VMBS FY22 Annual Report

SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES

FROM THE DEAN The 2022 year brought continued excellence, sharp innovation, and preparation for change to the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS).

The school’s continued excellence in veterinary education stretched across the state from our Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) program on the West Texas A&M University campus in Canyon to the VMBS campus in College Station.

In Canyon, VERO completed its inaugural year of the VMBS Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 2+2 program and enrolled its second class of DVM 2+2 students.

Thirty-nine veterinary students from the DVM Class of 2022 also completed fourthyear clinical rotations that were launched at VERO in 2020-2021, with 45 additional students from the DVM Class of 2023 completing clinical rotations there as part of their fourth-year experience in 2021-2022.

In College Station, the VMBS continued our tradition of transformational education with our more than 900 graduate and professional students. Our DVM students had a 99% pass rate for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination, an even more impressive achievement when compared to the national pass rate of 92%.

In addition to achieving educational excellence, the VMBS continues to provide Dean John R. August exceptional compassionate care in both the large and small animal teaching hospitals. Our university leadership both recognized and committed to further supporting our compassionate care mission with President M. Katherine Banks’ announcement of a new, next-generation small animal teaching and research hospital.

The VMBS also made important strides in implementing innovative practices that benefit the health outcomes of both animals and human beings.

The Texas A&M Superfund Research Center trained staff and students in disaster response and played a role in increasing local COVID-19 vaccination rates. The Superfund Center also received a five-year renewal of its funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health.

The Veterinary Emergency Team also played an important role in supporting disaster relief. The VET deployed three times in 2022, including providing veterinary care as part of Operation Border Health, in response to the Eastland County wildfires, and in support of Hurricane Ian in Florida, which became the team’s first East Cost deployment.

Our continued commitment to making the VMBS an outstanding place to learn and work was recognized on the national level with a Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award; the VMBS is one of only two veterinary schools in the nation to be recognized six years in a row with this honor.

In addition to being a year full of successes, 2022 was also a year of change for the VMBS as we carried out and prepared for the ambitious administrative reorganization of Texas A&M University called the Path Forward.

Efforts for the Path Forward are ongoing, but the preparation for these changes began in fiscal year 2022. The results of these efforts—which included our undergraduate Biomedical Sciences program moving to the new College of Arts & Sciences—will be reflected in the VMBS’ 2023 Annual Report, though some changes, such as the change of our name from College to School, are evident now.

Looking back at our efforts in 2022 has reminded me that our school comprises remarkable people who do extraordinary work. I hope you share this sentiment as you look through the 2022 annual report.

JOHN R. AUGUST The Carl B. King Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

2 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

CONTENTS

FROM THE DEAN..................................................................................................................................................................... 2 COLLEGE HALLMARKS............................................................................................................................................................ 4 EXPENDITURES........................................................................................................................................................................ 5 DEGREES CONFERRED............................................................................................................................................................ 5 PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS (DVM)......................................................................................................................................... 6 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (BS IN BIMS OR USVM)...................................................................................................... 10 GRADUATE STUDENTS (MS + PHD)...................................................................................................................................... 12 RESEARCH.............................................................................................................................................................................. 14 FACULTY................................................................................................................................................................................ 16 RESIDENTS & INTERNS......................................................................................................................................................... 17 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION...................................................................................................................................................... 18 VETERINARY INTEGRATIVE BIOSCIENCES (VIBS)................................................................................................................ 19 VETERINARY PATHOBIOLOGY (VTPB)................................................................................................................................. 21 VETERINARY PHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY (VTPP).................................................................................................... 23 LARGE ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VLCS)....................................................................................................................... 25 SMALL ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VSCS)....................................................................................................................... 27 VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL (VMTH)....................................................................................................... 29 VETERINARY EDUCATION, RESEARCH, & OUTREACH (VERO)........................................................................................... 32 LEADING THE WAY IN GLOBAL ONE HEALTH.................................................................................................................... 34 VETERINARY EMERGENCY TEAM (VET)................................................................................................................................ 36 SCHUBOT CENTER FOR AVIAN HEALTH.............................................................................................................................. 37 INTERDISCIPLINARY FACULTY OF TOXICOLOGY (IFT)....................................................................................................... 38 SUPERFUND RESEARCH CENTER......................................................................................................................................... 39 CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES (CET)........................................................................................................... 40 VMBS COMMUNICATIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 41 CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE)........................................................................................................................................... 42 INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS (IP)....................................................................................................................................... 43 TRANSLATIONAL IMAGING CENTER (TIC).......................................................................................................................... 46 STEVENSON COMPANION ANIMAL LIFE-CARE CENTER.................................................................................................... 47 DEVELOPMENT...................................................................................................................................................................... 48 OUTSTANDING ALUMNI & RISING STAR............................................................................................................................ 49 FUNDING PRIORITIES........................................................................................................................................................... 49 COLLEGE ADMINISTRATION................................................................................................................................................ 50 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 3

