Beyond driving what veterinarians do, animal welfare is fundamental to who we are
As veterinarians, we pledge in our Oath to serve society through “the protection of animal health and welfare” as well as “the prevention and relief of animal suffering”—the latter of which is, of course, the essence of animal welfare. This devotion to the well-being and care of animals is deeply embedded in our DNA at Penn Vet.
Back in 1807, prominent Philadelphia physician Dr. Benjamin Rush delivered a seminal lecture entitled “On the Duty and Advantages of Studying the Diseases of Domestic Animals, and the Remedies Proper to Remove Them.” One of the four original professors at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school, Rush made the case for why an aspiring physician should “embrace in his studies and labors the means of lessening the miseries of domestic animals”—pointing to a “principle of gratitude” for the companionship, service, and sustenance these animals provide us. While his message was certainly altruistic, he also highlighted the valuable knowledge that humans can gain through the study of animal ailments.
Rush’s speech ultimately inspired the establishment of Penn Vet, the first U.S. veterinary school born from a medical school. Fast forward to the present day, and it’s clear that our emphasis on One Health is rooted in his visionary thinking. And we continue to innovate in such areas as animal welfare, translational medicine, and the human-animal relationship.
Penn Vet has, for instance, developed a world-leading program in farm animal welfare focusing on swine. Dr. Thomas Parsons pioneered the development of more humane sow housing units, a practice embraced by companies like Smithfield, Hormel, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s. And our unique shelter medicine program, under the direction of Dr. Brittany Watson, was recently lauded in the journal Today’s Veterinary Technician as “expanding the reach and redefining the meaning of shelter medicine” through community engagement and education.
As veterinarians today, our challenge is not the why of animal welfare, but the what and the how. As our societal and personal values evolve, we must constantly evaluate what animal welfare means, and how it applies to the work of clinicians, researchers, food producers, policymakers, and beyond. How do we reconcile the often-competing needs of animals and animal owners, or the conflicts between the Five Freedoms? As scientists, we tend to like clear facts and rightor-wrong answers. But with questions of animal welfare, we typically must reach conclusions using our own moral compass and experience.
That’s why I’m delighted that Penn Vet continues to open up more avenues for students, faculty, and staff to tackle the complexities of animal welfare. Throughout this issue, you’ll get to read about new academic opportunities happening on our two campuses and also abroad.
Having worked with all kinds of animals throughout my career—cats, fruit flies, English bulldogs, and one narcoleptic horse—I’d say that each creature plays a singular and essential role in our civilization. I’m glad that, at Penn Vet, we continue to think about, discuss, and pioneer the best ways to care for all beings.
As formalized by England’s Farm Animal Welfare Council, and since adopted by organizations globally, the Five Freedoms of animal welfare are as follows:
1. FREEDOM FROM HUNGER AND THIRST by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
2. FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3. FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY, OR DISEASE by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NORMAL BEHAVIOR by providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind.
5. FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND DISTRESS by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
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A transformational gift of $5 million from the estate of Seth and Lucy Holcombe has established an endowed chair named the Dr. Harry Werner Professorship in Equine Medicine at New Bolton Center. Dr. Werner, V’74, was photographed on his farm in North Granby, Connecticut, with Willie the donkey, Prancer the horse, and Amanda the goat. Not pictured are Werner’s wife and partner Susan, and their three sheep, more than 20 hens, two dogs, and the office cat. Read more about the
on page 7.
First-year students now have an animal welfare class included in their mandatory curriculum. An in-demand animal welfare elective is offered to second-year students. And a transformational, $5 million gift will establish an endowed chair for a professorship in equine medicine at New Bolton Center, with an emphasis on equine welfare. Such developments build upon well-established efforts at Penn Vet. For instance, Dr. James Serpell has long served as Professor of Ethics & Animal Welfare and, as Director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society, examines the complex practical and moral issues surrounding human-animal interactions. Dr. Thomas Parsons continues to spearhead the groundbreaking initiative he started more than 15 years ago, researching a housing model for sows as an alternative to gestation crates. Penn Vet also has outstanding experts in animal behavior, working dogs, shelter medicine, and other fields connected to animal welfare.
Said Penn Vet Dean Joan Hendricks, “Penn Vet is dedicated to providing students with opportunities to explore animal welfare in real-world contexts, while developing their own perspectives.”
OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE THE CONCEPT AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF ANIMAL WELFARE CONTINUE TO GROW AT PENN VET, WITH SEVERAL IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS THIS ACADEMIC YEAR.Dr. Thomas Parsons, Associate Professor of Swine Production Medicine and Director of the Swine Teaching and Research Center at New Bolton Center, has pioneered the development of more humane sow housing units. He collaborated with Dr. Meghann Pierdon to design new animal welfare coursework at Penn Vet.
Launched this past fall, the Introduction to Animal Welfare elective course met for two hours, once a week, for 12 weeks. Offered to 30 second-year students, the new elective proved enormously popular, with more than three times that number of applicants.
Dr. Meghann Pierdon, Penn Vet Lecturer, worked with Parsons to design and organize the course. “The elective coursework builds a framework for thinking about solutions regarding any species and its welfare, and the student’s own personal ethical framework,” she said.
“The goal is to train veterinarians to speak as experts in the area of animal welfare,” added Parsons, Associate Professor of Swine Production Medicine and Director of the Swine Teaching and Research Center at New Bolton Center.
Parsons is one of the founding members of the new American College of Animal Welfare. Pierdon will be the first swine veterinarian in the United States to earn board certification through this specialty college. She created the elective course at Penn Vet as part of her board certification training.
“There is science to this. There are ways to measure welfare,” Pierdon said. “It is important to have the students open their minds to the many new methods and ideas that are out there.”
“Through this course and through the new board certification, we are trying to create a standard for education and train veterinarians to be leaders in the field of animal welfare,” Parsons noted.
The course covered current topics and techniques, as well as history, ethics, and physiological and behavioral
assessment of welfare. Pierdon and Parsons each taught sessions, along with several of their Penn Vet colleagues: Dr. Carlo Siracusa, Director of the Animal Behavior Service at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital; Dr. Sue McDonnell, Director of Penn Vet’s Equine Behavior Program; Dr. Brittany Watson, Director of Shelter Medicine and Community Engagement; Dr. Meggan Hain, Staff Veterinarian at Penn Vet’s Marshak Dairy; Dr. Sherrill Davison, Associate Professor of Avian Medicine and Pathology; and Dr. James Marx, Assistant Professor of Pathobiology.
“We worked to have the class represent as many animal species as possible that are under human care,” Pierdon explained. “The students see the whole spectrum.”
The course also included a Saturday field trip to New Bolton Center, where students learned about Penn Vet’s pioneering housing model for sows at the Swine Center; natural equine behaviors within the semi-feral pony herd; and best practices in dairy cow management at the Marshak Dairy.
The students and professors discussed in depth, by species, the “five freedoms” of animal welfare, and the implications in real-life situations: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress.
“I think the complexity comes in when we try to take into account all five of those freedoms. You aren’t going to have a clear answer,” Pierdon said.
In classes and labs, the students were asked to weigh various factors in making choices. For example, students observed a sow and her piglets to see if behaviors differed when the farrowing crate is open or closed. They determined the sow was more active when the crate was open, but the piglets nursed less, indicating that the sow had more freedom but the piglets had less time to suckle, and therefore less freedom from hunger.
“The farrowing crate is a typical example of the complexity of welfare issues because the crate confines the sow, but also protects the piglets,” Pierdon said.
Students also grappled with other real-world scenarios, such as the trap, neuter, and release of feral cats. How do these efforts impact people who live around the colonies, and what are the obligations of people who feed feral cats? Or reintroducing wildlife to roam free in a wildlife park: what ethical obligations do humans have for the care and welfare of wild animals?
Reflecting on his experience in the elective course, student John Hurst, V’19, said, “I learned how we can apply scientific methods to assess how animals cope with the artificial environments we constrain them to. But even then, decisions will come down to making a moral or ethical judgment.”
“To make that judgment you have to study the dilemma and, in a diverse group, weigh different obligations to animals and society,” he continued. “The format of this welfare course allowed us to practice exactly that, and to hear and respect differing opinions.”
Added Katherine Pruett, V’19, “There are many difficult questions when it comes to the welfare of all species. Discussing these issues from many perspectives—that of researchers, producers, consumers, veterinarians, and the animals themselves—helped to understand the issues in depth. With many of these topics there are no black and white answers, and as such I appreciated the many perspectives we gained from this course.”
In addition to the elective course for second-year students, a mandatory, two-hour lecture for first-year students is now included as part of the Introduction to Clinical Veterinary Medicine course. The lecture is based on the first session of the elective course.
“We would like all students to have a common foundation in animal welfare,” Parsons said. “The topic is fundamental in so many aspects of veterinary medicine.”
On a colic call, the first in his new job as a veterinarian, Dr. Harry Werner, V’74, drove up to the farm of Seth and Lucy Holcombe in Granby, Connecticut. Then he went to work, confirming the Morgan gelding had a colon impaction, and spending hours saving his life.
“I remember all the nuances of it,” Werner recalled, even the gelding’s name, Baythorne. “This was the first colic I encountered as a new graduate. This was a chance to prove myself.”
Werner didn’t know it then, but not only was he proving himself, he was starting a lifelong friendship and collaboration with the Holcombes.
The four-decade relationship has resulted in a transformational gift of $5 million by the estate of Seth and Lucy Holcombe to establish an endowed chair named the Dr. Harry Werner Professorship in Equine Medicine at New Bolton Center.
The professorship will include teaching, research, and clinical outreach, with an emphasis on equine welfare and wellness—topics of utmost importance to Werner and the Holcombes.
Penn Vet is conducting an international search for candidates, with a goal of awarding the professorship in 2017.
“Harry is a very distinguished alumnus, and we are extremely proud of his achievements globally to support equine welfare. This will provide a permanent tribute to him,” said Dean Hendricks.
According to Hendricks, it is “incredibly important” that Penn Vet is now able, with the Werner Chair, to develop a
“This gift will allow Penn Vet to truly take a lead in providing direction on equine well-being and welfare to both our profession and the equine industry. The ability to dedicate significant efforts to these critical initiatives is truly transformational.”
program that will provide guidance and support to all who love horses.
“Even more than for other species, people who own horses often are not fully aware of their needs. Their dual role of being athletes and companions can complicate their care,” she explained.
The professorship will be the centerpiece of what Penn Vet intends to become a broader program for equine wellness and welfare, attracting international speakers and reaching out to populations of working horses in need.
“This gift will allow Penn Vet to truly take a lead in providing direction on equine well-being and welfare to both our profession and the equine industry,” said Dr. Gary Althouse, Chairman of the Department of Clinical Studies at New Bolton Center. “The ability to dedicate significant efforts to these critical initiatives is truly transformational.”
Althouse said the new equine professorship builds upon and expands New Bolton Center’s initiatives for large animal welfare, including specialty training for board certification by the new American College of Animal Welfare.
Although Werner and his wife, Susan, were close friends with the Holcombes for decades, the gift came as a surprise. A family lawyer delivered the news after Lucy Holcombe’s death at age 91 in January of last year. Seth Holcombe died at age 91 in 2009.
“We had no idea,” said Werner, about the “wonderful” donation in his honor. “Susan and I feel responsible for making sure this gift does what the Holcombes wanted it to do. We want this to enhance the health and welfare of the horse.”
The Holcombes’ nephew and niece, Shepherd Holcombe and Nancy Hinman, are trustees of the estate. Both said the gift is a fitting honor to Werner, and they are pleased with the plans that are in motion.
“Everyone cares so much about this, and it has been handled so well, by Penn, and Harry and Susan,” Hinman said, adding that her aunt and uncle “adored” Werner as a veterinarian, confidant, and friend.
Shepherd Holcombe said his aunt and uncle lived a “modest and thrifty life.” The gift is “a marvelous act of generosity and friendship, and indicative of the high degree of respect they had for Harry,” he said.
• Dr. Robert Marshak, Penn Vet Dean (1973–1987), and Margo Marshak
• Dr. Al Merritt and Nancy Merritt
• Dr. Bill Moyer
The Werners much admired and respected the Holcombes as well, considering them family. “We shared many common values,” Werner said of their friendship. “They were people of great common sense, who believed in taking responsibility for yourself and your animals.”
Werner, who calls himself a “horse doctor,” has dedicated his life and career to the care and welfare
GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS WHO PROVIDED VALUABLE INPUT INTO THE VISION FOR THE WERNER PROFESSORSHIP:
of animals through his practice, Werner Equine, in North Granby, and his continued service to veterinary professional organizations at state, national, and international levels.
He was the 2009 President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners and is now a part of the Welfare and Public Policy Advisory Council. As president, he helped found the International Forum for Working Equids, an online forum to share information about the health and welfare of working horses, donkeys, and mules.
For the AVMA, Werner serves on the Welfare Committee, and is a liaison to the Unwanted Horse Coalition as well as an equine welfare project in the Dominican Republic. He also serves on the World Equine Veterinary Association’s Board of Directors.
Werner speaks internationally and has authored many articles on equine welfare, lameness, pre-purchase exams, farrier-veterinarian relationships, and veterinary ethics.
The Holcombes had a great interest in Werner’s work in his practice and beyond, and they engaged in long discussions about horses over the years. It was their shared passion for the care of horses, Werner believes, that led to their commitment to the professorship at New Bolton Center.
“As long as the health and welfare of the horse is kept as the goal, all other things will fall into place,” Werner said. “I shared that with Seth and Lucy way back when, and that resonated with them.”
