The Oath, Summer 2019

Oath

The

TEACH • HEAL • DISCOVER

Spring/Summer 2019

Passion for Poultry page 4

Open House page 9

Patient Spotlight page 11

Extraordinary Research page 13

Down on the Farm

Student Spotlights

Lessons from the TAU

page 15

page 5

FROM THE DEAN

Celebrating the Future of Veterinary Medicine

The Oath and Hooding ceremony for the Class of 2019 brought out a crowd of close to 800 parents, family members, spouses, partners and friends to see our 99 new DVM graduates cross the stage. They are joining a veterinary profession that is expanding in size, influence and importance.

The majority of these graduates will take positions working with companion animals, of course. However, that marketplace is changing in many ways, and above all it is growing. An article in The New York Times at the end of April asked, "How many books are there that you can buy from Amazon that are about dogs?" The answer is over 70,000!

Our society has a growing connection with pets, who are vital members of the family in over 65% of U.S. households – that is 85 million homes with pets, with dogs being slightly less than 1

half of that number. That represents a 50% increase in the past 20 years.

In 2018 the pet industry directly employed over 1.3 million people who earned over $60 billion in wages. Direct spending on pets approached $73 billion, with a quarter of that spent on veterinary care. More important than the economic impact is the impact of these animals on our lives, by simple companionship or in more specialized ways as service or therapy animals.

This year though, we are reminded that agriculture is still where veterinary medicine has its greatest impact on society.

In North Carolina, animal agriculture remains our No. 1 industry, but it is a time of enormous risk.

We could talk about the complex and challenging relationship production agriculture has with neighboring communities or the impact of disastrous storms and flooding, but the challenge I’m thinking of is very much in our wheelhouse as veterinarians

“We are again reminded that agriculture is still the area where veterinary medicine provides its greatest impact on society. In North Carolina, we live in a state where animal agriculture remains our number one industry.” ~ D. Paul Lunn, Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine

– infectious disease. As in the past, contagious diseases have devastating impact locally and globally.

There are over 400 million pigs in China, and all are now threatened by an enormous outbreak of African swine fever.

Fast spreading, untreatable and unpreventable by vaccines, this virus is resilient and may already be moving around the world in food products for people and animals.

Some speculate that up to 25% of China’s swine population, 100 million animals, may be killed or culled because of this outbreak and that we’ll achieve half of that loss by the end of 2019. That number dwarfs the 60 million pigs in the U.S. and represents a substantial proportion of the animal protein supply on earth.

The risk of this virus being introduced into this country is high and will remain so for years to come. If it comes, the impact on our national economy will be felt by everyone. Some of the members of the Class of 2019 will immediately be in the

frontline of the battle to stop it or deal with it if it gets here.

The truth is there is a story like this, perhaps not quite as dramatic, about every single graduate of the Class of 2019, no matter what job they are going to. I know every one of them will make a huge difference for animals, people and our society.

D. Paul Lunn

Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine NC State University

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THINK AND DO

Extraordinary Leadership Ke Cheng, professor of regenerative medicine, is a new inductee into the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Cheng was elected into AIMBE’s College of Fellows for, “contributions to designing new biomaterials and targeted cell therapies for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.” AIMBE Fellows are nominated annually by peers and represent the top 2% of the medical and biological engineering community.

Mathew Gerard, veterinary anatomy professor, is one of the campus-wide winners of NC State’s Outstanding Teaching Award. Gerard was singled out by administrators, colleagues and students for his talent as an educator, his humility and kindness, and his unceasing student support. “When I get up each day and when I walk into this building, my intent is to make a difference,” said Gerard.

Kristen Messenger, assistant professor of pharmacology, received the Teaching Excellence Award from the Student American Veterinary Medical Association. Messenger, who holds a bachelor’s from NC State and graduated from the CVM in 2006, was nominated by a student for her enthusiastic teaching style, her ability to effortlessly make connections with students and her unique education approaches, including producing a podcast for students to review material. “Being able to teach students of all levels is why I’m here,” said Messenger. “It’s so rewarding.”