SCHOOL HALLMARKS For more than a century, the VMBS has served our state, nation, and the world. The school continues to: • • • • • • •

Serve Texas and beyond while advancing animal, human, and environmental health.

Provide viable, diverse professional career paths for Texans.

Support the state’s livestock and wildlife industries.

Promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.

Contribute to the economic viability and job opportunities of local communities.

Provide sophisticated disaster and emergency response support for animals throughout the state.

Advance the veterinary medical profession.

Our strengths are many. In 2022, we were: • • • •

•

• •

Ranked #1 in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and ranked #2 this year behind Iowa State by U.S. News & World Report’s rankings of the nation’s best schools and programs.

One of the largest schools of veterinary medicine in the U.S., training over 655 DVM students each year, with an annual entering class of 180 students. As of May 2022, the VMBS has graduated 8,758 veterinarians.

Ranked #4 in the number of graduate (283 MS and PhD) students at a U.S. school of veterinary medicine.

The home of the Texas A&M Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) program, which is the largest degree-granting undergraduate major at Texas A&M, had a student enrollment of 2,616, and made up a large portion of Aggies that matriculated to Texas medical (43.5%), dental (45%), and veterinary (44%) professional schools.

Fostering partnerships with Texas A&M University System schools and other institutions of higher education around the state to provide Texans with new and innovative avenues to pursue degrees as professional DVM students and undergraduate BIMS students.

A proud recipient of the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine—our fifth consecutive year to be honored.

Continuing our collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston as the first recipient of a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Center grant at Texas A&M University—for the Center for Translational Environmental Health Research.

4 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

EXPENDITURES FY22 VMBS Expenditures by Percentage 0.05% Public Service (Programs such as Continuing Education (CE) and Veterinary Emergency Team (VET)) 0.95% Scholarships & Fellowships 4% Facilities & Infrastructure 5% Institutional Support (Clinical laboratories housed within the school) 20% Teaching Hospital 28% Research 42% Teaching & Educational Support

DEGREES CONFERRED FY22 Degrees Conferred 25 PhD

58 MS

141 DVM

628 BS

Degrees Conferred Over Time 600

Number of Degrees

500 400

BS PhD DVM MS

300 200 100 0

FY2012

FY2013

FY2014

FY2015

FY2016

FY2017

FY2018

FY2019

FY2020

FY2021

FY2022

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 5

PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS (DVM)

DVM Class of 2026 Orientation

DVM Class of 2026 Orientation

The Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) has steadily expanded the size of the DVM class since the fall of 2017.

With the addition of 18 students in our 2+2 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program at VERO, the VMBS now enrolls 180 DVM students each year. The VERO 2+2 program, the only 2+2 program in the United States with both program sites in the same state, allows students to complete the first two years of the DVM curriculum in Canyon, Texas, before making the move to College Station to complete the training. As one of the largest DVM training programs in the country, the VMBS provides a four-year postundergraduate curriculum based on building a solid foundation of scientific knowledge, experiential learning to master technical and professional skills, and development of competencies required for an entry-level veterinarian in any career path. Upon completion of the veterinary professional program, successful students will have demonstrated competency in each of the 37 domains outlined in the school’s New Graduate Outcomes (NGOs). The NGO document articulates the specific knowledge, skills, and attributes expected of students enrolled in our DVM program at the time of graduation. Faculty are dedicated to providing an inclusive and welcoming learning environment that provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive exposure to the art and science of veterinary medicine.

Students begin their experience with the DVM program by participating in a three-day orientation program. Orientation is designed to introduce students to the culture and expectations of the program through experiential learning opportunities during which they begin to know their classmates. The first two years of the curriculum provide a foundation in medical science, clinical skills, critical thinking, and professional skills. Students begin to have elective course options in the second year of the curriculum that encourage exploration into areas they may have previously had little exposure. These courses include topics such as innovation and entrepreneurship, service-learning project development, rehabilitation of both small and large animals, medical Spanish, and exotic and wild game medicine. The third year emphasizes diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The students also begin structuring a personalized course selection to direct learning toward individual career goals, choosing between small animal species, mixed animal species, large animal species, food animal medicine, or alternate career tracks. The fourth year is a full 12 months in length and includes rotations through the VMTH and other venues, including the Houston SPCA, as well as a four-week externship experience at a location of the student’s choice.