Since the beginning of civilization, the lives of humans and animals have been inextricably linked. Animals have played an important role in the lives of humanity by providing us with food, fiber, labor, transportation, and protection.
Our society is increasingly reexamining its relationship with animals and the natural world. The last 20 to 30 years have been a period of rapid change in societal attitudes toward animals and their treatment.
And yet, at the same time, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that the world food economy is being increasingly driven by shifting dietary preferences and food consumption patterns towards livestock products. In developing countries, where almost all world population growth occurs, consumption of meat has been growing at 5 to 6 percent and consumption of milk and dairy products at 3.4 to 3.8 percent per year. Agricultural output is being affected by these trends through the linkages of livestock production to the crop sector—all with environmental implications.
Through science-based research, proven methodologies, and farmer outreach, Penn Vet has been a leader in the field of food animal production and welfare. Through continuing research on best methods for husbandry and housing of pigs, our Swine Teaching and Research Center is a global authority on animal welfare and a resource for pork producers. Penn Vet’s Center for Animal Health and Productivity takes an integrated approach to milk production, combining expertise in dairy nutrition, reproduction, genomics, and health economics, and collaborating with colleagues in China and India.
A gift of $3 million would provide funding for the first food animal welfare professorship at Penn Vet. This named, endowed professorship would play a critical role in addressing these global challenges, ensuring that groundbreaking research will continue to inform the next generation of veterinarians and farmers worldwide.
Please contact Margaret Leardi, Director of Development for New Bolton Center, at (610) 925-6180 or mleardi@vet.upenn.edu
WELFAREDr. Harry Werner performs a lameness exam at his clinic in North Granby, Connecticut.
have an impact
things like the international food supply. At the end of the day, it’s all One Health.”
Christina Murphy, second-year Penn Vet student
Italy and France are known for taking their food seriously. Strict legislation governs what ingredients can be used in certain products, like cheeses and meats, and where they can be produced. And another key part of maintaining high-quality foods is the role that veterinarians play in ensuring that those foods—and the animals that produce them— remain healthy and safe.
Over the past two summers, students from Penn Vet have traveled to Europe to witness the work and training of veterinarians engaged in animal welfare and public health. The course that included their trip, International Animal Welfare, Behavior, and Public Policy, has given them a broader perspective on how these issues are handled outside of the United States.
“It really opened up my eyes to international veterinary medicine,” said Christina Murphy, a second-year Penn Vet student who participated in the course during the summer of 2016 and is helping to coordinate this summer’s trip. “It was nice to go abroad and see how progressive they are on the animal welfare front and how utilized and important veterinarians are in all facets of food safety.”
Kate Very and Christiana Fischer, now fourth-year students, developed the idea
for an immersive course in Europe back in 2014.
“We wanted to put together a trip that would focus on animal welfare and also the legislative aspects of public policy, which are areas we don’t get much exposure to in school,” explained Very.
Very and Fischer applied for and won Penn Vet’s 2015 Student Inspiration Award, with $12,500 in prize money, which helped establish the course. Further support for the initial trip came from student fundraisers, a $5,000 grant from Assocarni/Zoetis, and collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. For the summer 2016 course, Ceva Animal Health stepped up as a sponsor with an $8,000 grant.
The students enlisted the help of Dr. Carlo Siracusa, Director of the Animal Behavior Service at Ryan Hospital, who has expertise in both animal behavior and welfare. He played a key role in coordinating and designing the trip, working with colleagues at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise (IZS) in Teramo, Italy, where the bulk of the visit took place.
In 2015, the trip consisted of two weeks spent at IZS, where researchers developed a curriculum specifically for the Penn Vet
“We see that veterinarians really do
on
students. Information was generally presented in English, but students also received help with translation when needed from Dr. Siracusa, IZS staff, and local students.
In addition to classroom lectures on animal welfare, food safety, epidemiology, and public policy, students took field trips to a slaughterhouse, a dairy farm, a poultry house, animal shelters, and a national park. In 2016, the Penn Vet students also spent time with veterinary students from the University of Teramo.
“It was so interesting to compare curricula and see what they’re learning about animal welfare in their classes,” Murphy said. “One of the best parts of traveling is being with locals, and we had the added benefit of having a lot of common ground with them, sharing a similar profession and passion.”
Building on the success of the inaugural trip, Siracusa decided to add a week and a second location to the course. In 2016, he took the students to IRSEA, the Institut de Recherche en Sémiochimie et Ethologie Appliquée, in the town of Apt in southeastern France. He also invited another Penn Vet instructor, Dr. Thomas Parsons, Associate Professor of Swine Production Medicine.
While IZS is a public institution where contact with animals is strictly regulated,
IRSEA is a private lab, allowing the students more flexibility to get hands-on experiences. IRSEA scientists pursue basic research into animal cognition and welfare, specifically focusing on semiochemicals—substances that animals produce for the purposes of communication. Pheromones are perhaps the best known example, but other semiochemicals can influence animals by inspiring fear, attraction, appeasement, or repellence.
Research at IRSEA has led to the development of compounds for the express purpose of altering animal behavior. For example, Feliway, a product developed by Ceva, is a synthetic version of a natural semiochemical that soothes cats. Properties of other semiochemicals have been harnessed to improve the welfare of livestock and farm animals, such as pheromones that reduce aggression in pigs and stress in chickens.
During their time at IRSEA this past summer, students participated in small group discussions and visited labs where they observed—and sometimes participated in—evaluations of stress in a horse, research on how to reduce stress in working dogs, and tests of insect repellants based on semiochemicals.
While most veterinary school graduates in the United States go on to private clinical
practice, Siracusa said that many graduates of European veterinary schools go on to careers in public health and food safety because veterinarians in Europe have a more prominent role in this realm. Murphy noted that slaughterhouses in Europe directly employ veterinarians to be on-site, for instance.
Animal welfare, too, occupies a more prominent place in European society, Siracusa added, with stricter legislation governing how animals are treated and transported.
“I think there is a public sensibility that is strongly in favor of animal welfare, and it probably also has to do with the fact that there is a longstanding food culture in many parts of Europe,” he explained. “The quality of food is a pillar of culture in a country like Italy, so this is a way to protect the quality of the product.”
As an example, Siracusa noted that while many American poultry farms chill chicken carcasses in chlorine baths to reduce pathogens, Europeans are turned off by this practice, and instead perform rigorous salmonella tests, discarding whole flocks if they test positive. As a result, European poultry is more expensive.
Murphy, who is interested in using her background in business in her future career in veterinary medicine, found the financial issues surrounding a firmer embrace of animal welfare compelling.
“Abroad I think they’ve realized the economic impacts of taking into account the welfare of the animal,” she said. “They’ll see higher milk production in animals that are well cared for. In swine they’ll see that the meat is of a higher quality because their transportation is done very carefully so as
not to bruise the animals, so they can sell more of the meat, and to avoid causing a stress hormone response that can affect the taste.”
For this year’s class, Siracusa, with assistance from Murphy, is imagining another three-week trip, this time with an additional stop in Barcelona. Siracusa has contacts at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, as well as an animal shelter and the research institute IRTA, which focuses on agriculture, forestry, food, and fishing. In addition, Murphy is planning to arrange for some pre-trip lectures on animal welfare so that attendees will have a more solid grounding in U.S. policy before going abroad to compare and contrast.
“The Autonomous University of Barcelona is an important center for research on animal welfare,” Siracusa said. “They’ll be able to show us a system that is close to what we do here at Penn Vet, with a lot of clinics, a lot of small animals, and with a focus on farm animal welfare, too.”
An underlying thrust of the course is One Health—animal welfare being a prime example of how human health, environmental health, and animal well-being are closely connected.
“This program focuses on not just the animals, but the interaction of animal species with human health, both physical and psychological,” Siracusa said. “Students have the chance to really see how the safety and quality of a food product depends on the safety and quality of animal care.”
“We see that veterinarians really do have an impact on things like the international food supply,” added Murphy. “At the end of the day, it’s all One Health.”
September 27 & 28, 2017
Chase Center on the Riverfront
Wilmington, DE
• Ample free parking with over 2,400 spaces
• Easily accessible from I-95 and I-495, plus direct access via car, SEPTA, Amtrak, or bus; less than a half-mile walk or two-minute cab ride from the train station to the venue
• 87,000 square feet of versatile space including spacious meeting rooms, a 250 fixed-seat auditorium, dedicated open exhibit space, and two beautifully appointed ballrooms
• Six restaurants within walking distance
• A grand ballroom that seats 1,000, allowing all conference attendees to attend the Keynote Luncheon
• Westin hotel attached to the Chase Center for overnight guests
• A thriving destination on the Wilmington Riverfront, offering tax-free shopping and local attractions including the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Delaware Theater Company, the Delaware Center of Contemporary Arts, and Delaware Children’s Museum, all within walking distance
PENN ANNUAL CONFERENCE IS MOVING!
“Innovations in Veterinary Medicine”
THIS IS THE STORY OF A CHAMPION THOROUGHBRED, TWO HORSE-LOVING PHILANTHROPISTS, AND A GROUP OF VERY GRATEFUL VETERINARY STUDENTS.
People who followed Thoroughbred horse racing in New England during the 1980s knew the name Banker’s Jet. The hard-charging dark bay son of Tri Jet won 28 races (including seven stakes) and almost $700,000 in purse money. As is sadly the case with many Thoroughbred geldings, Banker’s Jet was raced far beyond his prime. When age diminished his speed and stamina, Jet changed ownership multiple times and descended the claiming scale as new trainers tried to squeeze one more winning race out of the gallant competitor.
Finally, in September 1991, the seven-year racing career of Banker’s Jet crashed to an end when the horse broke down while still managing to finish third in a bottom-level race. Six months later, the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) rescued a sick and starving Banker’s Jet from a hack stable in upstate New York—where he was found wallowing knee-deep in mud. TRF moved him to its farm on the grounds of the Wallkill Correctional Facility, where inmates care for retired racehorses. Jet was slowly nursed back to the point at which he could be paired with an older mare and turned out to graze.
Through the chance reading of a newspaper headline in 1992, Connecticut businessman Raymond Roy learned about TRF and the saving of Banker’s Jet. Touched by the horse’s story and impressed with the goals of the nonprofit Foundation, Ray joined in the work of TRF and served as volunteer treasurer for 15 years.
When Ray and his wife Diana purchased a farm in 1993, Banker’s Jet and his pasturemate became the first equine residents. Jet enjoyed 14 years of peaceful retirement with the Roys until his passing in 2007.
After Jet’s death, Ray and Diana decided that the creation of a Banker’s Jet Memorial Scholarship would be an appropriate way to honor the horse’s life. As the Roys explained, “We like to think that Banker’s Jet would have approved of the concept of financially
assisting with the education of veterinarians to help future generations of horses.”
The Roys chose Penn Vet to administer the scholarship because, a few years earlier, Dr. Jill Beech, Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Reproduction at New Bolton Center, had brought their race mare, Gene’s Gray Girl, back to health after a nearly fatal bout with pneumonia.
Recently, during a visit to a large animal hospital in Massachusetts, Ray was introduced to resident veterinarian Dr. Amanda Prisk, V’15. Prisk mentioned that she was a graduate of Penn Vet and had been the recipient of a Banker’s Jet Memorial Scholarship award. According to Ray, “It was a joy to meet an individual who had benefited from Jet’s scholarship!”
Thanks to the generosity of Raymond and Diana Roy, scholarship awards have been made to 15 Penn Vet equine veterinary students since the Banker’s Jet Memorial Scholarship was established in 2008. The Roys have discussed plans to convert the annually funded scholarship to endowed status. Like Jet’s story, they want his scholarship to live on in perpetuity to assist more Penn Vet students in developing the skills required to provide worldclass care for horses yet to be born.
To celebrate Animal Planet’s docu-series Life at Vet U, Penn Vet held a festive red-carpet preview party and screening of the first episode.
(Pictured at left, from left to right) Four cast members from the Class of 2016—Rebecca Bernstein, Melanie Lang, Clint Kuban, and Lindsay Gallagher—attended the event. (At right) Clients and pets featured on the show joined in the celebration.
MICROBIOME SYMPOSIUM
(Below left) During the third annual Microbiome Symposium last October, author and journalist Maryn McKenna presented her keynote on the history of antibiotic use in livestock, “Cheap Meat and the Microbiome: The Tangled History of Growth Promoter Antibiotics.”
(Below center, from left to right) Dr. Elliot V. Hersh of Penn Dental, Dr. Rosemary C. Polomano of Penn Nursing, and Dr. John T. Farrar of Penn Medicine received Penn’s One Health Award. The award recognizes their exemplary contributions to expanding interdisciplinary collaboration and improving health care for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment. Together, Hersh, Polomano, and Farrar lead an interdisciplinary course on pain science and practice for dental, nursing, and medical students at Penn.
(Below right) Last October, New Bolton Center and Stroud Water Research Center held a celebration of oysters, our freshwater treasures. New Bolton and Stroud gave an overview of their research and implementations locally and globally to preserve our rivers, estuaries, and waterways. Choptank Oysters treated everyone in attendance to oysters farmed and freshly harvested from the Chesapeake, as well as an education on oyster anatomy and ecology. Pictured (from left to right) are Bubba the Shucker; Dr. Robert Maze, G’86, GR’93; Laurie Landeau, V’84, WG’84; and Dixon Stroud, C’68.