Lauren Schnabel, assistant professor of equine orthopedic surgery, has been named an NC State University Faculty Scholar. The honor recognizes early- and mid-career faculty for excellence in teaching, mentorship and community engagement. Schnabel is a leading force in the development of the veterinary hospital’s equine sports medicine and rehabilitation service. Her research lab’s pioneering work focuses on stem cell immunology and therapies for equine musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.

Top-bottom: Ke Cheng, Mathew Gerard, Kristen Messenger and Lauren Schnabel 3

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

A Passion for Poultry

Rocio Crespo is scrolling through her Facebook photos and stops at a few that have something in common: herself, with that broad smile of hers, posing with students. They have another thing in common: Crespo, in Halloween costumes, gleefully posing in her laboratory with students.

“I loved that,” she adds with a chuckle. “That was funny. Just me as a Kardashian.”

There’s no particular reason she’s showing you this and it’s kind of amazing she does. It’s not often a professor shares unabashed goofiness on their social media feed. But this accessible approach to teaching is as much a part of Crespo’s life as her scientific devotion for her field.

For more than two decades, Crespo, NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s new professor of poultry health management, has been dedicated to practical yet forwardthinking poultry health research and clinical work. She has researched devastating poultry diseases and developed management tools for poultry farms large and small. She is determined to discover new methods to diagnose diseases, even out in the field.

“I am very ambitious and I feel like I haven’t achieved enough. I’m always looking to do more." ~ Rocio Crespo The CVM is the perfect place for Crespo to do just that. Since arriving in August, she has helped manage poultry flocks at the Teaching Animal Unit, organized a North Carolina poultry health meeting and is developing a mobile poultry health service.

Poultry production is North Carolina’s top agriculture industry, adding about $37 billion to the economy. Nationally, the state ranks second in turkey production and third in chicken production.

The CVM’s poultry health management program, part of the school’s Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, is an active partner with the North Carolina poultry industry.

Clinicians prevent diseases and researchers focus on emerging problems that specifically impact the state.

Crespo has been a student of poultry her entire life. Her father, who had a degree in economics, worked for the poultry industry in Spain as an expert on importing eggs. She often accompanied him on visits to farms and hatcheries.

After graduating from veterinary school at the Complutense University of Madrid with honors in animal production, Crespo earned a master’s and doctorate from the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. While there, she was board certified by the American College of Poultry Veterinarians.

From there, she served as the chief of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System at the University of California, Davis and then led the Avian Health and Food Safety Laboratory at Washington State University before heading to North Carolina.

“For me, I’ve always been guided by the passion for the animals and by the passion of the students,” said Crespo.

“It’s about loving the industry and wanting to improve it. It’s something poultry veterinarians can be really proud of." ~Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine 4

EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE

Down on the Farm

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Sara Beth Routh is out back. You’re just never sure where. She could be with a class that’s learning cow handling techniques, helping to calm calves while repeatedly scraping muck off the bottom of her well-worn dusty boots.

She could be in a covered stall cradling a fussy newborn lamb in her arms that needs some bottle feeding.

She may be coordinating plans to take a horse up to the hospital for a blood donation. She could be somewhere welcoming the 5,000 day-old chicks that are delivered to her each spring and the 2,000 turkeys that show up in the fall. In the winter, she could be out waiting for an Angus cow to give birth. She may be working one-on-one with a student who wants more experience with ear tagging.

“There’s always somethin’," Routh said with her instantly identifiable, friendly North Carolina twang while in the middle of a recent workday. "Somethin’, somethin’, somethin'."

She loves all the somethings. She thrives on them. She has a lot of them at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, where she has served as the director of the Teaching Animal Unit since the fall.

The 80-acre Teaching Animal Unit is backyard unlike any other.

NC State is the only college of veterinary medicine in an urban environment that boasts a working farm mere steps from classrooms and its state-of-the-art veterinary hospital. It has been a part of the CVM since it opened and remains as part of a strong commitment to supporting North Carolina’s still-vital agriculture industry.

