Oath
The
TEACH • HEAL • DISCOVER
Winter 2020
Campus at the Coast page 11
NC Zoo Alum Spotlight page 12
Turtle Rescue Team page 13
Rhino Research page 15
Vet Student Home Run page 17 Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Where the Wild Things Are page 3
FROM THE DEAN
Celebrating 30 years of Zoological Medicine
This edition of the Oath celebrates the remarkable achievements of the zoological medicine program at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. This is an extremely important and popular focus for our DVM students, with over 30% of the Class of 2023 identifying zoological and exotic animal medicine as their likely focus area. The fields of zoological and exotic animal medicine are broad and so are the opportunities at the CVM, with a busy hospitalbased exotic animal medicine service, extensive faculty-led clinical and research programs at NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology in Morehead City, and long-standing partnerships for student and post-graduate veterinary training at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. We also work closely with the North Carolina Aquariums, and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and several other zoological facilities in the state. Our experts and students go further afield, delivering innovative care and conservation genetics for wild animal populations across Africa, for example. Humans have a huge stewardship responsibility for animals, particularly in addressing the challenges that are of our making. Human encroachment on animal habitats, poaching, 1
pollution, zoonotic transboundary diseases and competition for resources are enormous. As the decade draws to a close, the United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Madrid. Once again the world’s plight is starkly illustrated: 2019 will be the second- or third-hottest on record, and this has been the hottest decade on record. It is impossible to ignore the simple fact that Earth getting hotter, and the impacts are felt throughout the world. For wild animals, the change in our climate has some of the gravest outcomes, accelerating the loss of habitat and threatening thousands of species with extinction. Food and water shortages, increased risk of the spread of disease and rising sea levels are problems impacting all animals — humans included. Veterinarians play a critical role in understanding and combating these threats, and the CVM is expertly preparing veterinary students for this work. We are fortunate that so many of our students and graduates see this as their mission and appear to have a better understanding of the threats our environment faces. Let’s wish them well and support them. They are the ones that will help turn the tide.
D. Paul Lunn Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine NC State University
THINK AND DO
Extraordinary Leadership Ke Cheng has been named the Randall B. Terry, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Regenerative Medicine. The endowed professorship was created through a $1 million donation from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation, along with $500,000 from the CVM’s Distinguished Professors Endowment Trust Fund. Cheng’s work focuses on using stem cells, biomaterials and nanomedicine to guide heart and lung regeneration. Jorge Piedrahita, the Randall B. Terry Jr., Distinguished Professor of Translational Medicine and director of the Comparative Medicine Institute, has earned a Chancellor’s Innovation Fund award. Piedrahita and his Ph.D. student, Kathryn Polkoff, received the honor for their innovative geneediting research. The Chancellor’s Innovation Fund helps NC State researchers turn discoveries into market-ready solutions. Adam Birkenheuer, professor of internal medicine, received a Coat of Excellence from CVM supporter Terry Seaks. The Coat of Excellence program allows clients to honor a faculty clinician, intern, resident or support staff member providing especially meaningful and compassionate care. Birkenheuer is an internationally recognized expert on infections in dogs and cats caused by fleas, ticks and lice. Lauren Schnabel, associate professor of equine orthopedic surgery, has been named co-associate director of the functional tissue engineering program at the Comparative Medicine Institute. Schnabel’s research focuses on regenerative therapies for equine musculoskeletal disorders. Kenneth Adler, professor of cell biology, received the Vicky Amidon Innovation in Lung Cancer Research Award from the Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina. The grant supports Adler’s groundbreaking work to better understand and more effectively fight lung cancer. The award helps fund Adler’s research focused on halting tumor growth and metastasis in animals and humans with advanced lung cancer.
Top-bottom: Ke Cheng, Jorge Piedrahita, Terry Seaks and Adam Birkenheuer, Lauren Schnabel 2
EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE
Where the Wild Things Are For veterinary students interested in zoological medicine, NC State has long been a beacon.