SCAVMA AUCTION
(At left) In November, Penn Vet’s Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association (SCAVMA) brought a French flavor to this year’s auction to raise money for the organization. Students, faculty, staff, donors, alumni, and parents donated a variety of items for the silent and live auctions. The evening’s eats included a food truck serving crepes. Proceeds from the auction allow SCAVMA members to attend conferences and symposia throughout the year.
WHITE COAT CEREMONY
(Below) Family and friends of the Class of 2018 gathered at the Annenberg Center last November as the class was presented with their white coats, signifying their transition into clinics.
“If anyone thinks that it’s easy, they’re dead wrong,” Lindsay Gallagher says emphatically in the trailer previewing Penn Vet’s Animal Planet docu-series, Life at Vet U. And over the course of six episodes, Gallagher and her five castmates illustrated just how true that sentiment is; the show reveals that becoming a veterinarian is a grueling and often emotional process, but one that is also incredibly rewarding.
Airing on Saturday nights from October 1 through November 5, 2016, Life at Vet U followed a group of fourth-year Penn Vet students as they completed their rigorous training while learning from experts at both Ryan Hospital and New Bolton Center.
Filming began on Match Day in February 2016 and continued through graduation in May, providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of veterinary medicine. With scenes ranging from an intense canine cataract surgery to a stallion collection for artificial insemination, to a cow C-section and stressful rotations with Dr. Dean Richardson, the series captured the passion, proficiency, and perseverance required to make it to graduation.
Prior to filming, producers held an open casting call for the Class of 2016. Six students were selected for the show: Rebecca Bernstein, Clint Kuban, Melanie Lang, Morgan Taylor, Max Emanuel, and Gallagher. The graduates, now interning at hospitals across the country, took time from their busy schedules to answer some questions about what it was like to finish veterinary school with cameras documenting their every move.
Read the full interview with the cast online at www.vet.upenn.edu/life-at-vet-u-interview
If you missed the series, catch up now on Animal Planet GO: www.animalplanet go.com
REBECCA BERNSTEIN: Honestly, it has been my dream to be on Animal Planet since I was a kid. When I started veterinary school, I told my parents that I wanted to do something different. When I heard about the opportunity to be on the show, I jumped at it. And I loved every second of it. It really was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I never thought I’d actually have the chance to be on Animal Planet!
CLINT KUBAN: I was excited to work on Life at Vet U because it was an opportunity to get more exposure for the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, and in particular, my foster dog, Tsunami, who is part of their ovarian cancer detection program. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to brag about Tsunami!
MELANIE LANG: The altruistic answer is that I really wanted the public to understand the amazing things done by veterinarians, by veterinary students, and by Penn Vet doctors and students, in particular. I wanted people to see how hard we work and how dedicated we are to our profession and our patients. The selfish answer is that I really like being the center of attention!
MORGAN TAYLOR: I wanted to show people what it’s like to be a veterinarian. This really is an underappreciated profession, even though we work so hard to get here. Nobody knows what it takes. And if you don’t tell people and show people, we can’t expect them to change their minds.
MAX EMANUEL: I thought that if I passed on this opportunity, it might be something I’d regret. I grew up watching Animal Planet and have always been enthralled by their wildlife shows. Melissa [Max’s girlfriend, who was also a fourth-year student at the time] was very supportive throughout it all. She really encouraged me to go for it.
LINDSAY GALLAGHER: I’m extremely passionate about veterinary medicine and Penn Vet, so this was the perfect opportunity to share that passion with a large audience. Plus, I’ve always loved Animal Planet. When I heard that the production company working on the show was High Noon, that also got me excited. They made the show Emergency Vets, which I watched religiously as a kid. I knew they made quality shows that portrayed veterinary medicine in a positive way, so I was excited about the project.
RB: I really didn’t mind having the crew around. I honestly forgot they were there most of the time! We all became friends with the crew and it was nice to have people around to lighten the mood. Most of all, I’m so happy that I have lasting evidence of this journey to look back on.
ML: The entire crew was so respectful of the fact that our primary responsibilities were our patients and our learning. Plus, working with the crew was a ton of fun, so I can’t complain!
ME: There definitely were growing pains in the beginning. My first rotation during filming was Anesthesia. It’s stressful enough trying to induce an animal, and doing that with a camera in my face was extra nervewracking. Communication with the crew was key. We set some boundaries and it worked well for everyone involved.
LG: There was definitely a learning curve in the beginning, but I got used to it pretty quickly. I used the experience as an additional opportunity to learn how to improve my client communication skills. As veterinarians, we have to speak about our work in a way that makes sense to people without a medical background.
RB: He can definitely be intimidating, but he’s also really nice. You just have to be prepared and confident going into a rotation with him. He wants to make sure that we’re all prepared to enter the world with the correct information.
CK: He’s one of the most passionate, no-nonsense teachers you’ll ever meet.
ML: Dr. Richardson really cares about learning. Yeah, he can be harsh, but that’s only if you haven’t done your homework. Personally, I think he’s hilarious and a big softie deep down.
MT: Overall, Dr. Richardson is knowledgehungry and wants everyone else around him to be knowledge-hungry. He always told us that, when you wake up in the morning, you should wake up with questions in your head and come up with more throughout the day. Now, in my internship, I remember those words when doing diagnostic workups. I think to myself, “Morgan, what questions should you be asking right now? What don’t you understand and need to look up?” He instilled that in me.
ME: Being on Dr. Richardson’s rotation is all about preparation. You need to know everything possible about the procedure, the patient, and the anatomy. The principles I picked up in surgery with him or discussing cases with him really made me a better veterinarian. Even though I’m not a largeanimal veterinarian, I think about cases differently and more dynamically because of Dr. Richardson.
LG: He cares so deeply about his patients. Once you show that you do, too, by being prepared and passionate, then he respects you. I studied so hard for his rotation, and as a result, I remember those lessons and cases to this day. It’s really scary to work with him, but you also get so much out of it.
CK: I’ll always remember Sophie’s C-section. Dr. [Carol] Margolis is an amazing doctor and I learned so much from my time with her. She really makes sure you understand every facet of the case and ensures that you get the experience needed to practice in the real world. The emotional highs and lows from Sophie’s case are very emblematic of the veterinary experience; these cases stay with you forever.
ML: It would have to be Sammy, the diabetic Pomeranian. He was a dog with so much personality. His owners were the
The
of the
“Nobody knows what it takes. And if you don’t tell people and show people, we can’t expect them to change their minds.”
—Morgan Taylor
sweetest couple and they loved him so much. The outcome was very sad, but I’m thankful I got to meet Sammy and his mom and dad.
MT: I loved Mollie, my case in the Emergency Service. I also loved her parents. Mollie was their precious baby and they wanted the best for her. It felt good to be able to play a role in helping her. Plus, she was little and I could carry her around. You can’t carry your horse around!
ME: Zippy the zebra. I’ve been to Africa several times and wanted to be a wildlife veterinarian for a large part of my life. So to have a zebra as my last patient in veterinary school was pretty amazing. And to have him as a patient with Dr. Richardson was pretty cool.
LG: The mare and foal that I helped treat at New Bolton Center. Any animal that comes in without an owner has a special place in my heart because they don’t have people to visit them … I always tried to give them a little extra love so they were excited to see me when I entered their stall, as if they had a family member coming to visit.
CK: It’s surreal to watch, but also really exciting to have this important chapter of my life documented. What a great thing to have and to show my kids one day.
MT: It’s not that bad, really. But I mostly watched the show so I could see my fellow cast members in action. I found the show to be very entertaining and engaging. They did a nice job of capturing our professional and personal lives, as well as our aspirational goals.
ME: I’m not sure that it’s really sunk in yet. My initial reaction was, “Do I really sound like that?” I haven’t heard myself talk that much in my entire life. But, overall, I thought I did as good of a job as I could have. I’m pretty proud. Watching the show was really gratifying.
RB: I knew that my parents and friends would watch the show to support me, but it’s so great to hear them comment on how much they love the medicine! Friends of mine have gotten their friends hooked— even those who would never watch this type of show—and they all love it. Nurses and staff at work have gone out of their way to tell me that they love watching the show. People have recognized me from the billboard and the show. I never thought I’d get to do an interview for Nightline, so that was exciting! It’s all been a great learning experience. Best of all, I now have memories that I will always be able to look back on fondly and cases that I will always remember and use.
CK: The show has definitely affected my life in a positive way. I’ve made many promising professional connections and am well positioned to start my post-internship career. Everyone has been so thrilled about the show. As it was airing, people kept telling me they couldn’t wait for the next episode.
LG: Everyone has been really positive. A client asked me to pose for a photo with him and his dog to show his kids, who love the show. Another story that stands out is about a client of mine whose cat was euthanized. She sent me a message saying that she was having a hard time at home, but then she saw the trailer for the show for the first time and felt at peace. She said it was a sign that everything was going to be all right, and that watching the show would be a tribute to her cat, as she remembered all of the things I did for her. Another friend told me that her mother-in-law was a Penn Vet alumna who had since passed away, and that watching the show made the family feel more connected to her. These stories validate all of the work we put into the show.
“I knew that my parents and friends would watch the show to support me, but it’s so great to hear them comment on how much they love the medicine! Friends of mine have gotten their friends hooked— even those who would never watch this type of show— and they all love it.”
Rebecca Bernstein
RB: I hope people realize that veterinarians can pretty much do anything you can do in human medicine for your pets. The care that Penn Vet can provide is truly incredible.
CK: I hope people take away a better understanding of the level of dedication it takes to become a veterinarian. The educational process is grueling and the job is emotional. We all take our cases home with us at night. It can be very difficult to establish a work/life balance. The issue of student debt is a very real concern, too.
ML: I hope they gain an appreciation for the hours, love, and passion veterinary students put into becoming doctors. I hope they also see that we’re regular people, too, with fears and hopes and dreams. I also hope they fall in love with Penn Vet after seeing what an incredible facility it is, filled with incredible people.
MT: I hope they get a sense that veterinarians are real people. When we don’t
succeed, it hurts us, too. I’m glad that the show demonstrated how much we care and how hard we work.
ME: I hope people see veterinarians differently as a result of the show. I hope they learn that we are legitimate doctors who go through four intense years of education and learning. We’re always put to the test to be the best that we can be. We always have the animal’s best interest at heart, to ease their suffering and improve their quality of life. And we’re compassionate and love what we do. I also hope that the show has an impact on kids. I hope this is something that inspires them. Maybe they’ll consider becoming veterinarians, or maybe the show will cause them to think differently about animals.
LG: I hope that people walk away with a better understanding of what it’s like to be a veterinary student and a veterinarian. I think the show does that a thousand times over. I also hope that viewers gain a better understanding of our advanced science, medicine, and technology. Even my mom, who’s a doctor, learned from watching the show. She would constantly say, “I didn’t know you could do that in dogs!” I hope viewers see our passion, too. This isn’t just a job. This comes from the heart.
Life at Vet U illuminated the tireless dedication of Penn Vet students to the veterinary field. Scholarships help Penn Vet attract the best and brightest students and aid us in our mission to train the next generation of veterinarians.
Recent statistics show that average debt for veterinary school graduates is $153,191, and nearly one fifth of graduates face at least $200,000 in debt. In FY16, Penn Vet awarded $3.8 million to about 50 percent of Penn Vet’s student population through scholarships and grants. Another $2 million was raised in additional endowed scholarship funding.
Penn Vet’s long-term goal is to provide full tuition to one in five veterinary students. To reach that goal, the generosity of alumni and friends is crucial. Your support allows students to follow their dreams of practicing veterinary medicine without concerns about educational debt.
To support student scholarship at Penn Vet, please visit www.vet.upenn.edu/giving/training-the-next-generation
Before a mosquito can transmit a disease like dengue fever, Zika, or malaria to a human, the mosquito itself must get infected. That means the parasite or virus must find a way around the natural defenses of the insect’s immune system.
But what if we could manipulate mosquitoes so that they could effectively fight off an infection before transmitting disease, or if they could resist becoming infected altogether?
These questions are at the heart of Dr. Michael Povelones’ research. An Assistant Professor of Pathobiology at Penn Vet, Povelones investigates the mosquito immune system for clues as to how those defenses may be targeted to control diseases that mosquitoes spread—infections such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, which claim the lives of more than a million people worldwide each year.
“For a long time, mosquitoes have been a major focus for controlling diseases like
malaria and dengue, through approaches like insecticide treatments,” Povelones said, noting that aerial insecticide was sprayed in Florida to kill the mosquitoes responsible for transmitting Zika.
“Our lab is trying to take a more sophisticated approach, working to understand the mosquito’s natural defense systems that we can hopefully exploit in the future to try to combat these diseases,” he said.
To do so, Povelones and his lab members study the immune systems of mosquitoes in a state-of-the-art insectary at Penn Vet. Designed with many features to prevent any mosquitoes from escaping—including sealed air vents and drains, light traps that are routinely monitored, negative air pressure, and separate rooms for different tasks—the facility is where the researchers rear roughly 10,000 mosquitoes each week. Povelones joked that he’s far more likely to get bitten by a mosquito while walking around campus than in his laboratory.
In order to understand how different components of the mosquito’s immune system play a role in responding to pathogens, Povelones and his lab members often conduct gene silencing experiments, in which they use double-stranded RNA to temporarily disable a gene of interest. They then challenge the genetically modified mosquito with a pathogen and monitor how it responds.
Recently, Povelones and colleagues at Imperial College London and the American University of Beirut used this technique to uncover previously unknown components of the mosquito immune system that slow down the immune response against malaria. The researchers discovered that these molecules, C-type lectins, negatively regulate the mosquitoes’ complement system and could potentially serve as targets for an intervention that stops the malaria parasite from moving beyond the mosquito.