Here, within the bucolic setting of rolling green hills, there are cows and horses and chickens and goats and lambs and pigs.

Dairy cows produce milk that is sold at a regional co-op. Cows are bred.

But, first and foremost, this is a place for students.

Every single CVM graduate steps foot on the farm’s grounds at some point during their studies. It’s an open-air teaching lab where production management and husbandry techniques are honed, physical exams are practiced and the needs and odd quirks of farm animals are learned.

It’s called the Teaching Animal Unit but no one calls it that. The

clinical-sounding name has always been shortened to the TAU. Students consistently and fondly cite their TAU experiences as some of the most enjoyable during their time at the college.

Several say that when choosing between veterinary schools the TAU stuck out in their mind when committing to NC State.

“I want this place to be like a home away from home for students in a sense. I think that they need to feel like the TAU is as much theirs as anybody else’s and to be proud about it.” ~ Sara Beth Routh As a teaching tool, it has proven indispensable.

Routh is proud of it. She oversees the grounds, works closely with instructors and clinicians and monitors the menagerie of animals, all with unique needs. The job is very much a balancing act. Routh is a farm manager, administrator, pasture maintainer, machine operator, agriculture industry insider and educator all in one.

“I have an open-door policy and the TAU has an open-door policy. That is very important to me,” said Routh. “Students need the in-your-face experiences. When you’re learning how to put a halter on a horse, it’s always more than just putting it on.

It’s how the horse acts around you.”

She was made for this kind of work. A Kernersville, N.C., native, Routh was never interested in soccer or dance like her older sister, so she rode horses from a young age at Flintrock Farm in Reidsville. Routh’s parents started what is now the oldest 4-H Club in North Carolina at Flintrock, Routh said.

Her parents had friends at church who showed lambs and Routh wanted to be just like them. She has never been afraid of getting dirty.

“Bless my mom, I could never stay clean,” said Routh. “I was just that child. I’d be out jumping in mud puddles versus having my hair and nails done.”

Once she got into riding horses, she couldn’t be kept away.

She was the farm every afternoon and wanted to be an equine veterinarian until she became more interested in livestock and management while as an undergraduate at North Carolina A&T University.

There, she earned a bachelor’s in animal science and worked on swine and poultry research projects. She eventually earned 6

her master’s in agricultural education from A&T with a focus on parasite management programs for livestock. After her

“I knew I liked to teach, but I never wanted to be in a classroom.” ~ Sarah Beth Routh master’s, she started work as the only small ruminant and equine-specialized livestock agent with the NC State Extension.

Routh spent two years teaching high school animal science before shifting to extension work. “I think the thing with the extension was that it was helping other people become successful within what they are most passionate about. If they come back and say that they saved half of their babies that year when they had lost all of them the year before.”

Routh brings that enthusiasm for the agriculture industry to her TAU job. She understands the industry. She has been a producer herself and has also worked with producers while she was on the extension side.

She has seen what producers want out of their veterinarians and shares that depth of knowledge with CVM students.

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“The livestock industry want vets to respect them, and that’s important for students to understand,” said Routh. “Your client may have done this for 20 years and you need to be able to listen to them. You don’t want to convey the attitude that they are not a vet and you feel they don’t know what they’re talking about.”

Routh is still involved in livestock production. When she leaves the TAU each day, she goes home to her own farm. She lives in a 1920s farmhouse on nearly 10 acres near Pinehurst. She shares the land with about 60 goats (her favorite animal), livestock guardian dogs, two pet pigs and a mini horse named Sammy who is blind in one eye.

“That’s not really work for me,” said Routh. “It’s my downtime.”

Her time now is mostly spent refining her own vision for the TAU. She wants to modernize the design to make it even better suited for production. She wants to take a hard look at how to maximize the space she’s working with now.

And she wants students to have a say in what improvements would benefit them the most as they prepare to head out to care for livestock living on some other green, rolling hills. ~Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine

“There are students who pick up on the little things so well when they’re down here. They look for the subtle things, the changes in the attitude of the animal.