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The first time Michael Stoskopf was told he shouldn’t be a veterinarian was in high school. He had taken a vocational aptitude test, one of those supposed fortune tellers that revealed the job you are best suited for based on your answer to questions like, “Would you rather repair a car or paint a picture?” “It came back that I should definitely be about 18 things,” said Stoskopf. “But it also had three things that I definitely should not be, and one of them was veterinarian.” He took another test, this one from a different publisher. He got the same results. Eventually Stoskopf said he learned how the tests had been put together. One hundred successful veterinarians were given the test and then the test writers would do a straight correlation from their answers to student answers. “It was a tool for maintaining the same thing that existed in each discipline — just be happy with it the same way everyone else is,” said Stoskopf. “But I have always been stubborn. I made my decision to go into veterinary medicine, high or hell water. “And my vision was always that I was going to be a veterinarian in a different way.” When Stoskopf was hired by the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 to help develop and lead the school’s zoological medicine focus, most veterinary schools did not have zoological specialists on faculty or staff. Zoos and aquariums often had only a part-time veterinary consultant. Simply the fact that CVM founding Dean Terrence Curtin advertised for such a position was enough to tell Stoskopf that the school was ahead of its time. A year after Stoskopf was hired, Suzanne KennedyStoskopf, his wife and fellow veterinarian, joined him at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine.
“We were only out there for three days, and I can’t remember a time I’ve been that happy. I was outside, my go-to happy place. I was doing work that mattered.” ~Taylor Gregory, CVM Class of 2021 “Michael and I both approached zoological health with the idea that we were just going to make things better for wildlife,” said Kennedy-Stoskopf. “We didn’t specify how that was going to be done, but we were committed to doing it.” Thirty years ago, they envisioned the CVM as the place for groundbreaking changes in zoological medicine. Thirty years later, it still is.
One Big Family Taylor Gregory was working on a cramped fishing boat off South Carolina this summer when she realized she had no choice but to go into zoological medicine. She had entered the CVM Class of 2021 with a declared mixed animal focus. She thought about having a mobile veterinary practice that worked primarily with cats, dogs and horses. But while she was catching, counting and releasing wild sea turtles with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, something began to change. “We were only out there for three days, and I can’t remember a time I’ve been that happy,” said Gregory. “I was outside, my go-to happy place. I was doing work that mattered.” Another summer adventure sealed the deal. Gregory got the chance to shadow a veterinarian at the Chattanooga Zoo during a snow leopard immobilization. Last winter, she and some friends traveled from North Carolina to Michigan and back over a week, stopping at every zoo with a snow leopard. They called it Snowleopardpalooza, and it was made possible by Tara Harrison, a CVM assistant professor and clinician who called her friends at the zoos and asked for some favors. Her South Carolina work was also made possible with a little help from a CVM faculty member — Greg Lewbart, professor of aquatic animal medicine.
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When Gregory arrived at the zoo, the veterinarian instead focused on a sick chimpanzee. She told the veterinarian that if any help was needed with the snow leopard, she would drive back. Two weeks later, she got a call. “That’s when I realized that I needed to do zoological medicine,” said Gregory. “If I’m going to drive 30 hours to play with one animal in this field for two hours, why am I messing around with anything else?” CVM students can release sea turtles back into the waters lapping North Carolina and then study them further at NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST). They research black bears in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They manage red wolves, providing daily husbandry and practicing preventive medicine. The students also get to breed red wolves, contributing to the hopeful restoration of the critically endangered species. CVM graduates are veterinary leaders at the North Carolina Zoo, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the Greensboro Science Center. They are epidemiologists and immunologists and scientific consultants for wildlife conservation efforts. Most zoological medicine-focused faculty are also clinicians within the NC State Veterinary Hospital’s exotics service, so their students regularly see reptiles, birds, fish, ferrets and other less traditional companion animals. On the same day, students can provide medical care for a parrot, assist with anesthesia for a tiger from an animal sanctuary and watch as a wolf gets a root canal. “I think it’s almost an embarrassment of riches what we offer,” said Craig Harms, CVM professor of aquatics, wildlife and zoological medicine who directs NC State’s marine health program at CMAST. “If you want to have experiences with a tremendous range of wildlife and treat any type of zoological species, it’s right there for the taking.” Zoological medicine is taught in depth through selectives, carefully crafted courses held each year between semesters with titles such as Ethics in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, Veterinary Acupuncture in China, and Equatorial Zoology and Medicine in Galapagos. “Students will hear things that they’re getting in their core classes, but then we were presenting them in a different setting,” said Kennedy-Stoskopf, who recently retired but taught a wildlife management selective this past semester. 5
By the Numbers
Zoological medicine includes exotic animal private practice, aquatic animal medicine, wildlife medicine and zoo practice.
