerns.

• At the MVMA winter meeting, vice president Dr. Todd Archer presented the MVMA 2014 Young Veterinarian of the Year award to Dr. Hannah Baskin Heaton (DVM 09) of the Animal Clinic of Oxford.

• Dr. Locke Karriker (DVM 99, MS 00) received the American Association of Swine Veterinarians’ 2014 Howard Dunne Memorial Award during the association’s annual meeting in Dallas.

Births • Dr. Jonathan Faulkner (DVM 08) and his wife, Dr. Kaysey Faulkner (DVM 09), of Madison, Mississippi, welcomed their first child, son August Ray Faulkner, into the world July 21, 2013.

• Son Shepard Paul Semore was born to Dr. Rachel Semore (DVM 12) and her husband, Don, August 8, 2013, in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

• Dr. Tony Loper (DVM 01) and his wife, Holly, of Vicksburg, Mississippi, welcomed their third son, Tate, to the world September 24, 2013.

• Drs. Tyler and Kathryn (Hudson) McAlpin (both DVM 05) of Diamondhead, Mississippi, welcomed their second child, son Tyler Huff McAlpin II, November 11, 2013.

Proud big sister Mary Taylor is now 3 years old.

• Joseph Scott Taylor was born November 12, 2013, in Bartlett, Tennessee, to Dr. Char Lakatos Taylor (DVM 10) and her husband, Daniel.

• Dr. Heather (Ladnier) Weaver (DVM 08) and her husband, Derek, of Mobile, Alabama, welcomed their first child, a son, Miller Reece, into their family November 21, 2013.

• Dr. Bridget M. (O’Connell) D’Onofrio (DVM 11) married William C. D’Onofrio II October 21, 2011.

They reside in Paxton, Massachusetts, where they welcomed their first child, Emma Catherine, to the world November 28, 2013.

• Stephen L. Smith and Dr. Elizabeth M. Smith (DVM 07) of Holly Springs, Mississippi, are proud to announce the birth of their third son, Samson Miller Smith, December 3, 2013. He was welcomed to the family by big brothers Gus, 4, and Leo, 2. Stephen and Elizabeth are the new co-owners of the Animal Clinic of Tippah County in Ripley, Mississippi, where she conducts a mixed veterinary practice. Stephen is the part-time practice manager as well as a full-time marketing principal for FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee.

Calendar of events May 3 Saturday

CVM FAMILY GOLF OUTING University Golf Course noon tee time Contact (662) 325-0465

May 15 Thursday

MSU-CVM FRIENDS AND ALUMNI RECEPTION Tuscaloosa, AL The Cypress Inn Loft 6-8 p.m.

Contact (662) 325-1100

July 17–20 Thursday–Sunday

MISSISSIPPI VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 2014 Summer MEETING Orange Beach, AL Perdido Beach Resort Contact (662) 323-5057

Obituary • Ms. Marion Honsinger, 87, of Starkville passed away in Columbus, Mississippi, February 12, 2013. She was an original staff member of the College of Veterinary Medicine, where she served as assistant director of Student Affairs until her retirement in 1994. Thousands of prospective students, their families, and other visitors were introduced to MSU-CVM on one of Ms. Honsinger’s walking tours. Following retirement, she was active within the community and served as a docent at the Starkville Heritage Museum. She was also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Colonial Dames, and the Kiwanis Club. She is survived by three sons and three grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to Palmer Home for Children, PO Box 746, Columbus, MS 39703, or Trinity Health Care, 300 Airline Road, Columbus, MS 39702.

Please make room reservations in MVMA 2014 Meeting block (make sure to use Booking ID #8469) before June 16.

1-800-634-8001 or www.perdidobeachresort.com

July 28 Monday

Faculty & Staff News • Dr. Diana Eubanks of the Clinical Sciences department was featured as one of the 15 Top Veterinary Dental Professors on the VetTechColleges.com blog.

Student News • CVM DVM-PhD student Sherry Blackmon was recognized at the USDA’s 2014 Agricultural Outlook Forum in February. She was one of ten graduate students in the nation selected for their essay responses to “The Greatest Challenge Facing Agriculture over the Next Five Years.”

The Agricultural Outlook Forum was designed to introduce students to contemporary agribusiness, future trends, scientific research, and agricultural policy in today’s environment.

Blackmon’s adviser is Dr. Henry Wan, an associate professor of systems biology in the Department of Basic Sciences.

September 19 & 20 Friday & Saturday

Alumni reception at 2014 AVMA Annual Convention (July 25-29) Denver | Hyatt Regency 7 p.m.

Contact (662) 325-0465 ALUMNI WEEKEND 2014 MSU-CVM Speaker Michael Hingson www.michaelhingson.com

Contact (662) 325-5057

Note to CVM Alumni This is your section of the magazine, and we need your assistance in gathering information to be disseminated through this column. If you would like to share news of marriages, births, deaths, awards, new positions, or anything else you consider newsworthy, please let us know.

Send your news to A.Wayne Groce: Box 6100, Mississippi State, MS 39762 | groce@cvm.msstate.edu

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College of Veterinary Medicine Post Office Box 6100 Mississippi State, MS 39762

Paper contains 10% post-consumer recycled fiber.

Printed with soy ink.

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