I’ve already looked at students and said to myself that they’re going to go somewhere. They are going to be a good vet.” ~ Sara Beth Routh

The TAU houses six major livestock species: beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, pigs, poultry and small ruminants like goats and sheep.

Over 50 lectures and 100 laboratories are taught at the TAU during five semesters of the four-year DVM curriculum.

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OUTREACH SPOTLIGHT

Open House 2019 During the annual NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Open House we open our doors to the public for an interactive peek at what happens in our hospital, labs and classrooms. It's a hands-on day filled with fun and friends.

15 live demos

300+ volunteers 9

12,000+ attendees

250+ stuffed animals healed

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PATIENT SPOTLIGHT

Liesel Carney Liesel, a 4-year-old German shepherd, stole the hearts of Ed and Ingrid Carney at 4 months old. One look at Liesel’s photo online and the Carneys were smitten. A few years later, Liesel was diagnosed with bilateral hip dysplasia and moderate osteoarthritis.

“Liesel loves to go for rides in the truck with Ed,” Ingrid Carney said. “She rides in the back with her head out the window looking very regal, as shepherds should look.”

After one of those car rides, this time to the beach, Liesel jumped out of the car and began hobbling around. The Carneys immediately knew that something was wrong and called their vet, Warren Gintis of Swift Creek Animal Hospital in Raleigh.

“We’ve brought four generations of dogs to see Dr. Gintis over the years,” Ed Carney said. “Dr. Gintis came to take a look at her and recommended that we take her to the best place on the planet for a total hip replacement.”

The orthopedic surgery team at the NC State Veterinary Hospital performed an uncemented total replacement of Liesel’s left hip. Even with bilateral hip dysplasia, meaning both of Liesel’s hips are affected, it is only necessary to replace the hip joint causing her the most pain. About 20 percent of dysplasia cases require replacement of both hips and most of those cases are working dogs.

Hip dysplasia, or joint laxity, is a common genetic condition for many large dog breeds like German shepherds and begins as a puppy. Exacerbated by obesity, it causes abnormal movement of the femur within the ball-and-socket hip joint. The resulting unnatural movement at the head of the femur, called the ball, causes it to partially dislocate and rub against the rim of the socket in the hip, which causes a loss of cartilage that protects the bones.

Over time, the body compensates for cartilage loss, known as osteoarthritis, by increasing new bone formation around the joint. However, if the joint stays unstable, it continues to be inflamed and painful.

Simon Roe (left) and Daniel Duffy perform Liesel's total hip replacement (top).

The titanium ball used in Liesel's surgery (bottom) recreates the ball of the femur in the ball-and-socket hip joint. Liesel and Ed Carney (right).

An uncemented total hip replacement eliminates joint pain by removing the damaged joint surfaces and reproducing the mechanics of the ball-and-socket hip joint with natural range of motion and limb function. It’s also the best way to manage hip pain that doesn’t respond well to medical treatment, such as weight and activity management or medications.

As in human medicine, uncemented total hip replacements involve surgery to replace the head with a metal ball and the socket with a metal-backed cup with a polythene liner to prevent metal from rubbing against bone.

"NC State was involved in the development of the current uncemented implants and continues to contribute to the development of hip replacement in dogs," said Simon Roe, CVM orthopedics professor.

Many factors, including age, lifestyle, therapy successes and

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“I only want the best place on the planet for my dog, so we came to NC State.”~ Ed Carney

“We have been doing uncemented total hip replacements for longer than any other veterinary hospital.”~ Simon Roe, CVM orthopedics professor understanding risks help clients like the Carneys decide when it’s the right time to schedule a total hip replacement.

Recovery from a total hip replacement takes at least three months of strict cage or small area confinement. Even though most dogs can stand and bear weight on the replaced joint one week after surgery, it’s very important to limit activity to give the bone time to grow into the implant and time for muscles and tissues to heal around the joint.

Liesel will be back to acting like the sheriff of the dog park and enjoying rides in the car. From start to finish, they believe that NC State lived up to its reputation and are extremely grateful for their vet’s recommendation.