126 students have declared zoological medicine as their focus area since 2006, when the CVM began asking students to declare a focus area.
41 zoological medicine residents completed their residencies at the CVM, the first residency program of its kind in the country.
159 research publications produced in the last five years by the CVM's seven zoological medicine faculty members.
18 trips to the Galapagos Islands by Greg Lewbart to study wildlife and develop medical techniques used to monitor the health of the country’s enigmatic creatures. 6
“They can see, for example, that there’s even differences in how infectious diseases impact animals depending on their setting. I like to call that the ecology of disease.”
was the go-to bird expert. Ed Noga, who has retired, was a professor of aquatic medicine particularly interested in infectious disease.
In her time at the CVM, Gregory has already worked with wolves. She has been a part of anesthesia teams treating coyotes. Now she knows that she wants to work with apex predators.
The change happened swiftly. Step one was working closely with Michael Loomis, who spent 30 years as the chief veterinarian with the North Carolina Zoo and remains an adjunct professor at the CVM. The three joined forces to create what would become an influential zoological residency program.
“Zoological medicine at the CVM is very much a family. It’s a community of people who deeply care about these animals,” said Gregory. “And they go out of their way for students in ways I would have never expected.”
A Model Program When the Stoskopfs arrived at the CVM, Harms had just received his DVM from Iowa State University, a far cry from the North Carolina coast where he now conducts most of his work. He has always loved marine mammals. In college, he took a gap year to work as a research assistant for a graduate student studying behavioral ecology of octopus in the Bahamas. Then he got into the CVM as just the second zoological medicine resident in the school’s history. He eventually earned a Ph.D. in immunology under Kennedy-Stoskopf’s mentorship. Now, he runs the residency program that helped train him 25 years ago. Before 1989, there were several faculty members who worked with the so-called special species, though only two focused on them. Keven Flammer, still CVM professor of avian medicine, 7
It was — and still is — a three-year program, putting it on par with more traditional veterinary medicine training programs like oncology or radiology. It would become a model for other schools. The selectives for DVM students were created. Stoskopf and Kennedy-Stoskopf were then instrumental in standardizing zoological medicine curriculum in North America. The CVM program was further molded to support students who wanted
“When we decided we would come here, it was because we saw the potential of the NC State CVM and the state of North Carolina to be a model for how these programs should be developed and how we could make important contributions to veterinary medicine and beyond.” ~ Michael Stoskopf, professor of aquatics wildlife and zoological medicine
Some zoological medicine jobs mean you won’t get to handle an animal every day. You could be a consultant on a project to protect whales, but not get wet yourself. When you’re dealing with wildlife in diverse settings you may need to fill in the blanks based on what you know about related species.
“They’ve all gone on to make huge impacts across the world. They are leaders. Our students will always be leaders.” ~ Michael Stoskopf
to become boarded in zoological medicine through the American College of Zoological Medicine. A major strength of the program is its collection of faculty with a wide range of backgrounds. Kennedy-Stoskopf holds a Ph.D. in immunology and infectious disease from the Johns Hopkins University; Stoskopf’s Ph.D. is in in environmental and biochemical toxicology, also from Johns Hopkins. Lewbart, who joined the college in 1993, specializes in innovative fish surgery. Harms has done everything from tracking large whales to developing hearing and vision studies for sea turtles. Two recent hires, Harrison and Olivia Petritz, came to the CVM already boarded by the ACZM. Harrison, an assistant professor, had already treated a lion with lymphoma with chemotherapy 10 years before she started at the CVM. Harrison had long admired the CVM’s zoological medicine faculty. “I was just kind of amazed at how many were here focusing on the animals I cared about so much,” said Harrison, who will soon travel to Kenya to study cancer in elephants. “It has always been this mecca for zoological medicine.”
A New Frontier The diversity of backgrounds has led to an explosion of experiences and perspectives for students that were previously unimaginable. Lewbart has taken students with him to the Galapagos four times. Harrison takes students to China each summer to study veterinary acupuncture.