“If we could remove the brakes of the immune system,” said Povelones, “we might get a really robust attack of the pathogen inside the mosquito.”
With a new grant from Penn Vet’s Center for Host-Microbial Interactions, Povelones
has also been collaborating with the Perelman School of Medicine’s Dr. Sara Cherry, an Associate Professor of Microbiology, to understand how the mosquito microbiome— the collection of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes that populate the gut—is regulated, and how its composition influences the likelihood a mosquito will become infected with the viruses that cause dengue and Zika.
“We’re starting to investigate the possibility that a mosquito’s microbiome could be ‘primed’ to resist infection and prevent viral transmission,” Povelones explained.
Though the lab’s work is firmly rooted in basic science and discovery, Povelones said they are laying the groundwork for interventions that may one day be used to reduce the burden of mosquito-borne disease.
“There have been a lot of investments made recently in thinking about using transgenic mosquitoes to prevent disease transmission in the field,” he noted. “Where our research intersects with that is we’re providing the basic knowledge and molecules that we’d like to target in some of those future plans.”
“Our lab is trying to take a more sophisticated approach, working to understand the mosquito’s natural defense systems that we can hopefully exploit in the future to try to combat these diseases.”
DR. MICHAEL POVELONES Assistant Professor of PathobiologyPovelones and his lab members study the immune systems of mosquitoes in a state-of-the-art insectary at Penn Vet. The lab rears upwards of 10,000 mosquitoes a week under tightly regulated conditions to prevent any escapees.
Ihave been an animal lover and have owned dogs and cats my whole life.
Although 2008 was personally a very bad year for me, I came through it with a lot of help from friends and a four-month-old rescue Sheltie, who I named Tristan. He quickly stole my heart and became a piece of my soul. Every day he helped take me through my journey. Little did I know that I would need to do the same for him.
At age five, Tristan was diagnosed with oral melanoma, a disease that is normally terminal within three months. Thanks to Penn Vet Dean Joan Hendricks, with whom I served on the Board of the Philadelphia Zoo, Tristan became one of the first patients in the Penn Vet Comprehensive Cancer Care service. By the end of his first day in the hospital, the team had mapped out our approach.
In the subsequent years, we spent many hours at Ryan Hospital. Tristan (pictured above) loved his Penn Vet team and was always happy to see them. Brenda McAndrew at the reception desk, Dr. Pascale Salah, Dr. Lili Duda, Stephanie Corsi, and especially Dr. Joe Jacovino became Tristan’s extended family and mine as well. Their compassion and care for Tristan and their empathy for me was unmatched. There could not have been a more perfect place for Tristan and I to be together as we went through this passage.
Tristan lived a good life for almost two more years, continuing to do his agility and just having fun with me and his three fur sisters: Pat, a Rough Collie, Riley, a rescue Sheltie, and Cally, a Tonkinese cat. I knew that Tristan’s time was limited, and that I had to do something to help
other animals and pet parents in situations such as ours, and so I made a provision in my will for Penn Vet.
I still have Riley (she’s 10) and Cally (she’s 17), along with a new Sheltie, Kenzie (Ch. Treasure Konahan’s JP Justifiable Boy). Riley is competing in obedience and Kenzie is working on obedience and agility.
There will, of course, never be another Tristan. He is now immortalized on the new Always In My Heart pet memorial donor wall at Ryan Hospital, and I took Riley and Kenzie with me to see it for the first time. We were able to connect with several members of our clinical team on that special visit.
Now that I am retired from the practice of law, I spend most of my volunteer time working with animals. I’m the Vice President of the Women’s Humane Society (the first animal shelter in the United States), Treasurer of the Philadelphia Dog Training Club (an AKC dog training school located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania), a member of the Central Jersey Collie Club, and a former member of the Board of the Philadelphia Zoo.
Since 1967, Penn Vet alumna Lillian Giuliani, V’57, has been my pets’ veterinarian. Dr. Giuliani has been a true role model to me. We see her, as well as Dr. Curt Heyde, V’94, and Dr. Michelle Harris, V’08—the other Penn Vet graduates at Pets First Veterinary Center in Bryn Mawr.
Penn Vet will always hold a special place in my heart. Beyond my estate planning to honor Tristan’s memory, I contribute to the Annual Campaign because of Cally, Riley, and Kenzie.
To learn more about how you can honor a special pet or veterinarian in your long-term plans, please contact Jillian Marcussen, Director of Development and Board Relations, at 215-898-4235 or jillian2@vet.upenn.edu.
By planning a legacy gift to support Penn Vet, you will receive membership in the Veterinary Heritage Circle, the School’s membership society for planned giving donors, and the University’s Charles Custis Harrison Society.
Penn Vet announces the appointment of Dr. Oliver Garden as Chair of the Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia.
As Chair, Garden will lead the department in providing the best in clinical care to companion animal patients at Ryan Hospital; developing new approaches to improving companion animal health through innovative and impactful research; and educating and training the next generation of veterinary students.
Prior to joining Penn Vet, Garden served as Professor of Comparative Medicine and Immunology and head of the Oncology Special Interest Group at the Royal Veterinary College, University of London. He also served as a clinician in the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals, the largest companion animal referral center in Europe, where his clinical interests were gastrointestinal and immune-mediated diseases.
Garden’s research focuses on regulatory T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells in dogs and mice, in both the healthy organism and in the context of autoimmune disease and cancer.
“Dr. Garden’s internationally recognized expertise and research, his enthusiasm for interdisciplinary collaboration, and his desire for increased public understanding of the importance of veterinary medicine make him a perfect fit for Penn Vet,” said Dean Joan Hendricks. “We look forward to watching the Department of Clinical StudiesPhiladelphia thrive under his leadership.”
Garden graduated from the Royal Veterinary College after earning his Bachelor of Science degree from King’s College London. Following a rotating internship in small animal medicine and surgery, Garden completed a Wellcome Trust Clinical PhD program in small animal gastroenterology and immunology at the Royal Veterinary College, followed by a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. He then held a residency in small animal internal medicine at Cornell University.
Garden also completed a Wellcome Trust Advanced Fellowship within the Department of Immunology at Imperial College London, where he later served as a Visiting Professor. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Companion Animals.
Penn Vet’s Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia plays a vital role in the School’s three-part mission of research, education, and service. The department is home to hospital staff and 45 faculty members who combine clinical practice with ongoing research, positioning veterinary medicine as a leading influence in both animal and human health.
“Dr. Garden’s internationally recognized expertise and research, his enthusiasm for interdisciplinary collaboration, and his desire for increased public understanding of the importance of veterinary medicine make him a perfect fit for Penn Vet.”
Dean Joan Hendricks
Renowned for his research on equine laminitis, Dr. Andrew van Eps has joined the faculty of Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center as Associate Professor of Equine Musculoskeletal Research.
Van Eps previously served as Director of the Equine Hospital and Associate Professor of Equine Medicine at The University of Queensland in Australia, where he spent the majority of his career. The university is also his alma mater; he graduated with his veterinary degree (BVSc) in 1999 and his PhD in 2008.
The move marks a return to New Bolton Center, where he completed his residency in large animal internal medicine in 2008 and spent another year as a lecturer and clinician.
“We are fortunate to have attracted Dr. van Eps to Penn Vet,” said Dr. Gary Althouse, Chairman of the Department of Clinical Studies at New Bolton Center. “He comes to us both as a seasoned clinician and an equine researcher of international caliber.”
The focus of van Eps’ research is improving the understanding, prevention, and treatment of equine laminitis and other musculoskeletal diseases. Laminitis, the number-two killer of horses after colic, is a painful, debilitating condition with no known cure.
“The position at New Bolton Center is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” van Eps said.
“Although I have always had a strong interest in research, it has taken a back seat to clinics, teaching, and administrative work in recent years,” he continued. “This position at New Bolton Center allows me to prioritize research, which for me is very exciting.”
Van Eps, who is board-certified in internal medicine, will also become part of the New Bolton Center hospital clinical staff. He said he was drawn by the “great clinical caseload and brilliant colleagues,” as well as the opportunities made possible by the new robotics-controlled imaging system.
New Bolton Center was the choice for his residency because he considered it to be “the best place in the world to train in large animal internal medicine,” he said.
“I couldn’t have hoped for a better residency program,” van Eps said. “I was very lucky to train under some of the most highly regarded and skilled clinicians in the world, and I am very grateful.”
A prolific researcher, van Eps has co-authored nearly 50 peer-reviewed publications along with 15 additional publications. He’s given more than 60 presentations, primarily on topics related to laminitis, in places from Hong Kong to Palm Beach. He’s been a co-investigator on 15 research grants.
As Althouse noted, “Andrew will bring an added dimension and depth to our existing expertise at New Bolton Center, which will perpetuate our mission of being an international leader in the field of equine musculoskeletal research and, in particular, in our goal of finding a cure for laminitis.”
Van Eps said he believes his work in the development and scientific validation of foot cooling (digital hypothermia/cryotherapy) as a preventative and also a treatment for acute laminitis is the most significant contribution of his work thus far.
“Laminitis used to be a common and fatal complication of systemic illness, and now with the widespread use of digital hypothermia this is much less common,” he said.
Another research focus is on solving supporting-limb laminitis, the type that led to the death of the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro, who was treated at New Bolton Center for a catastrophic leg fracture during the Preakness Stakes that year.
“We have made some significant inroads with regards to the cause of supporting-limb laminitis and potential preventatives,” he said. “I hope to continue this work and develop some practical solutions at New Bolton Center.”
Van Eps grew up on the outskirts of Brisbane, Australia, with many animals on the family property, including a horse and a donkey. Most members of his immediate family are human doctors and medical professionals. In fact, he started out studying human exercise physiology before he went to veterinary school.
While there, he worked at a race track hospital with Dr. Lester Walters, holding horses and cleaning stalls, and became interested in equine medicine. His focus on laminitis was sparked by his studies with Professor Christopher Pollitt, internationally known for his breakthroughs on laminitis, during the rise of Pollitt’s research career in the late 1990s.
“I remember him coming in to give the lecture on laminitis and telling us to ‘throw out last year’s notes; everything has changed,’” van Eps said. After graduation, he went into practice with Walters—who insisted he also start a research project with Pollitt, which launched his research career.
New Bolton Center has been significant to van Eps’ life in many ways. He and his wife, Claire, met at New Bolton Center when he was a resident and she was an intern in surgery, and then a fellow in imaging. “We have a two-year-old son, Edward, who is looking forward to getting a puppy as soon as we come to America!” he said.
“We are fortunate to have attracted Dr. van Eps to Penn Vet. He comes to us both as a seasoned clinician and an equine researcher of international caliber.”
Dr. Gary Althouse, Chairman of the Department of Clinical Studies at New Bolton Center
Growing up in Rochester, New York, and Reno, Nevada, Dr. Evelyn Galban developed a strong connection to her Native American heritage—a connection she maintained as she trained to be a scientist and surgeon. Galban is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Penn Vet and one of only a handful of Native American faculty members at Penn. She’s now hoping to create more spaces where Native Americans, particularly those interested in science, can find guidance, fellowship, and mentorship.
A descendent of the Washoe and Paiute people of California and Nevada on her father’s side, Galban would listen as a child to the vivid tales her great aunt shared about her great-great-grandfather, a Paiute leader, warrior,
and medicine person known as Captain John. The only physical connection to him, however, was a series of photos depicting him in “war dance dress,” with an eagle-down headdress and kilt.
That changed this past summer. After learning that some of Captain John’s belongings were held by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, five members of the Galban family arranged to make the trip.
At the Peabody, they followed a curator through a labyrinth of stairways, crawled through a half-sized door Galban described as “out of ‘Being John Malkovich,’” and finally arrived in a room with Captain John’s belongings— including the outfit he wore in the photos—arranged on a table for them to view and hold. The moment of reconnection with their ancestor was a powerful one for everyone involved.
“It was just shocking, a feeling of disbelief,” Galban recalled.
For Galban and her family, the desire to soak up this opportunity to investigate their past was obvious and urgent. A similar impulse for support and camaraderie has led Galban to seek out the fellowship of Native American communities in her professional life.
Galban’s father was one of the first Native American electrical engineering graduates from the University of Nevada, Reno, and he introduced her to the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). “That group was really influential,” Galban said. “I would go to their annual meeting and meet a lot of people, none of whom, interestingly enough, were veterinarians.”
While attending Cornell University for her undergraduate, master’s, and veterinary degrees, Galban received both financial and spiritual support from the school’s AISES chapter.
With growing interest in Native American studies at Penn, including the recent creation of a Native American and Indigenous Studies minor, Galban would like to attract more Native American students and engage those who are here by creating a chapter of AISES on campus.
“Knowing how much that group meant for me, I’d love to be able to bring that here,” she said.
In addition, on a national level, she’s beginning to think about how to create an organization that would bring together Native American veterinarians.
And as Galban works with communities on campus and beyond to grow a Native American support network, she’s grateful to have Captain John as a touchstone to her ancestry.
Established in 1982, Penn Vet’s Pet Memorial Program helps practitioners show compassion for their clients who have recently lost a beloved pet, while providing an important contribution to Ryan Hospital. The program provides financial support for the treatment and care of Penn Vet’s animal patients.