“We’ve been incredibly impressed with the quality and thoroughness of the care for Liesel and for the depth of knowledge of everyone we have interacted with,” Ed Carney said. “It is very clear to us that we have a world-class facility, team and educators in our backyard who are taking the science, treatment and care of animals to the next level. Dr. Roe and his entire team rock.” ~Brittany Sweeney/NC State Veterinary Medicine

The Carneys hope that after a few more months of healing 12

EXTRAORDINARY RESEARCH

“This case is interesting for a number of reasons. Beyond suggesting that Bartonella infection itself could contribute to progressive neuropsychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, it raises the question of how often infection may be involved with psychiatric disorders generally." ~ Ed Breitschwerdt, Melanie S. Steele Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine

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Bartonella and Sudden-Onset Adolescent Schizophrenia In a case study, researchers at NC State describe an adolescent human patient diagnosed with rapid onset schizophrenia who was found instead to have a Bartonella henselae infection.

This study adds to the growing body of evidence that Bartonella infection can mimic a host of chronic illnesses, including mental illness, and could open up new avenues of research into bacterial or microbial causes of mental disorders.

Bartonella is a bacteria most commonly associated with cat scratch disease, which was thought to be a short-lived (or selflimiting) infection. There are at least 30 different known species of Bartonella, and 13 of those have been found to infect human beings. The ability to find and diagnose Bartonella infection in animals and humans – it is notorious for “hiding” in the linings of blood vessels – has led to its identification in patients with a host of chronic illnesses ranging from migraines to seizures to rheumatoid illnesses that the medical community previously hadn’t been able to attribute to a specific cause.

In a case study published in the Journal of Central Nervous Disease, an adolescent with sudden onset psychotic behavior – diagnosed as schizophrenia – was seen and treated by numerous specialists and therapists over an 18-month period. All conventional treatments for both psychosis and autoimmune disorders failed. A physician recognized lesions on the patient’s skin that are often associated with Bartonella, and the patient tested positive for the infection. Combination antimicrobial chemotherapy led to full recovery.

“Researchers are starting to look at things like infection’s role in Alzheimer’s disease, for example," said Ed Breitschwerdt, Melanie S. Steele Distinguished Professor of Internal Medicine at NC State and lead author of the report. "Beyond this one case, there’s a lot of movement in trying to understand the potential role of viral and bacterial infections in these medically complex diseases. This case gives us proof that there can be a connection and offers an opportunity for future investigations.”

Dobermans may be Model for Human Treatments Researchers from NC State and the University of Arizona have identified a gene associated with a common cause of heart disease in Dobermans. Their findings could lead to new therapies for both dogs and humans.

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a fatal genetic heart disorder common in Doberman pinschers. The disease affects the heart muscle’s ability to contract, leading to congestive heart failure or sudden death in adult dogs. Humans with dilated cardiomyopathy have the same grim prognosis; existing medical therapies may extend lifespans, but a total heart transplant is the only effective treatment.

“The severity of this disease means that Doberman breeders and owners are very interested in both preventing it within the population and finding life-extending treatments,” says Kate Meurs, associate dean and director of research and graduate programs at NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine and lead author of a paper describing the work.

Previously, Meurs had discovered that a mutation in the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 or PDK4, gene could cause dilated cardiomyopathy in Dobermans. However, that mutation ended up being associated with a relatively small number of cases. When Meurs encountered a family of Dobermans with dilated cardiomyopathy and without the PDK4 variant, she

wanted to find the genetic cause of their disease.

Meurs and her colleagues performed whole genome sequencing on the Doberman family. The team analyzed cardiac myofibers, or bands of heart muscle, under an electron microscope and discovered a gene called titin was the culprit.

While titin’s involvement with dilated cardiomyopathy isn’t a new discovery, finding a mutation in the same gene in Dobermans and humans opens up new avenues for possible treatments.

“We now know that the majority of cases of dilated cardiomyopathy are caused by a mutation in titin, which means that not only can breeders have a reliable test for their dogs, but also that we can begin interventionary therapies earlier,” Meurs says. “This means we can truly test the effectiveness of potential lifeextending therapies on these animals.