“The problem-solving skill sets that a small animal practitioner has are actually very applicable to a lot of the challenges that we have in wildlife medicine,” said Harms. “But to some extent it’s being willing to take that leap into some uncertainty, which some people find uncomfortable. I find it liberating.” Zoological medicine has shown up in unexpected ways at the CVM. Matthew Breen is the Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genomics, and focuses primarily on comparative oncology between dogs and humans. But a lot of his other work has a strong impact on wildlife conservation efforts. As an undergraduate, he started thinking about animal diseases and diseases that people get and thought they sounded similar. Eventually, he worked on several projects looking at the role genetics can play in species conservation. California sea lions are genetically similar to domestic dogs. What he and his fellow researchers have shown is that some of the genetic aberrations seen in sea lion cancers are similar to what is seen in dogs and in people. Breen has also been a part of work to combat illegal poaching of elephants and rhinos in Africa through a device that quickly uncovers genetic information from ivory, resulting in something like a geotag. That information helps determine trafficking routes. “As someone even peripherally involved in wildlife conservation, I would say it’s not difficult to stay positive. It’s essential to stay positive,” said Breen. “So my motivation, the reason I do this all the time is I don’t know how successful I will be when we do what we do, but I know we will fail if we don’t do it.” It’s an outlook that keeps Taylor Gregory devoted to the field. When asked what she would be missing if she ended up not working in zoological medicine, she quickly said, “everything that makes me happy.” Even today, Stoskopf still keeps a map of the United States that he marks where the CVM’s zoological medicine-trained graduates have ended up. This is what he’s most proud of. ~ Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine 8
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Class of 2023 This fall we welcomed a new class of 100 students to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Before classes began they received their white coats and got to know us a little better during orientation. Meet the Class of 2023.
Most popular undergraduate degree: animal science
1,200+ total applicants 9
77 North Carolina residents
Most popular areas of interest: small animal, zoologic and equine medicine
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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
Campus at the Coast About 150 miles from Raleigh, NC State’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) offers students unique experiences and furthers the university’s research and outreach mission. The 51,000-square-foot CMAST facility in Morehead City, N.C., is a home-away-from-Raleigh to NC State faculty from three colleges. Dozens of students from all over the university pass through its doors each year for courses, veterinary medicine rotations or research experiences. “We’re in an amazing part of North Carolina in terms of the marine science education community," said Dave Eggleston, CMAST director and Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor in marine, earth and atmospheric sciences. "It’s allowed us to form great partnerships that advance marine science research and offer fantastic educational opportunities for students." The center is located just down the road from similar UNCChapel Hill and Duke research facilities, the North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center in Beaufort, N.C., and the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Craig Harms, a professor at the CVM and director of the marine health program at CMAST, is a researcher who relies on these partnerships. He assists with veterinary care at facilities up and down the coast and carries out field projects like tagging leatherback turtles to study their health and migration habits. Harms also works with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network of the North Carolina Central Coast, an organization that responds to reports of beached marine mammals. “The diversity of marine mammals here is phenomenal,” Harms said. “And being stationed at CMAST means that when a mammal is stranded, I’m right here if they need assistance. When I need a sea urchin or a horseshoe crab to study, I can just go out and get it.” Harms works closely with Emily Christiansen, who completed her veterinary medicine residency at NC State and is the chief veterinarian for North Carolina's three aquariums. She is also an adjunct NC State faculty member based at CMAST. 11
Craig Harms monitors a sea turtle on its way to be released.
“The North Carolina Aquariums serve as a training site for zoological medicine residents and veterinary students from NC State,” Christiansen said. “The aquariums benefit by having extra veterinary support, as well as personal connections to the College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh for some of the more advanced care that is possible only there.” For those interested in seeing inside a marine animal, CMAST is also home to the only high-powered marine MRI machine of its kind in the United States. With it, researchers can obtain very detailed pictures of the tissues and organs inside marine creatures and study how their metabolic pathways respond to environmental stressors. This specialized facility is available to researchers around the world. ~ Christy Sadler/NC State University News To read the full story, visit go.ncsu.edu/Oath-CMAST
ALUM SPOTLIGHT
Veterinary Medicine at the N.C. Zoo CVM graduate JB Minter cares for more than 400 species of animals at the world's largest natural-habitat zoo. As the director of animal health at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, the 2008 graduate of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine is responsible for the well-being of more than 400 species of animals, from 4-ounce tree frogs to 6-ton elephants to middle-aged rhinos like Olivia. On this day, his rounds take him from Africa to North America, the two continents represented on the 2,600-acre park. He’s not only checking on Olivia, but also 1-year-old baby Nandi at their behind-the-scenes inspection enclosure behind the wideopen African plain. There’s always something to do around the park, which Minter roams in an extended-cab pickup truck. He’s checking out the feet and eyes of C’sar, the African bull elephant who had cataract-removal surgery in 2011 and 2012 by then-CVM ophthalmology professor Richard McMullen. With limited sight, the 45-year-old giant’s surgically repaired eyesight needs constant monitoring. Accompanied by a handful of the zoo’s 70 or so animal caretakers, Minter does a visual inspection of an NC State-red scarlet ibis at the enclosed R.J. Reynolds Aviary, stops by the chimpanzee habitat to fist bump chimp Jon through the glass and checks out the healing of Inca, a short-tempered ocelot.