COST • $150 for a pack of 12 cards
• 10% discount on your order of 3 packs or more
• $15 per card if we mail the cards for you
• 50% discount on your order of 10 packs or more, plus the option of sending a monthly recurring gift for payment
For more information and an order form, visit www.vet.upenn.edu/pet-memorial-program or call 215.898.1480.
“No one seemed to care about his death. To them he was just a skinny, old alley cat. But he was a good boy, loyal to me. I am still weeping over his passing, missing him A LOT. So, thank you for helping him at the end, thus helping me; and most especially, thank you for your gift to Penn Vet, which will ultimately help many, many more cats….”
With growing interest in Native American studies at Penn, including the recent creation of a Native American and Indigenous Studies minor, Galban would like to attract more Native American students and engage those who are here.
Gary Althouse, DVM, PhD, received the New Bolton Center 2016 Robert Whitlock Award, given to the faculty member who has demonstrated the most dedication to the mentoring of young faculty.
William Beltran, DVM, PhD, spoke at the XVIIth International Symposium on Retinal Degeneration (RD2016) in Kyoto, Japan, on September 23, 2016. His topic was Gene therapy for RHOADRP: Efficient knockdown of rhodopsin expression in a canine model
Ashley Boyle, DVM, received the Zoetis Award for Veterinary Research Excellence at the Faculty Research Retreat in June 2016. She also spoke and gave wet labs at the New York State Veterinary Conference at Cornell University in September 2016.
Bernd Driessen, DVM, PhD, traveled last September to the China Agricultural University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital (CAUVTH). He is involved in the hospital’s Cornerstone Program, a project of the European School for Advanced Veterinary Studies (ESAVS), a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Faculty of Science, Technology, and Communication at the University of Luxembourg. ESAVS is offering advanced training in veterinary clinical disciplines in Europe and throughout Asia. The Cornerstone Program’s primary objective is the advancement of programs in small animal anesthesiology, clinical pathology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care medicine, and surgery. For that purpose, ESAVS brings together experts in those disciplines who will visit the CAUVTH four to five times, for one week per visit. For some of Driessen’s visits to China, he will be joined by colleague Chiara Adami, DVM, PhD, from the Royal Veterinary College at the University of London, who will share a European perspective on modern veterinary anesthesia services.
Diane Gaertner, DVM, reported that—in the culmination of a multi-year, multi-campus effort—the program for animal care and use at Penn Vet gained accreditation by AAALAC International, a nonprofit organization that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. AAALAC assesses each program against federal regulations and current practices. The evaluation includes the physical environment,
husbandry care, veterinary care, and regulatory compliance. A four-person site visit team reviewed Penn Vet’s program at both the Philadelphia and New Bolton Center campuses over a four-day period last March, and Penn Vet received notification of Full Accreditation for the program last summer. A large group of faculty and staff at both campuses assisted in preparing for the accreditation site visit, including members of University Laboratory Animal Resources and the Office of Animal Welfare. Accreditation by AAALAC reflects the high quality of all aspects of Penn Vet’s program, the high level of concern for the welfare of research and teaching animals throughout the School, and strong support from the School’s administration and the University.
David Galligan, VMD, Professor of Animal Health Economics, received the Excellence in Teaching Award—given to an outstanding full-time faculty member who has demonstrated a sincere and high level of interest in performing and advancing instruction in the professional student curriculum at Penn Vet.
Kristin Gardiner, VMD, received third place in the scientific poster competition (Laboratory Investigations category) at the 2016 American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) National Meeting for her research with Gustavo Aguirre, VMD, PhD, entitled Photoreceptor Proliferation and Dysregulation of Cell Cycle Genes in Early Onset Inherited Retinal Degenerations
Ronald Harty, PhD, published the following: Han, Z., Sagum, C.A., Bedford, M.T., Sidhu, S.S., Sudol, M., and Harty, R.N. 2016. ITCH E3 Ubiquitin Ligase Interacts with Ebola Virus VP40 to Regulate Budding. J. Virol., 90(20):9163-71 This manuscript was selected as a Spotlight Article by the editors of the Journal of Virology He also published: Loughran, H.M., Han, Z., Wrobel, J.E., Decker, S.E., Ruthel, G., Freedman, B.D., Harty, R.N., and Reitz, A.B. 2016. Quinoxaline-Based Inhibitors of Ebola and Marburg VP40 Egress. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett., 26(15):342935 This manuscript was selected by Elsevier for promotion through their online communication and news site, Elsevier Connect. The Elsevier Connect article can be viewed at www. elsevier.com/connect/attacking-ebolas-achilles-heel, and the press release can be found at www.elsevier.com/about/ press-releases/research-and-journals/new-small-moleculecompounds-could-treat-ebola-virus-infection.
Colin Harvey, BVSc, Emeritus Professor of Surgery and Dentistry who retired from Penn Vet in 2013, retired from his “second job” as Executive Secretary of the American Veterinary Dental College in 2016. At the Veterinary Dental Forum in Minneapolis in September, he was awarded the American Veterinary Dental College Presidential Medal for Stewardship, in recognition of his many years of dedicated service to the College, including 15 years as Secretary and Executive Secretary. In addition, last May at the European Congress for Veterinary Dentistry in Dublin, Ireland, he was awarded Life Diplomate status in the European Veterinary Dental College (EVDC) for his “outstanding contributions to the development of veterinary dentistry in Europe.” He is the first EVDC diplomate to be awarded Life Diplomate status, which is a separate category from Retired status. Harvey is not yet completely retired from professional pursuits; he is still the Director of the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC), the entity that provides a Seal of Acceptance system for veterinary dental products that meet or exceed VOHC’s pre-set standards in retarding accumulation of dental plaque and calculus. In 2017, he will have completed 20 years as the Director of the VOHC.
Christopher Lengner, PhD, spoke at the following invited seminars in 2016: NIH P30 Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases Annual Symposium (September 22), Wistar Institute Program in Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis (September 27), CHOP Developmental Biology Series (October 4), and Fox Chase Cancer Center (November 3). He published the following: Msi RNA-binding proteins control reserve intestinal stem cell quiescence. Yousefi M, Li N, Nakauka-Ddamba A, Wang S, Davidow K, Schoenberger J, Yu Z, Jensen ST, Kharas MG, Lengner CJ. J Cell Biol. 2016 Oct 31. He also published: Enhancing a Wnt-Telomere Feedback Loop Restores Intestinal Stem Cell Function in a Human Organotypic Model of Dyskeratosis Congenita. Woo DH, Chen Q, Yang TL, Glineburg MR, Hoge C, Leu NA, Johnson FB, Lengner CJ. Cell Stem Cell. 2016 Sep 1. In addition, he published: Heterogeneity in readouts of canonical wnt pathway activity within intestinal crypts. Li N, Yousefi M, Nakauka-Ddamba A, Tobias JW, Jensen ST, Morrisey EE, Lengner CJ. Dev Dyn. 2016 Aug;245(8). Lastly, he published: Mouse Label-Retaining Cells are Molecularly and Functionally Distinct From Reserve Intestinal Stem Cells. Li N, Nakauka-Ddamba A, Tobias J, Jensen ST, Lengner CJ. Gastroenterology. 2016 Aug;151(2).
Kathryn Michel, DVM, spoke with Robert Kushner, MD, last November at the Preventing Obesity in People and Their Pets: A One Health Approach conference in Atlanta, organized by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association and the CDC. They spoke on the topic of One Health Approaches to Obesity: How do we make it work?
Keiko Miyadera, DVM, PhD, received the first place poster award at the XXII Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Eye Research (ISER 2016) held last September in Tokyo, Japan.
Daniel Morris, DVM, served as the Chair of an international committee that developed guidelines on the diagnosis, therapy, and transmission mitigation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci in companion animals. The consensus statement and guidelines document was presented at the World Congress of Veterinary Dermatology in Bordeaux, France, in June 2016, and will be published in the journal Veterinary Dermatology in early 2017.
Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD, received the 2016 Kennel Club of Philadelphia Dogs’ Best Friend Award.
Mark Oyama, DVM, was an invited speaker at the quadrennial International Cardiology Veterinary Symposium in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in October 2016. He presented data from his work involving serotonin antagonist drugs to prevent the onset of mitral valve disease in dogs.
Shelley Rankin, PhD, published the following: Bradley CW, Mauldin EA, Morris DO, Rankin SC, Cain CL, Houser T, Grice EA. Longitudinal evaluation of the skin microbiome and microenvironment in healthy and atopic dogs. J Invest Dermatol. 2016 Jun;136(6):1182-90. She also published: Morris DO, Davis M, Palmeiro B, O’Shea K, Rankin SC. Molecular and epidemiological characterization of canine Pseudomonas otitis using a prospective case-control study design. Vet Dermatol. 2016 Jul 18. doi: 10.1111/vde.12347. [Epub ahead of print]. In addition, Rankin published: Davis MF; Hu B; Carroll K; Bilker WB; Tolomeo P; Cluzet VC; Baron P; Ferguson JM; Morris DO; Rankin SC; Lautenbach E; and Nachamkin I. Comparison of culture-based methods to identify colonization with methicillinresistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in the context of co-colonization. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2016, 54:1907-1911. She also published the following: Misic
A, Cain C, Morris D, Rankin S, Beiting D. Divergent isoprenoid biosynthesis pathways in Staphylococcus species constitute a drug target for treating infections in companion animals. mSphere. 2016 Sep 28;1(5) Lastly, Rankin published: Grigar MK, Cummings KJ, Rodriguez-Rivera LD, Rankin SC, Johns K, Hamer GL, Hamer SA. Salmonella surveillance among Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) and other urban bird species in east central Texas. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2016 Nov 9. [Epub ahead of print] In addition, Rankin and Donna Kelly, DVM, were appointed as co-chairs of the United States Animal Health Association Committee on Salmonella.
Alexander Reiter, Dr med vet, Dipl. Tzt., spoke about various topics in dentistry and oral surgery at Temple University’s Kornberg School of Dentistry in Philadelphia last June and September; at the largest European veterinary dental training center in Accesia in Halmstad, Sweden, last June, August, and October; and at the EuroCongress of the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations last June in Vienna, Austria. Last September, he spoke at the New England Regional Veterinary Conference in Portland, Maine; at the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) National Patrol Dog Trials in Gloucester Township, New Jersey; and at the Penn Annual Conference in Philadelphia. In addition, he spoke at the Veterinary Dental Forum last October in Minneapolis and at the Conference on Craniomaxillofacial Disorders and Solutions in Humans and Companion Animals last November in Los Angeles. He published the following: Villamizar-Martinez LA, Villegas CM, Gioso MA, Reiter AM, Patricio GC, Pinto AC. Morphologic and morphometric description of the temporomandibular joint in the domestic dog using computed tomography. Journal of Veterinary Dentistry 2016; 33: 75-82 He also published: Villamizar-Martinez LA, Reiter AM, Sanchez MD, Soltero-Rivera MM. Benign cementoblastoma (true cementoma) in a cat. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports 2016 (http://jor.sagepub.com/content/2/1/2055116915626847.full. pdf+html); DOI: 10.1177/2055116915626847
Christopher Rizzo, LVT, VTS (EVN, LAIM), earned a second Veterinary Technician Specialty in Large Animal Internal Medicine in 2016.
Mary A. Robinson, VMD, PhD, was invited by the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology to present Equine Drug Testing in the 21st Century on June 10, 2016, at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum in Denver, Colorado. She was also invited by the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association to present Equine Drug Testing in the 21st Century, Pharmacology for Vets, How Do I Estimate a Withdrawal Time, Recent Challenges in Equine Drug Testing: Therapeutic Drugs, Recent Challenges in Equine Drug Testing: Nontherapeutic Drugs, and R & D on ‘Omics Technologies on August 12, 2016, at the 10th Keystone Veterinary Conference in Hershey, Pennsylvania. In addition, the International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians organizing committee invited Robinson to present The pharmacokinetics of intravenous versus orally administered glaucine and glaucine-containing plants in the horse and Pharmacokinetics of the cobalt-containing supplements, Vita 15 and Iron Power, following a multi-dose regimen on October 20, 2016, at the 21st International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians in Montevideo, Uruguay. Dr. Fuyu Guan, PhD, a Research Associate Professor in Robinson’s laboratory, was invited to present Toward universal screening for bioactive peptides in biological samples by LC-HRMS A manuscript by Robinson, Guan, and Lawrence R. Soma, VMD, entitled Confirmatory analysis of etanercept in equine plasma by LC-MS for doping control was accepted for publication in Drug Testing and Analysis on September 7, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/ dta.2091).
Previously, Robinson had given four presentations at the 2014 International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians in Mauritius: R & D on ‘omics technologies; Cobalt-containing supplements and sweet feed increase equine plasma and/or urine cobalt concentrations; Co-administration of phenylbutazone with methocarbamol decreases methocarbamol clearance; and Myo-inositol trispyrophosphate (ITPP) did not alter oxygen dissociation from mouse or equine hemoglobin in fresh whole blood. Guan gave two talks at the same conference: Strategy for and approaches to detection and identification of peptide- and protein-based drugs in equine plasma and urine, and LC-MS identification of etanercept (Enbrel®) in equine plasma
Robinson serves as Director of the Penn Vet Equine Pharmacology Laboratory, promoted from co-director in 2014. In July of that year, the contract for Penn Vet Equine Pharmacology Laboratory Pharmacological and Forensic Research Plan was renewed for 2.75 years with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Also, in April 2014, Robinson became Acting Director of the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology and Research Laboratory, a state-owned laboratory in West Chester, Pennsylvania, that processes all the samples for drug testing in horse racing in Pennsylvania.