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EXTRAORDINARY STUDENTS

“Whether you’re talking about working with human pathogens or animal pathogens, it has always been important to me to do something impactful, something big. I want to be one of the people who can make a real difference in this field.” ~ Amanda Kortum

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A Dream Career in Infectious Disease Becomes Reality NC State College of Veterinary Medicine student Amanda Kortum is the recipient of a government fellowship that launches her dream career path fighting the world’s most devastating infectious diseases.

Kortum joins a handful of students across the country awarded a National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Scientist Training Program fellowship from the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

NBAF Scientist Training Program fellows receive financial support and mentorships that aid their completion of advanced degrees in fields such as molecular biology and virology. In turn, students commit to working at NBAF’s Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, with the required length of service dependent on the number of years the student received funding while in school.

For Kortum, who has had a long-time goal of doing high-level government biosecurity research but wasn’t sure of a clear path to get there, the fellowship is life-changing.

“I immediately knew it was everything I wanted,” said Kortum.

“I saw it and just thought, man, this is perfect. This is it.”

Kortum is in the CVM’s combined DVM/Ph.D. program, in which students alternate between veterinary school and a graduate research program over a stretch of time. When Kortum finishes her two doctorates, she will either report for duty at the federal government’s Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York or begin work at NBAF, projected to be fully operational in December 2022 in Manhattan, Kan. Kortum will eventually be a part of a team developing tools to diagnose foreign animal diseases, working on vaccines or responding to outbreaks.

Kortum, who grew up in rural Montana where she spent a lot of time on her grandfather’s ranch, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Montana Western before arriving at the CVM in 2012. At the CVM, she has been a member of the Yoder Lab of Comparative Immunology led by Jeffrey Yoder, associate professor of innate immunology.

Rennecker Receives Inaugural Global Health Certificate The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine awarded its inaugural certificate in global health to the Class of 2019's Lizabeth Rennecker, whose work included laying the foundation for groundbreaking infectious disease research in Uganda.

Part of the college’s comprehensive global health program, students earn the certificate after taking several global health-related core selective courses, including global health challenges and research methods, as well as a slew of other far-ranging selectives such as emerging global diseases and veterinary medicine terminology in Spanish.

It’s all completed in tandem with the CVM’s four-year DVM curriculum. The centerpiece of the program is a two-month international research project. Taken during the summer after a student’s first or second year at the CVM, the project gives boots-on-the-ground experience organizing impactful research

in countries that need it most. Students learn technical research skills, how to navigate the tricky waters of garnering financial support for their research and the intricacies of working with hesitant local populations. Only a few veterinary schools in the United States offer such a specialized certificate.

Rennecker spent eight weeks working in Uganda setting up a study that would examine the presence of swine chlamydia in the country and the health risk for area farmers. She organized supplies, developed and conducted a small pilot of the project, traveling to farms and taking samples for analysis. Her favorite part was talking with area farmers about their work.

“This program helps you develop yourself and helps you see where you really fit in within global health,” said Rennecker.

As a psychological operations specialist with the U.S. Army, Rennecker was on active duty from 2006 to 2010 and deployed twice, to Qatar and Jordan. She served in the Army Reserves until 2013. When deciding what to do next, her international development interest morphed into an interest in global health and becoming a veterinarian. At the CVM, she was able to quickly merge the two.

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EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT

Changing Lives One Dog at a Time With a nuzzle or a simple trick, Blarney could effortlessly do what many cannot — make life just a little bit better.

For eight years, Mary Jo Pringle would bring her dog — a golden retriever named after the Blarney Stone in Ireland — to nursing homes and senior day care centers. He’d visit people at hospitals with Alzheimer’s disease and see young children at schools. Blarney’s loving nature was clear when Pringle brought him home. A year later, he was a certified therapy dog.

He always made an impact on those he visited. A nursing home resident became so attached to Blarney that she put his picture on a bulletin board in her room and kept a small stuffed golden retriever toy she named Blarney Jr. Wherever he went, Blarney brought love.