JB Minter (right) discusses a patient with CVM faculty and staff..
The zoo maintains strong ties to the CVM, not only in the treatment and care of the animals, but as a teaching laboratory for students interested in large and exotic animal care. Every year, the zoo hosts numerous CVM students and plays an integral role in teaching of zoological medicine residents. The zoo got its start in August 1967 at NC State’s newly opened Carter Stadium, as it was called. That’s where the Raleigh Jaycees hosted a fundraising NFL exhibition game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, generating $18,000 to fund a feasibility study for creating a statewide zoo. The Jaycees hosted similar games the next three seasons that benefited the zoo effort. In the four-and-a-half decades since the zoo opened with great fanfare on Aug. 2, 1974, the animals have never been out of the hands of an NC State-affiliated veterinarian, since both initial caretaker Jim Wright and Mike Loomis, the zoo’s first full-time vet, held adjunct positions at NC State. “We oversee the health of the entire collection of animals,” Minter says. “That’s our main mission. But in conjunction with that, I also am an educator so I work with guests that are coming to the park to teach them about the animals.`”
~ Tim Peeler/NC State University News To read the full story, visit go.ncsu.edu/Oath-Zoo 12
STUDENT EXPERIENCE
A Slow and Steady Race to Save Turtles
Turtle Rescue Team co-president Cheryl Heitzman holds a female box turtle named Dum Dum, after the candy, with an aural abscess.
In 2019, the Turtle Rescue Team at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine saw 579 patients, a record since the student-run organization launched in 1996. As the team’s co-president, the Class of 2021’s Cheryl Heitzman spends most of her free time with the turtles and the range of reptiles and amphibians that have mostly been brought to campus by good Samaritans who find them injured after encounters with cars, lawn mowers, weed eaters, dogs and other predators. At one point this summer, the Turtle Rescue Team was managing 96 patients at once — some of them baby turtles born there. It takes a dedicated team to care for the patients before they are released back into their native habitat. Whether patients spend a few days or a few months with the team, they are cared for by students, community volunteers, veterinary hospital faculty and staff. Local turtle rehabbers pitch in, and the team is supported financially through donors. “The Turtle Rescue Team wouldn’t work without a ton of people,” Heitzman said. “It takes a whole heck of a lot more than a village. We are beyond grateful for every single person that pitches in to help.” One person in particular has helped the team grow and take on more patients than ever before. Ashley Kirby is the first Carolyn 13
Glass Turtle Rescue Team Intern, a new position created through donor support from Kerry Glass, Carolyn’s mother. She helped create the internship as a way to honor her late daughter who was an exotic animal veterinarian interested in conservation. A CVM Class of 2018 alumna, Kirby spent countless hours volunteering with the Turtle Rescue Team and now oversees their daily operations. “Ashley's day-to-day, on-the-ground mentorship and guidance has really elevated the Turtle Team and its mission of saving wild animals, producing scholarly work and teaching the next generation of wildlife veterinarians,” said Greg Lewbart, CVM professor of aquatic animal medicine, the Turtle Rescue Team's co-founder along with wildlife rehabilitator Linda Henis and one its faculty mentors. For Heitzman and the rest of the team, she’s a lifesaver, not only for the turtles but for themselves. Whether answering their many questions or mentoring about patient care, the team can’t imagine her ever not being a part of the team. “Things would be impossible without Dr. Kirby,” Heitzman said. “We love her and do better medicine now that we have her.” Heitzman also stressed the key role of her fellow veterinary students. “The volunteers from the Classes of 2022 and 2023 have been especially fantastic. With their leadership, enthusiasm and fantastic ideas, we are going to have a much easier time taking on an increasingly larger caseload.”