In 2014, Robinson’s group had the following papers accepted: Chen et al. Identification of sample donor by 24-plex STR in a post-race equine plasma containing dexamethasone. SpringerPlus; Mangal et al. Interleukin-1β inhibits synthesis of 5-lipooxygenase in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated equine whole blood. J Prostaglandins and Other Lipid Mediators; Jiang et al. Selection of reference genes in equine white blood cells for real time PCR normalization following extracorporeal shock wave therapy. American Journal of Molecular Biology; Mangal et al. Inhibitory effect of triamcinolone acetonide on synthesis of inflammatory mediators in the equine. European J of Inflammation; and Robinson et al. Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Dermorphin in the Horse. J Vet Pharm Ther
The website for the Equine Pharmacology Laboratory is www.vet.upenn.edu/research/research-laboratories/researchlaboratory/equine-pharmacology-laboratory
Deborah Silverstein, DVM, lectured last September at the International Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Symposium in Grapevine, Texas. In October, she lectured at the Southern European Veterinary Conference in Granada, Spain.
Gary Smith, DPhil, Professor of Population Biology and Epidemiology, retired June 30, 2016.
Louise Southwood, BVSc, PhD, BSc (Vet), received the House Officer Mentoring Award—given to a faculty member who has demonstrated dedication and compassion in mentoring House Officers.
Charles Vite, DVM, PhD, received an award from Global Genes—the RARE Champions of Hope for Collaborations in Science and Technology—on September 23, 2016. The award was presented in Huntington Beach, California, and recognized collaborative work between Vite and Daniel Ory, MD, Steven Walkley, DVM, PhD, Cristin Davidson, PhD, and several family foundations on developing therapies for a lysosomal storage disease. In addition, last November in Stamford, Connecticut, he received the 2016 Guardian Angel Award from Dana’s Angels Research Trust for research on Niemann Pick Type C disease.
Vite spoke at the Zoobiquity Conference: Neurology and Psychiatry course at New York University on October 21. The title of the talk was Seizure Prediction in Humans and Dogs, and he co-presented with Kathryn Davis, MD, Medical Director of the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the University of Pennsylvania. He also spoke at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Advanced Continuing Education course on Neuromuscular Diseases in Las Vegas last December. The title of the talk was Approaches to Clinical Trials
P. Jeremy Wang, MD, PhD, was awarded a Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS/NIH) for his R35 grant entitled Regulation of Meiosis in Mice The goal of MIRA is to increase the efficiency and efficacy of NIGMS funding by increasing flexibility for investigators to follow new directions as they arise, rather than being bound to specific aims proposed in advance. The award reduces the investigator’s time spent writing and reviewing grant applications, allowing for more time to conduct research.
Brittany Watson, VMD, PhD, spoke last October at the Atlantic Coast Veterinary Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and also at Animal Grantmakers Conference in Denver. In collaboration with Emily McCobb, DVM, of Tufts University, she co-hosted the first-ever Shelter Medicine Veterinary Educator’s Conference, with a dinner sponsored by Petco.
Last September in Minneapolis, the following members of Penn Vet’s Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service received awards at the Veterinary Dental Forum—the largest veterinary dental conference and longest continually running meeting of its type:
Bonnie Miller received the Foundation for Veterinary Dentistry (F4VD)/Hill’s Research and Education Award, sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition, which recognized her outstanding contributions in the area of veterinary dentistry and in helping to achieve the F4VD mission. Miller is a registered dental hygienist employed full-time at Penn Vet’s Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service since the late 1980s. Beyond general duties in support of clinicians, she has trained six part-time and 21 full-time residents graduating from Penn Vet and has also been involved in the training of hundreds of other veterinarians and technicians. She was instrumental as an advisor for the Academy of Veterinary Dental Technicians prior to its founding in 2002. She is a frequent regional, state, national, and international didactic speaker and laboratory instructor, and she has authored and co-authored numerous journal and book articles. Additionally, she is one of the most sought-after experts for professionally scoring periodontal disease in scientific dog and cat studies involving the evaluation of effectiveness of products for retardation of plaque and calculus accumulation.
Dental resident Dr. Lenin Villamizar Martinez received the Debra B. Smith Journal of Veterinary Dentistry (JVD) Editor’s Award for his publication entitled Morphologic and morphometric description of the temporomandibular joint in the domestic dog using computed tomography This award recognizes the most outstanding manuscript published in the JVD by a resident during the year preceding the Veterinary Dental Forum. With Dr. Lisa Fink receiving it in 2015 for a study on prosthodontic therapy in dogs, this is the second year in a row that a Penn Vet resident received this recognition. The full references for the two publications read as follows:
Villamizar-Martinez LA, Villegas CM, Gioso MA, Reiter AM, Patricio GC, Pinto AC. Morphologic and morphometric description of the temporomandibular joint in the domestic dog using computed tomography. Journal of Veterinary Dentistry 2016; 33: 75-82.
Fink L, Reiter AM. Assessment of 68 prosthodontic crowns in 41 pet and working dogs (2000-2012). Journal of Veterinary Dentistry 2015; 32: 148-154.
In addition, Villamizar Martinez and fellow dental residents Dr. Ignacio Velazquez and Dr. Ana Castejon; dental hygienist and technician Jeanette Eliason; and dental technician Wendi Rensman gave presentations on various scientific dental topics.
Kathryn Wulster, VMD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Large Animal Diagnostic Imaging (Academic Clinician track)
Klaus Hopster, DMV, Dr med vet, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia – CE track
Elizabeth Arbittier, VMD, Assistant Professor of Equine Field Service – AC track
Meagan Smith, DVM, Assistant Professor Equine Field Service – AC track
Tamara Dobbie, DVM, Associate Professor of Reproduction –AC track
William Currie Douglas (Doug) Hare, a former Associate Professor at Penn Vet, died February 2, 2016, in Ottawa, Canada. He was 91 years old. Hare was born and raised in North Berwick, Scotland, and educated in Edinburgh. He attended Edinburgh Academy and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. He served in the army during World War II and was a POW until his release in 1945. He completed his veterinary degree program in 1950; earned a PhD in the department of veterinary anatomy from the University of Edinburgh in 1953; and worked in the department of anatomy at Ontario Veterinary College from 1954 to 1958. In 1958, Hare joined Penn Vet as an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy. His studies focused on veterinary cytogenetics. In 1974, he left Penn to return to Canada, where he joined the Animal Disease Research Institute in Ottawa as a senior research scientist. He worked with a team focused on embryo transfer and related research. He was pivotal in pre-sexing the first bovine embryo to survive to term and in investigating risks of disease transmission through embryo transfer. Hare was an instrumental part of the International Embryo Technology Society (IETS), serving as a member of the IETS import/export committee and chairing a research subcommittee in the 1980s. He also organized the International Embryo Movement Symposium in 1986. Hare retired in 1990 and was appointed in that same year as editorin-chief of Canadian Veterinary Journal, a position he held until 2008. In 1991, he received the first IETS Distinguished Service Award to recognize his contributions to both the society and the embryo transfer industry. He is survived by his three children: Sara, Simon, and Alastair.
Gustavo Aguirre, VMD, PhD, in collaboration with William Beltran, DVM, PhD, received a $2,722,125 NIH/NEI grant for Translational Research for Retinal Degeneration Therapies The grant spans from September 2016 through August 2021.
Jorge Alvarez, PhD, received a $637,110 NIH K01 grant for The impact of hedgehog signaling during neuroinflammation The grant spans from September 2016 through August 2019.
Tracy Bale, PhD, received a $1,761,275 NIH/NIMH R37-MERIT award for Paternal stress epigenetic programming of offspring neurodevelopment The award spans from August 1, 2015 to May 31, 2025. She also received a $1,193,926 NIH/NIMH R33MH-104184-03 (from R21) grant for Maternal stress and the vaginal microbiome: impacts on brain development The grant spans from August 8, 2016, to June 30, 2019.
Ralph Brinster, VMD, PhD, received a $549,474 grant from the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation for Altering the Genes of Farm Animals. The grant spans from January 2017 through December 2019.
Igor Brodsky, PhD, received a $285,823 NIH R21-AI-112713 grant for Dissecting the mechanism of RIPK1 kinase-dependent cell death in control of Yersinia infection The grant spans from June 6, 2016, to May 31, 2018.
Rumela Chakrabarti, PhD, received a $520,713 NIH/NCI K22 grant for Probing the role of tumor suppressive functions of Elf5 in breast cancer The grant spans from June 2016 through May 2019. She also received a $40,000 McCabe Fund Pilot Award for Lineage tracing of Dll1, a Notch signaling ligand in triple negative breast cancer The award spans from July 2016 through June 2017.
Bruce Freedman, VMD, PhD, received a one-year, $600,000 NIH S10 Equipment grant for Building Enhanced Capability for the Penn Vet Multiphoton Core The grant spans from May 2016 through April 2017.
Hannah Galantino-Homer, VMD, PhD, received a oneyear, $25,000 grant from the Animal Health Foundation for Epidermal stress in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of endocrinopathy-associated laminitis The grant spans from June 1, 2016, to May 31, 2017. She also received a $84,288 grant from the American Association of Equine Practitioners
Foundation for Endoplasmic reticulum stress and epidermal pathology in supporting limb laminitis
Urs Giger, Dr med vet, received a one-year, $106,858 grant from the AKC Canine Health Foundation for Genetic Predisposition to Avian Tuberculosis in Miniature Schnauzers and Basset Hounds The grant spans from May 2016 through April 2017.
De’Broski Herbert, PhD, received a $1,433,358 NIH U01 grant for Trefoil Factor Proteins Regulate Inflammation and Immunity The grant spans from August 2016 through July 2021.
David Holt, BVSc, received a one-year, $96,000 grant from New York University (Tomorrow Foundation) for Stenting to Treat Idiopathic Laryngeal Paralysis in Dogs The grant spans from July 2016 through June 2017.
Christopher Hunter, PhD, received a $275,000 NIH R21 grant for Utilizing BATF3-dependent DC to generate vaccine-induced cell mediated immunity The grant spans from June 25, 2016, to May 31, 2018. He also received a $1,250,000 NIH R01 grant for Impact of early T-bet on CD8 T cell effector responses The grant spans from June 21, 2016, to May 31, 2021.
Eldin Jasarevic, PhD, received a $114,120 NIH/NIMH F32 grant for Maternal stress and the gut microbiome: impact on neurodevelopment The grant spans from December 17, 2016, to November 30, 2018, and is affiliated with the lab of Tracy Bale, PhD.
Erika Krick, VMD, received a $350,000 grant from Petco for the Charitable Care Fund for Pet Cancer Treatment. The grant spans from May 2016 through April 2019.
Mia Krolikoski, PhD candidate, received a one-year, $25,950 American Heart Association Pre-doctoral Fellowship for The Effect of Arterial Stiffness on Macrophage Polarization and Plasticity The award spans from July 2016 through June 2017 and is affiliated with the lab of Ellen Puré, PhD
Christopher Lengner, PhD, received a $241,500 NIA R21AG054209 grant for A novel and tractable model to address telomere dysfunction in a human tissue, spanning
from August 2016 through March 2018. He is collaborating with F. Bradley Johnson, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. Lengner described their work as follows: “One cause of human age-related diseases is the dysfunction of the ends of chromosomes, which are called telomeres. We have discovered a way to treat disease caused by telomere dysfunction in mice, but we don’t yet know if this will work in people. To address this possibility, we will develop a novel model of telomere dysfunction in human tissues that can be easily studied in the laboratory, and we will test the possibility that the lessons we have learned from our mouse experiments will be applicable in humans. Furthermore, our novel model will enable many future experiments that will identify additional approaches to the treatment of human age-related diseases.” In addition, Lengner received a $900,000 NIH/NIDDK R01 grant for Control of intestinal regeneration by a Msi-mTORC1 signaling axis The grant spans from May 15, 2016, to April 30, 2020.
James Marx, DVM, PhD, received a $5,000 Summer Fellowship (May 1 to September 30, 2016) from the ASLAP Foundation.
Lisa Murphy, VMD, received a one-year, $126,136 grant from the Department of Agriculture for Maintenance of membership laboratory requirements The grant spans from May 2016 through April 2017.
Angelica Ortiz, PhD, received a $108,588 NIH/NCI F32CA-206431 grant for IFNARI down regulation in melanoma cells and stromal cells promotes melanoma progression and pulmonary metastasis The grant spans from April 2016 through March 2018 and is affiliated with the lab of Serge Fuchs, PhD, MD
Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD, received a $29,144 grant from the Department of Homeland Security for IAI CAMEL Phase II The grant spans from May 3, 2016, to March 1, 2018.
Shelley Rankin, PhD, received a one-year, $16,500 grant from the American College of Veterinary Dermatology for A Molecular Bead-Based Assay for Molecular Detection of Cutaneous Infectious Organisms The grant spans from July 2016 through June 2017.
Thomas Schaer, VMD, received a $811,165 grant from DePuy Synthes for Evaluation of a bone graft cage in an ovine tibial critical defect model The grant spans from July 1, 2016, to December 31, 2017.
Phillip Scott, PhD, received a $1,250,000 NIH R01 AI106842 grant for Resident Memory T cells in Leishmaniasis The grant spans from May 16, 2016, to April 30, 2021.
Karin Sorenmo, DVM, received a $525,000 grant from Petco for the Penn Vet Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program. The grant spans from May 2016 through April 2018.