“Blarney brought smiles to sad faces, love to those who felt forgotten and was a gentle distraction to those who endured physical pain,” said Pringle. “In 2004 he was inducted into the North Carolina Veterinary Hall of Fame with more recommendations than any dog before him.”

When Blarney died of cancer in 2010 he left behind another legacy: Pringle’s own dedication to service. She has become a major donor to the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, establishing a pair of planned gifts that will endow two major initiatives at the college: $2.5 million for the Mary Jo Pringle Golden Retriever Canine Health Research Endowment Fund and $2.5 million to the Mary Jo Pringle Endowed Chair in Comparative Pain Research.

Pringle’s special relationship with animals began as an only child growing up in Augusta, Ga. She was homeschooled and had little contact with other children. Her parents always had one or more small dogs, pugs, dachshunds and others. She learned to ride horses when she was 3. The animals were her constant playmates, her friends.

“It was lonely by some standards, but my animals filled the void,” said Pringle. “I developed the deep understanding and love for them that has always attended my life.”

Through college and into adulthood, a love of animals remained a fixture in Pringle’s life. As soon as she graduated and got a job, she adopted her first German shepherd. Many more adoptions followed.

Her first direct connection with the CVM came when one her German shepherds, Charlie, had a severe back injury and could not sit up. The skilled care he received at NC State restored his ability to walk.

At the time, she volunteered with animal rescue organizations and began to consider the opportunity to make an even bigger impact through the CVM. She joined the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation and supported individual initiatives with periodic donations to the CVM since the late 1990s. Then, after a meeting with Kate Meurs, associate dean and director of research and graduate programs at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Pringle turned her attention to the enduring power of the college’s cutting-edge research programs.

Mary Jo Pringle (left) and Marcy Murphy, clinical assistant professor of dermatology (right)

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“If someone is able to bring home a healthy pet 10 years from now that would have died today, I have done my job.” ~ Mary Jo Pringle

Chivas and Monique Pringle

Inspired by her years with Blarney, the Golden Retriever Canine Health Research Endowment Fund supports the study of hereditary and environmental causes of canine cancer to improve treatment and find a cure.

The second bequest bolsters the college’s comparative pain research program. Duncan Lascelles, professor of small animal surgery and pain management who heads the program, is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking research in the measurement and management of pain in cats and dogs.

“My interactions with the brilliant clinicians and researchers combined with the dedication of my fellow board members all assure me that I have chosen well,” said Pringle.

Her support doesn’t end there. With the guidance of the college’s associate dean and director of veterinary medical services Steve Marks and associate dean of advancement Dianne Dunning, Pringle funded the major purchase of two important pieces of diagnostic equipment for the NC State Veterinary Hospital: a bronchoscope and a video otoscope. The flexible bronchoscope allows clinicians to examine the inside of the trachea and lower airways. The video otoscope enables more effective diagnosis and treatment of ear conditions,

“So many dogs made a difference in my life. Together we accomplished things I could not have done alone. I could not accept that my lifelong care of my dear friends would not extend into the future.” ~ Mary Jo Pringle, a member of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation board of directors

including the use of a video camera to transmit images to a larger screen for magnification. As the owner of many floppy eared dogs over the years, Pringle understands the importance of ear health and diagnostics.

Both acquisitions provide clinicians with the type of advanced equipment that keeps NC State on the cutting edge of veterinary medical care. ~Steve Volstad/NC State Veterinary Medicine

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Contact Us: Giving Office: 919-513-6660 cvmfoundation@ncsu.edu The Oath is published by the NC State Veterinary Medicine Communications and Marketing office.

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Day of Giving Thank you for helping us make NC State's first Day of Giving a success. In 24 hours, NC State raised $13.5 million. The CVM lead the way with $3 million in donations from friends like you.

Your generosity will help patients like Brielle, a cat diagnosed with a thymoma, lead longer, healthier lives.

Read more about the impact of giving at dayofgiving.ncsu.edu

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