“People make all the difference in this field and I want more people to be able to have the cool experiences that I've had.” ~ Cheryl Heitzman, Class of 2021 and Turtle Rescue Team co-president The Turtle Rescue Team does more than just rescue and rehab turtles. They also focus on conservation through research, and every patient helps contribute to the overall body of knowledge about the species. By studying turtles and publishing research, the group hopes to make a lasting impact for the future of the species. Almost every student member contributes to or leads at least one research study during their tenure. Heitzman recently studied how a new anesthetic formulation affects turtles. “We don’t know a whole lot about turtles,” she said. “Research enriches our understanding of the species in the natural world and drives future innovations.” As Heitzman thinks about her upcoming fourth year, she acknowledges that her future will come full circle. She didn’t realize she wanted to be a veterinarian until she was halfway through a doctoral program focused on science education. While living in Nashville, Tenn., with her husband, Ben, as he pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University, Heitzman spent most of her time writing her thesis. As a way to clear her head and break up her day, she began volunteering at a low-cost spay and neuter clinic and wildlife shelter. The experience inspired her to pursue veterinary medicine, and next year she will take on an off-campus learning experience at that same Nashville clinic. “People make all the difference in this field," Heitzman said. "And I want more people to be able to have the cool experiences I’ve had." Oh, and when it comes to turtles, Heitzman looks forward to seeing one species each year. The Turtle Rescue Team takes patients year-round, with most calls beginning in April and May when turtles come out of their winter hibernation. Snapping turtles come out first, followed by water turtles and then Heitzman’s favorite, the box turtle. “Their faces are so serious and so adorable,” she said.
To learn more about the Turtle Rescue Team at NC State or to support their effort to save North Carolina's native turtles, reptiles and amphibians, visit go.ncsu.edu/TRT
~ Brittany Sweeney/NC State Veterinary Medicine 14
EXTRAORDINARY RESEARCH
Filling in the Puzzle of Rhino Survival
You hear about the horrors of rhinoceros poaching, but nothing prepares you for being inches away from it. Heartbreaking poaching statistics are just numbers. Most instinctively grimace at a picture of a gaping, oozing wound where a horn was once attached. But images cannot convey the sight of bugs attracted to an infection. You can’t feel how surprisingly soft the rhino’s belly is, like supple leather, as it rises and falls. You can’t hear the crackles and wheezing of an animal struggling to breathe because its nasal concha allowing air to flow through smoothly is gone. NC State College of Veterinary Medicine student Dina Ibrahim still remembers the sound. “It was kind of like Darth Vader, very harsh,” she said. “And then sometimes when he would breathe out, something would get caught. You’d hear him struggle and then the sound would pop out like a balloon — pfffff. This summer, Ibrahim was one of three CVM students who spent two weeks in South Africa with faculty members Anthony Blikslager and Mathew Gerard, conducting groundbreaking anatomical research and innovative endoscopic explorations on the animals that are vanishing at alarming rates. The trip was a continuation of Blikslager and Gerard’s ongoing rhino research in the country, working with Johan Marais, the 15
CEO of the conservation group Saving the Survivors, which fights rhinoceros and elephant extinction. During a 2016 trip, the colleagues and friends created the most detailed map to date of the paranasal sinuses of the rhino, newly identified by the pair. By locating and identifying the cavities exposed when horns are hacked off, they’ve provided avenues of treatments previously unimaginable. But there was more to do, and this time the CVM students, who share a love for rhinos and a motivation to conserve wildlife, were able to do it, too. Parts of this research trip, funded through the CVM’s global health program, was similar to the previous trips Gerard, CVM anatomy professor, and Blikslager, professor of equine surgery and gastroenterology, have taken to South Africa. Some of the time was spent working again at the University of Pretoria Faculty of Veterinary Science in Onderstepoort, performing more dissections on rhino cadavers in order to shed even more light on the mysterious anatomical structures of rhinos. This time, the pair and the students — Ibrahim, Haley Dodson and Kelsie Dougherty — explored forelimbs, hindlimbs and the nasal passages again. But Gerard and Blikslager wanted to test their previous findings out in the field as well. During the trip they were able to perform three endoscopies on live rhinos — they can be called rhinoscopies since they involve the nose — using their nasal and sinus anatomy pathway findings as a guide. It was a struggle at first; rhino endoscopies are rare and Blikslager and