Charles Vite, DVM, PhD, received a $2,164,647 NINDS (NIH) grant for Combination Therapy, Biomarkers, and Imaging
in Canine Krabbe Disease The grant spans from June 2016 through May 2021. In addition, along with Allison Bradbury, PhD, he received a two-year, $125,000 grant from the International Society for Mannosidosis and Related Diseases for AAV gene therapy in the feline model of Mucolipidosis II Vite and Bradbury are collaborating with Steven Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. In this study, they will evaluate intravenous AAV gene therapy in the feline model of ML II in order to collect preclinical data to inform human clinical trials.
P. Jeremy Wang, MD, PhD, received a $1,738,000 NIH/NIGMS R35-MIRA award for Regulation of meiosis in mice The award spans from May 5, 2016, through April 30, 2021.
By Neva A. Graham
Last July, the Young Friends of Penn Vet joined forces with Penn Vet’s Shelter Medicine Program and NBC10 to help nearly 5,000 animals get adopted from nearly three dozen area shelters. The Young Friends were on hand at the Providence Animal Center in Media, Pennsylvania, to help direct potential adopters to the correct species line; provide water to animals as well as people waiting to adopt; and distribute goodie bags from Ryan Hospital with bandanas and pet tips. The event was well attended, and the volunteers enjoyed helping owners welcome their new furry friends into their forever homes. The group plans to offer more volunteer opportunities, so be sure to check the Young Friends of Penn Vet page on our website at www.vet.upenn.edu/young-friends
Megan Clark, V’18, received a $43,000 HHMI Fellowship for The role of skin-resident memory T cells in promoting immunity to Leishmaniasis, spanning from August 22, 2016, to August 21, 2017. She is affiliated with the lab of Phillip Scott, PhD
Jane Karpowicz, V’18, and Ellen Lapuck, V’18, won Penn Vet’s Student Inspiration Award last spring and used the award to carry out their project entitled A Focus on Poultry: Reducing Morbidity and Mortality for Smallholder Farmers in Uganda Karpowicz and Lapuck spent one month working in the eastern region of Uganda with a team of Ugandan veterinarians and veterinary students from Makerere University in Kampala. Together they conducted educational trainings as well as a vaccination program for Newcastle disease virus for farmers in rural villages. The trainings focused on nutrition, predation prevention, breeding, genetics, housing, and disease prevention. Each training concluded with the building of a demonstration chicken coop, which provided a blueprint for farmers to build their own. Alongside the vaccination program, they worked with one of the veterinarians on her project studying the efficacy of the Newcastle disease vaccine. Karpowicz and Lapuck also worked with Veterinarians Without Borders (US) to implement the project. They are proud to have had this opportunity from Penn Vet.
Suna Li, a graduate student in the combined VMD-PhD program, received a scholarship award by the International Veterinary Academy of Pain Management (IVAPM) Foundation.
By John Donges
Last summer, Penn Vet students Brianna Parsons, V’18, and Corey Spies, V’19, spent ten weeks in The Gambia, West Africa, conducting research to determine the feasibility and sustainability of developing a goat dairy. The project has the potential to expand both nutrition and healthcare in an impoverished area.
The students worked in collaboration with Dr. David Galligan, V’81, Professor of Animal Health Economics at Penn Vet; Dr. Carla Chieffo, V’86; and Lynn McConville, Director of Power Up Gambia, a West Philadelphia-based nonprofit organization that provides renewable energy solutions to healthcare facilities in The Gambia. Funding came from Rotary grants (Paoli-Malvern-Berwyn Rotary Club, Gundaker Foundation and International District 7450), a Penn Abroad Global Grant, and two Food Animal Fellowships from Penn Vet.
Kebba Badgie, CEO of Sulayman Junkung General Hospital (SJGH), initially spoke with McConville about creating a goat dairy at the hospital in rural Gambia.
Power Up Gambia was founded by Dr. Kathryn Hall, a former Penn medical student, who volunteered at SJGH and realized the need for electricity. Badgie mentioned to McConville that a small herd of goats living on the hospital property provided meat for staff and patients; there was, however, no formal herd health or animal husbandry program to efficiently raise and grow the herd.
SJGH is located in western Gambia, where wasting and stunting due to undernutrition is a major public health concern. Given that low protein consumption is a determinant of undernourishment, many Gambian organizations have emphasized the need for accessible, high-quality protein.
By what can only be described as a fortunate coincidence, McConville attended a Paoli-Malvern-Berwyn Rotary Club meeting, where she introduced Badgie’s idea to Chieffo—who, in turn, enlisted the help of Galligan to co-mentor the project. Together, they selected Parsons and Spies from a pool of student candidates, due to their unique backgrounds in international work, research, and experience in goat rearing and animal husbandry.
Over the summer, Parsons and Spies researched how to establish the infrastructure, advisory connections, regulatory clearances, and supply chains necessary for the Gambia Goat Dairy (GGD). They met with government veterinary agencies and agricultural research organizations to determine the best rearing and weaning practices for goat kids in The Gambia. They consulted with
feed manufacturers, growers, and sellers to determine the price and logistical necessities of feeding the herd. And they discussed the project with Gambian government ministers and other officials, seeking assistance and clearance to move forward.
After weeks of rigorous research, Parsons and Spies compiled their findings into a preliminary project proposal and conducted a seminar for over 20 key Gambian stakeholders—including government officials from the Gambian Department of Livestock and the International Trypanotolerance Centre. Their presentation detailed the specifics of the dairy, including infrastructure, husbandry, nutrition, veterinary care, revenue generation, comprehensive budgets, operation sustainability, and future directions. The gathering allowed for an unprecedented level of discourse, constructive criticism, and exchange of ideas.
Parsons and Spies used the feedback to refine their proposal and budget for the project. The group is applying for further grants and funding to return to The Gambia to implement those plans. Rotary International has already committed money for 2017, and the students will also be applying for Penn Vet’s Student Inspiration Award.
“Our work to date underscores the feasibility, sustainability, and profitability of the operation. With support from funding organizations, start-up costs can be secured and social impact can quickly be realized,” said Spies.
Three first-year students from Pennsylvania have received Penn Vet’s Commonwealth One Health Scholarship, which provides a full tuition subsidy for four years at Penn Vet.
The scholarship, valued at $50,000 a year, recognizes the students’ potential to Penn Vet, to the veterinary profession, and to Pennsylvania agriculture.
Established in 2015, the scholarship is awarded to students from Pennsylvania who have demonstrated a genuine interest in animal production medicine and a desire to practice in Pennsylvania.
The Class of 2020 recipients are Jordan Fairman of Dubois, Pennsylvania; Enoch Kraycik of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; and Benjamin Luksic of Bernville, Pennsylvania.
“Penn Vet recognizes the important role of veterinarians in production agriculture, especially here in Pennsylvania,” said Dean Joan Hendricks.
“The Commonwealth One Health Scholarship helps us attract the best and brightest to Penn Vet,” she continued. “The scholarship also helps us in our mission to train the next generation of large animal veterinarians, allowing them to follow their dreams of serving farmers without concerns about educational debt.”
Jordan Fairman, 22, received her undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Penn State University in 2016. She is interested in food animal medicine and research in reproductive biology. Fairman grew up on a Holstein dairy farm and participated in 4-H for 10 years, learning about cows, swine, and sheep. “I am specifically interested in dairy reproduction. Growing up on a farm has exposed me to various assistedreproductive technologies such as embryo transfer and in-vitro fertilization,” Fairman said. “I really enjoy learning about these new techniques and how they can help improve the reproduction rates on dairy farms.”
Enoch Kraycik, 32, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Delaware Valley College in 2013 and intends to pursue a career in livestock medicine, specifically dairy and swine. He is interested in dairy mastitis as well as research on boar semen filtration by sex. Kraycik has been working at Penn Vet’s Swine Teaching and Research Center for the past year. “No other work is as fulfilling to me on so many levels as maintaining the health and wellness of animals,” Kraycik said.
Benjamin Luksic, 22, received his Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Penn State University in 2016 and has worked as a farmhand. Dairy, poultry, and small ruminants are his primary interests. His research interests include ruminant nutrition and milk quality. “Upon graduation from veterinary school, I look forward to working in a fast-paced private practice in Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on ruminants,” Luksic said. “One day I hope to invest in an ambulatory practice of my own.”
123 students
50 students from Pennsylvania 19 Pennsylvania counties represented 14 students who participated in the Summer VETS program
4 Penn Vet legacy students
1 international student
The Penn Vet alumni network includes over 5,200 graduates across more than 15 countries.
VMDs have global impact in many areas of veterinary medicine, with alumni deeply engaged and strongly committed to contributing to society through entrepreneurship, medicine, and volunteerism.
Here’s a glimpse of how alumni lead in the veterinary field around the world.
Christine Adreani, V’01, PhD, completed a large animal surgical residency at New Bolton Center in 2005 and passed the surgical boards in 2006. After working in private practice for three years, she took a position in the pharmaceutical industry, first at Merck and then with her current employer, Sanofi, in Boston. She currently serves as a Director in the Translational In Vivo Models Global Research Platform, supporting Sanofi’s early-stage drug pipeline.
At Merck, she worked with a dedicated and talented veterinary technician from Haiti, Cesaire Gai, who was interested in helping his native country recover after the 2010 earthquake. Gai inspired Dr. Adreani to bring her professional expertise to the country. For the past two years, they have joined a group of health care workers traveling to a village outside of Léogâne, Haiti, for a week in August. The group has helped the village address their nutritional and economic needs by establishing a goat farming cooperative.
The meat goats, which have superior genetics to the native Haitian goats, were brought in to Haiti by the non-governmental organization Global Health Action. These goats help to provide more food and financial security to the residents than traditional subsistence farming methods. The health care workers treated the herd for minor medical conditions, such as parasitism and skin infections, and trained the owners in breeding methods, preventative care, nutrition, and care of neonatal animals.
Unfortunately, the village lost a number of animals, including one valuable breeding buck, in Hurricane Matthew. Adreani and Gai have resolved to help them build the herd back to its previous level and continue expanding the breeding program; they are aiming to increase their travel to two trips per year to accomplish this goal. Adreani noted that it is challenging to leave her family and job behind to travel to Haiti, but both have been very supportive of the endeavor.
After a postdoctoral fellowship in marine biology at the University of Miami, John F. Allen, C’65, V’68, began his marine mammal career with the Naval Undersea Center in Hawaii. He then was Manager of Marineland of New Zealand and Curator of the Jaya Ancol Oceanarium in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has published several scientific articles dealing with marine mammal medicine. After practicing marine mammal medicine for many years in Hawaii, New Zealand, and Indonesia, Dr. Allen is currently retired and living in Vancouver.
Angela Frimberger, V’90, is a biologist, veterinary oncologist, small business owner, and volunteer climate advocate and educator. In 2003, she co-founded Veterinary Oncology Consultants in New South Wales, Australia. Dr. Frimberger has published extensively in the veterinary, human oncology, and basic science literature on the subjects of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and photodynamic therapy, as well as bone marrow transplantation and hematopoietic stem cell biology. She has given presentations at veterinary and human oncology and basic science meetings in Australia, the United States, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Frimberger is also interested in environmental concerns and, in 2014, she was trained as a Climate Leader by the Climate Reality Project and the Australian Conservation Foundation. She recently initiated the Climate Vets project (www.climatevets.net).
After earning his American Board of Veterinary Practitioners Diplomate in Canine and Feline Practice, Zeev Gans, V’97, returned to Israel in 2005. He worked in private practice for three years while also serving as a VIN Endocrinology consultant from 2005 until 2015. In 2008, Dr. Gans co-founded the first private small animal specialty practice in the country, Knowledge Farm, where he serves as the hospital’s Medical Director of the Medicine/Emergency Service. He served as the President of the Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Association (ICAVA) from 2013 to 2015 and recently started an executive MBA program at a local university.
Walter Hylton, V’70, notes that his strength as a volunteer has always been the ability to demonstrate and teach helpful procedures through hands-on sessions in the field. As a volunteer consultant working through USAID’s Farmer-to-Farmer Program, he has completed 40 assignments in Armenia, Russia, Vietnam, Lebanon, India, and Liberia.
He has collaborated with farm workers, herdsmen, and veterinarians on individual farms. After getting a tour and an overall picture of the farm operation, he asks about the types of health problems they have, such as lame or infertile cows. He has performed surgeries such as correction of displaced abomasum, a caesarian section, dehorning, castration, prolapses, and enucleation with anesthesia protocols. These procedures give him the credibility to give advice on milking procedure, cow comfort, herd health, breeding programs, dairy management, and nutrition. He composes a final report for each assignment that is translated and delivered to the host farm or practice.
Going from farm to farm with local veterinarians as they make their rounds has allowed Hylton to observe the health and productivity challenges they face, and to compare their approach to U.S. practice standards. He said that the fact that he cut his teeth on small, tiestall dairies in New England in the 1970s has been very helpful in working on small farms with limited technology.
Hilton Klein, V’80, took his first overseas trip to Sussex in the U.K. to do infectious disease research and diagnostic work in commercial chicken flocks using ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) technology, which was in its infancy at the time.
After joining Merck Research Labs in 1985, he was assigned to be the lead on construction of a new neuroscience lab and vivarium in Terlings Park, Harlow, England, and then took on the part-time role of Named Veterinary Surgeon for the site. He also served as the consulting laboratory animal veterinarian to the Merck Safety Assessment facility located in Riom, France.