“You immediately take in the gravity of what people did to these rhinos. But you also can feel that many are alive because of what we can now do for them.” ~ Dina Ibrahim, Class of 2021 Gerard had never performed one on a normal living rhino. But the two eventually find the way through each time, showing that their earlier research has clinical potential for treatments. The students had a direct hand in the endoscopies, too, something they had not expected to do. “It’s odd, but very quickly we sort-of lost track of the fact that it’s a rhinoceros since we’ve done the procedure so many times on other animals,” said Gerard. “You’re just looking at the anatomy, watching the TV screen. But then you step back and say, ‘Oh, OK. We’ve just done a rhinoscopy on a rhinoceros.’” Dougherty has worked with elephants before and described working with rhinos as entrancing. She also relished working in the anatomy lab when not out in the field. Mapping tendons, muscles and bony structures? She calls that fun. “As an aspiring wildlife vet, I think global work is vital to my career,” she said. “Global work gives you the perspective to be a better vet." Dougherty became aware of Gerard’s and Blikslager’s rhino research during anatomy class her first year at the CVM. Interested in all things wildlife and zoological medicine, she, like Ibhrahim, who worked in Blikslager’s lab as an NC State undergrad, and Dodson reached out directly to express their interest in joining the two on a rhino research trip. Dodson talked with Gerard about it during her White Coat Ceremony, before classes even began. “I think honestly, when I first heard 'rhino,' I said, ‘I’m in,’” said Dodson. “I was like, I don’t care what it is exactly or when it is. We don’t know enough about the rhino, so that was definitely a big part of it — just being able to be a part of better understanding the animals.” The anatomical features of a rhino are similar to horses, which Blikslager and Gerard have worked with extensively. However, the structure of the rhino paranasal sinuses, particularly the presence of the newly described nasoconchal sinus identified in their early research, is very different than what they’ve seen in equines. The pair also focused on another part of the
nasopharynx further down the airway, which they had seen during their first anatomical study but wanted to spend more time with this time. It’s a pouch right above the larynx and its function is unknown. “We started to ask each other about it,” said Blikslager. [Rhinos] vocalize in an interesting way. You would imagine a very large animal making very loud sounds, but they also have these other sounds, almost like high-pitched or squeaking sounds. It could have something to do with that.” Another theory is that it could have the same function as that of a similar pouch found in horses: a pair of the pouches help cool blood before it gets to the brain. Filling these anatomical blanks are supremely exciting for scientists, but detailing the structures of rhino limbs is vital information, especially when a rhinoceros is snared or shot in the legs in order for its horn to be poached. Understanding and monitoring the different stages of wound healing through an endoscopy also helps determine when injured rhinos may return back to the wild or to a reserve. According to the Save the Rhino organization, nearly 9,000 African rhinos have died as a result of poaching in the past decade. About 80% of the world’s rhinos are in South Africa and most rhino poaching occurs in the country. The figures from 2018 shows a decrease in poaching in the country, though the accuracy of such statistics is often debated. Rhino horn is particularly valuable in Asian countries, where it is sought after primarily for its alleged medicinal properties and use as a symbol of wealth. "One thing you recognize when you’re a veterinarian is that there’s an ultimate reality check that you’re not saving the world,” said Blikslager. "But doing this kind of work, you are a part of saving one animal at a time. If that animal is endangered that makes a big difference." Saving wildlife also fuels the passion of the students who took part in the trip; conservation work often goes hand in hand with being a wildlife veterinarian. After this trip, Dougherty stayed in South Africa for the summer to work full time at a wildlife clinic in the suburbs of Johannesburg. She mostly performed animal surgery and rehabilitation for small species, such as caracals, servals and vervet monkeys. She was also able to participate in pangolin conservation efforts. Both Dodson and Ibrahim said they would like to return to South Africa next summer to continue their rhinoceros work. ~ Jordan Bartel/NC State Veterinary Medicine 16
EXTRAORDINARY IMPACT
Endowed Scholarship Support is a Home Run First, the bad news: Danielle Barnes will never make it as a professional baseball pitcher. The good news is that Barnes is in the process of becoming a practicing veterinarian, which is what she actually wants to do. Reaching that goal will be made easier thanks to the Babe and Yogi Scholarship Endowment established by Donald and Kimberly Moore of Greensboro. Donald Moore is the president and general manager of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, a minor league team affiliated with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In addition to his fondness for baseball, he is a 1978 NC State alumnus with a bachelor’s in speech communications, an entrepreneur, something of a showman and a lover of dogs. Barnes is a member of the Class of 2020 at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Greensboro is her hometown. To find out how all of these facts become interrelated you have to know the stories of Miss Babe Ruth and Master Yogi Berra. These two black Labrador retrievers, brother and sister, belonged to the Moores, and were trained bat dogs. To increase fan interest in his team’s games, Donald Moore hit on the idea of training his dogs to retrieve bats used by Hoppers players during the game and bring them back to the dugout, a duty traditionally performed by batboys and batgirls. He also trained the dogs to carry a bucket of fresh baseballs out to the home plate umpire for use during the game. As an extra flourish, at the end of a game the dogs would run all the way around the bases and sometimes fetch baseballs thrown out onto the field, returning them to Donald Moore. Not only was it a lot of fun to watch, the dogs did a great job. In fact, Miss Babe is recognized in the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., with the ball bucket she used in her final game on exhibit. Both Miss Babe and Master Yogi developed cancer that was 17
Master Yogi Berra. Photo courtesy of the Greensboro Grasshoppers
diagnosed at an advanced stage. Master Yogi died in 2017, with Miss Babe following a year later. Both earned legendary status. Miss Babe performed in 649 consecutive games and was once featured on the "NBC Nightly News." Master Yogi holds the distinction of being the first dog ever thrown out of a professional baseball game by the umpire after relieving himself on the field. When his dogs became ill, Donald Moore sought help from the NC State Veterinary Hospital. Even though it wasn’t possible to save Miss Babe and Master Yogi, Donald Moore was impressed by the advanced compassionate care available to companion animals at NC State. He wanted to do something to support the education of future veterinary clinicians.
“I want to thank everyone involved with making this scholarship available, and I hope this honors the Moores' dogs. I know how much my pets mean to me. ” ~ Danielle Barnes, Class of 2020
Danielle Barnes, Class of 2020, is the first recipient of the Babe and
Donald Moore, president and general manager of the Greensboro
Yogi Scholarship Endowment. Photo by Jak Kerley.
Grasshoppers. Photo courtesy of the NC State Alumni Association.
“Even though the diagnosis was bad, it gave us some peace to know that they were in good hands and that we were doing all that we could for them,” Donald Moore said.
anywhere right here.”
The result was the creation of the Babe and Yogi Scholarship Endowment in 2018, thanks to an initial $25,000 gift from the Moores. Contributions to the fund by others are welcomed. The fund helps veterinary students defray the cost of their education and stipulates that preference be given to students from Guilford County, N.C., and is part of the Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign – a $1.6 billion fundraising effort. Barnes is the first recipient of the scholarship. She loved riding horses growing up, which spawned an interest in becoming an equine veterinarian. That goal has changed during her studies at NC State. “I hope to get a residency in radiology at NC State after graduation,” she said. “We have one of the best programs
Though NC State has the lowest cost of any leading college of veterinary medicine for both in-state and out-of-state students, Barnes said every dollar makes an impact. In July, Donald Moore invited Barnes, her proud parents and other family members to attend a Grasshoppers home game and throw out a ceremonial first pitch. She was also recognized with a presentation of a certificate on the field when the game was over, right before a spectacular fireworks display. Like we said, Donald Moore is also a showman, and part of the show included an appearance by current batdog Miss Lou Lou Gehrig, a niece of Miss Babe Ruth. Barnes’ pitch almost reached home plate. Fortunately, it looks like her future as a veterinarian is going to be a home run. ~Steve Volstad/NC State Veterinary Medicine 18
NC State Veterinary Medicine NC Veterinary Medical Foundation 1060 William Moore Drive • Raleigh, NC 27607 Give Now: Use the giving envelope enclosed, (checks payable to “NCVMF”), or give online at cvm.ncsu.edu/giving. Contact Us: Giving Office: 919-513-6660 cvmfoundation@ncsu.edu The Oath is published by the NC State Veterinary Medicine Communications and Marketing office. Contact us at CVMCommunications@ncsu.edu This magazine was printed for a total cost of $4,500, or $1.33 per copy. No state funds were used.
Shane Boylan examinies a sea turtle at the aquarium. Photo courtesy of the South Carolina Aquarium.
Alumni Voice Shane Boylan, Class of 2005, chief veterinarian at the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston
"Students teaching students is an excellent way to learn, and I was lucky to start doing simple surgical procedures in my first few months of vet school with the Turtle Rescue Team." Read the full story at go.ncsu.edu/Oath-Boylan 19