In his early years with Merck, Dr. Klein traveled to Cuba in 1993 as a special consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), to evaluate research infrastructure focusing on lab animals, laboratory diets, and facility management. While there, he had a two-hour dinner with the late Fidel Castro at the home of the Caribbean regional director of WHO and the Pan American Health Organization in Havana. As part of the trip and evaluation, he also traveled to several out islands by helicopter and boat in search of nonhuman primate colonies (cynomolgus and African greens).
In the late 1990s and into the 2000s, he traveled to European sites part-time and took on another vivarium, lab design, and construction project outside Rome, Italy.
As he closed out his career as a lab animal veterinarian, he co-chaired a large project for Merck to evaluate outside labs in Asia. Klein spent time in China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Singapore, evaluating labs’ capacity to perform high-quality in vivo research studies in various species such as mice, rats, and nonhuman primates.
Dr. Klein commented, “Probably the best thing about international work, first and foremost, is the richness and diversity of thinking and approaches to veterinary medical and research issues from others around the world. Coming from Penn Vet, I always felt welltrained to contribute to whatever effort we were working on. And if I didn’t know, I could always adapt basic principles to the issue at hand—something we learned at Penn, again!”
Jack Leonard, V’79, has been working and teaching in Egypt since February of 1981. He started with clients in the Pittsburgh area who were importing Egyptian Arabian horses to the United States. His parents had Arabian horses, so he grew up around the industry and showed Arabians during his youth. In Egypt, he helped select the horses and did pre-purchase exams on them—pre-testing for a variety of foreign diseases such as African horse sickness and piroplasmosis. After final selection, he gathered and loaded horses onto the aircraft and flew back to the U.S. with them. He has personally flown with 150 horses over the years.
“In Egypt, there are many breeders of not only Arabians but also racehorses, warmbloods, polo horses, and endurance horses. Once I started to work, the word got around that there was an American veterinarian in town,” Leonard said. He started doing more veterinary consulting along with the import-export work.
“Veterinary services and technology were very limited in those days, unlike today. We slowly began to improve things, but I realized that if veterinary medicine was to flourish there, I had to affect a new generation of veterinarians. I began to take on young Egyptian students and teach them the principles of equine medicine and surgery that I learned largely at Penn Vet,” Leonard continued.
During those years, he was also running Fox Run Equine Center in Pittsburgh—but juggling two practices on opposite sides of the world was not an easy feat. “I sold Fox Run Equine Center to Dr. Brian Burks, who also helped me in Egypt for some years. I eventually turned over most of the practice in Egypt to Dr. Karim Attaya, who is doing a great job,” Leonard said.
These days, Leonard is mostly involved in teaching. “Egypt has certainly enriched my life, and I have tried to give back as much as I can,” he said.
Jay C. Sweeney, V’71, is a world-renowned expert in marine mammal medicine. He began his veterinary career working with SeaWorld and the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, and went on to provide veterinary support to countless marine mammal facilities around the world through his international consulting practice.
Dr. Sweeney is currently co-owner and President of Dolphin Quest, which includes Dolphin Quest Bermuda, offering inspirational interactive experiences, educational programs, and support of vital marine scientific studies. They have also contributed millions of dollars in financial and in-kind support of conservation efforts and university-level scientific studies, generating hundreds of published scientific works that are helping researchers find solutions to the threats that dolphins and whales face in the wild all around the globe.
For years, Penn Vet alumni have gathered with fellow graduates and beloved faculty members at reunions and at the Penn Annual Conference. Penn Vet alumni honor these relationships and uphold longstanding traditions by giving back to their alma mater with gifts in support of the next generation of veterinary students, as well as the teaching hospitals that support their education.
The Dean’s Cup will be awarded annually to the Penn Vet classes with the greatest giving participation percentage from each decade. The winning classes will be engraved on the Cup—which will be proudly displayed in the Dean’s office throughout the year.
All gifts made between now and June 30, 2017, will count toward Class Gift totals. To give, please visit www.vet.upenn.edu/giving or call 215-898-1480.
In 2014, guided by our three pillars—Research, Education, and Service—and facilitated by an outside consultant, Penn Vet embarked on a strategic planning process. In committees, and with the input of multiple internal and external stakeholders, our faculty, clinicians, staff, and students discussed, debated, and ultimately defined three Cornerstones (Advancement, Impact, People) of a plan that support each pillar and drive the School’s vision, mission, and values.
The resulting Penn Vet 2015-2020 Strategic Plan enables Penn Vet to build resilience, facilitate growth, and sustain mission excellence. It is an outcome of our looking forward and positioning the School now for the future, as we navigate expected and unforeseen events with the potential to affect the School’s operations, the field of veterinary medicine, and animal and human health worldwide.
Read the plan at www.vet.upenn.edu/strategic-plan
When the Classes of 2015 and 2016 neared their graduation milestone, they came together to leave their legacy at Penn Vet through a Senior Class Gift. The class officers knew that this was a great opportunity for their classmates to make an impact for the good of the School.
The Class Gift program is a student-led initiative that promotes a philanthropic spirit among the graduating classes, providing students an opportunity to give back to their alma mater.
Both classes let their classmates lead the process by conducting a vote on their gift designation.
The 2015 Senior Class Gift raised funds to purchase comfortable red and blue executive chairs for the student area on the third floor of Ryan Hospital. The area now has a more professional look for all who utilize the space.
The 2016 Senior Class Gift raised funds for the Charitable Care Fund and the Shelter Medicine Fund to support the Pets for Life initiative. The Charitable Care Fund assists families of companion animals who cannot afford the full cost of veterinary services at Penn Vet. Penn Vet’s Shelter Medicine program teams up with the Humane Society of the United States and their Pets for Life program to provide free spay/neuter and wellness care for pets in underserved communities.
A heartfelt thank you to V’15 and V’16 for making their mark on Penn Vet and the community through their generous class gifts!
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Douglas Thamm, C’90, V’95, was promoted to Full Professor in July. He is the Barbara Cox Anthony Professor of Oncology and Director of Clinical Research at the Colorado State University Flint Animal Cancer Center. He recently received the Asa Mays Award for Excellence in Canine Health Research from the AKC Canine Health Foundation and the George Fleming Prize from The Veterinary Journal for the most meritorious article published in 2015. He is the Co-Editor-inChief of the journal Veterinary and Comparative Oncology and was the Oncology section editor for the two most recent editions of the textbook Kirk’s Current Veterinary Therapy He is also Head of Clinical Development for VetDC, a cancerfocused veterinary biopharmaceutical company developing anticancer therapies for animals.
Laura McNelis, V’05, proudly welcomed daughter Quinn Rebecca on June 29, 2016.
After ten years at New Bolton Center as a Staff Veterinarian, working with the Swine Teaching and Research Center, Ines Rodriguez, V’06, has taken a new position as the Compliance Veterinarian in the Office of Animal Welfare at the University of Pennsylvania. She is thrilled to continue her service to research animals at Penn, now in a broader capacity. Her primary role is to conduct post-approval monitoring of animal research protocols and laboratory practices involving surgery and other intensive procedures, while working directly with research faculty and staff to ensure animal welfare.
Denae Ervin, V’08, has joined the staff at HanoverView Animal Hospital in Bath, Pennsylvania. She has been practicing in the area since 2008, most recently at Quakertown Veterinary Clinic, where she spearheaded the dentistry program. She has a special interest in dentistry as well as client and community education.
Joseph M. O’Neal, V’44, of Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, passed away on October 22, 2016, at Sunrise of Haverford in Haverford, Pennsylvania. He was 97. Son of the late James and Anastacia Hopkins O’Neal, he was born on the family farm in Indiana on February 2, 1919. He was raised in Indiana, graduated from Indiana University, and then graduated from Penn Vet in 1944. He married Marjorie Sheehan in 1944, and they moved to Indiana where Joseph worked with the Army, handling the inspection of cattle. Joseph and Marjorie then
moved back to Pennsylvania, where he worked for the SPCA and later opened O’Neal Animal Hospital. He used to do spots called “Ask the Vet” on local radio stations in the Philadelphia area. He was very active with the Alumni Association for the University of Pennsylvania. After Marjorie passed away in 1989, Joe was remarried in 1992 to Lorraine Cieplinski. They lived for many years in Longport, New Jersey, where Joe was very active in the local American Legion Post. Joe loved his work, he loved animals, and he was a true “country doctor,” but the thing that was most important to him was his family.
Uri Bargai, V’59, has passed away. He was Professor Emeritus of Veterinary Medicine at the Hebrew University in Israel.
Thomas “Keith” Grove, V’82, passed away on July 5, 2016. Like his father, Keith attended the University of Pennsylvania and received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature in 1969. He then pursued a career in dentistry at the University of Detroit Mercy, achieving Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1972. From 1972 to 1973, he practiced dentistry in private practice in Royal Oak, Michigan, while also serving as an instructor at the University of Detroit Mercy. From 1973 to 1975, he completed his residency in periodontics at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In 1975, he received a Master of Science in Periodontics from the University of Michigan, and then was an associate in periodontics in the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1976. He served the Abington, Pennsylvania, community as a periodontist from 1974 to 1980, and also as a consultant in periodontics for Abington Memorial Hospital from 1975 to 1980. Dr. Grove then decided to make his lifelong passion for helping animals a reality, and he returned to the University of Pennsylvania to study animal husbandry. During his veterinary studies, Keith performed extensive veterinary research at Cornell University and in field cases in the Pennsylvania Amish country, working with large animals. He also served the Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, community from 1980 to 1982. After his graduation from Penn Vet, he and his family moved to Vero Beach, Florida, where he opened his own private practice in veterinary medicine, specializing in dentistry, in 1982. Later, he opened his periodontal practice in Vero Beach. Grove committed himself to serving the community of Vero Beach, with devotion for 27 years through his two medical practices, providing the highest possible care to both humans and animals. “Doc” Grove, as his wonderful team and his human patients called him, was owner and periodontist at the Dental Implant Center of Vero Beach from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and owner and veterinarian at the Abbey Veterinary Clinic in the afternoon from 1 to 6 p.m.
Sandra Fargher, V’91, passed away in July 2016. For her classmates who saw her at their 25th reunion in May 2016, she was a great joy to visit with and will be missed. Born in Scotland, she came to grace our shores via London, Paris, Bermuda, and Spain. The hands that later came to perform brilliant, efficient, beautiful surgery on animals received
their training first as a croupier, and then as a couturier at French fashion houses. In one of her multiple early trades, she learned the skill of drafting and architectural drawing. That love of detail and simplicity was evident in the homes that she designed. They reflected the coziness of the Scottish cottages of her youth. As a vet, she was well-known for her thoughtful and instinctive diagnostic skills and had a successful small animal practice in South Jersey. She sold her practice and moved to Pennsylvania after becoming enamored with the magnificent southern Chester County countryside. Here she was able to reconnect with her love of horses, which she had known as a young Scottish lass. She and her mare Rhea competed and qualified for the Area 2 preliminary level championships. She also rode with the Cheshire and Cochrane Hunts. Donations in her memory are being made to the Delaware Humane Society, 701 A Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Attn: Layne Ross.
Calling all VMDs and former Penn Vet interns and residents! Have you received a promotion, been married, had a baby, received an award, had a research finding, or opened a new business? Please share your good news with us! Visit the Alumni page of the Penn Vet website, email your news to the alumni office at bscan@vet.upenn.edu, or write to us at Alumni Relations, Penn Veterinary Alumni Office, 3800 Spruce Street, Suite 172E, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
3800 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6008
United Way of Greater Phila. & So. NJ: #50178
APRIL2017
April 4, 2017
First Tuesdays Lecture Series
A free educational lecture series for horse owners and horse enthusiasts.
“Dynamic Endoscopy: The Airway in Action”
Presented by Dr. David Levine
6:30PM to 7:30PM
New Bolton Center – Alumni Hall
382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, PA
To register, please call 610-925-6500.
MAY2017
May 2, 2017
First Tuesdays Lecture Series
A free educational lecture series for horse owners and horse enthusiasts.
“Laminitis: Why Does It Occur? How Can We Better Manage It?”
Presented by Dr. Andrew van Eps
6:30PM to 7:30PM
New Bolton Center – Alumni Hall
382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, PA
To register, please call 610-925-6500.
May 12-14, 2017
Alumni Weekend
Class dinners, tours of New Bolton Center and Ryan Hospital, Dean’s Reception, Spring Alumni
Picnic at New Bolton Center, and much more! Special celebrations for classes ending in ‘7’ and ‘2.’ For information, please contact Brittany Tinsley at bscan@vet. upenn.edu or 215-746-2421
JUNE2017
June 6, 2017
First Tuesdays Lecture Series
A free educational lecture series for horse owners and horse enthusiasts
“The Recovery Pool: Defying Gravity After Orthopedic Surgery”
Presented by Dr. Dean Richardson
6:30PM to 7:30PM
New Bolton Center – Alumni Hall
382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, PA To register, please call 610-925-6500.
JULY2017
July 21, 2017
AVMA Convention Alumni Reception
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Indianapolis, Indiana
AUGUST2017
August 11, 2017
Keystone Veterinary Conference Alumni Reception
5:00PM – 7:00PM
Hershey Lodge
Hershey, PA
SEPTEMBER2017
September 27-28, 2017
Penn Annual Conference – Lectures
Chase Center on the Riverfront 815 Justison Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
For conference details, please visit www.vet.upenn.edu/PAC2017
September 29, 2017
Penn Annual Conference – Wet Labs
Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital
3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
For conference details, please visit www.vet.upenn.edu/PAC2017
For more information about these events, contact Brittany Tinsley, Assistant Director of Institutional Events, at bscan@vet.upenn.edu or 215-746-2421.