Unique clinical opportunities in the curriculum include client communication training, rotations focusing on primary care medicine, specialty-intensive experiences, disaster preparedness, and shelter medicine. As of May 2022, the school has graduated 8,758 DVMs.

Special Collaborations

DVM Class of 2026 Orientation 6 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

2022 marked the ninth full year of the VMBS’ collaboration with the Houston SPCA to provide a clinical rotation for fourth-year DVM students in shelter medicine. When the HSPCA campus was renovated in 2019, housing for students was built to further enhance student participation on this important rotation. The VMBS also collaborates with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), providing not only hands-on training for DVM students, but also veterinary care for animals at TDCJ agricultural units. The VMBS partnered with the Texas Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) in the fall of 2022 to host the sixth annual Veterinary Job and Externship Fair. This

PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS (DVM) DVM Class Size Over Time 200 180

Number of Students (n)

160 140 120

132

142

152

162

18

18

162

162

Fall 2022 18 at VERO

100

Fall 2022 162 in College Station

80 60 40 20 0

Class of 2020

Class of 2021

Class of 2022

Classes of 2023 & 2024

Class of 2025

Class of 2026

year's fair expanded to include spots for 170 veterinary practices, allowing 40 more practices to participate than in previous years. In addition to providing opportunities for practice representatives to meet with students to arrange externships, summer employment, and post-graduation employment, a new continuing education event was added on Friday evening prior to the fair for attending representatives.

Accreditation In 2016, the VMBS received full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education for an additional seven years. The school recently received reaccreditation following its August 2022 AVMA COE site visit.

Second class of 2+2 DVM program students 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 7

PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS (DVM) Student Leadership VMBS White Coats The VMBS White Coat group continued to demonstrate Aggie core values through its community service activities. The mission of the VMBS White Coats is to represent and promote the VMBS while exemplifying the Aggie core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect, and selfless service. The group exhibits universal acceptance in the recruitment of new members of the veterinary profession, supports current students with a positive and resilient culture, and engages with alumni in pursuit of continuous excellence.

2022 Veterinary Job and Externship Fair

2022 Veterinary Job and Externship Fair

The VMBS White Coats will, under the direction of the Professional Programs Office, contribute to: • Veterinary student recruitment events • Veterinary student Interviews • Veterinary student orientation • Veterinary Student White Coat Ceremony • Veterinary student graduation • Veterinary student alumni events and other events to promote and support the DVM program and the school SAVMA & TVMA Representatives Many current VMBS students serve in leadership roles for state and national veterinary organizations.

The current VMBS national Student American Veterinary Medical Association (SAVMA) representatives are: • Kathryn Dickerson, Senior SAVMA Delegate • Cassandra Rivas, Junior SAVMA Delegate The current VMBS TVMA representatives are: • Morgan Patterson, Senior TVMA Delegate • Jenner Brown, Junior TVMA Delegate

2022 White Coat Ceremony

Fourth-year students being taught by interns.

8 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

The current VMBS Texas Veterinary Medical Foundation representatives are: • Gifty Thomas, third-year DVM Student • Cole Hartis, second-year DVM Student

Fourth-year students being taught by interns.

PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS (DVM) NAVLE Passing Percentages Over Time 100

Passing Percentage (%)

98

Texas A&M

National

96 94 92 90 88 86 84 82

Class of 2018

Class of 2019

Class of 2020

Class of 2021

Class of 2022

Exam Year

Mean DVM Student Total Educational Debt as Graduation Over Time Mean Educational Debt* * Includes students with 0 debt Texas A&M

National

$164,869

$169,742

$164,869 $151,311

$150,025

$84,847

2016

$88,434

2017

Fourth-year veterinary students

$168,654

$84,847

2018

$90,350

2019

$159,199

$90,425

2020

$82,526

$90,762

2021

2022

Fourth-year veterinary student Tabitha Baibos 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 9

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (BIMS, USVM, NRSC-TPC) Biomedical Sciences is a broad field of applied biology that is directed toward understanding health and disease. This degree is offered on both the College Station campus and at the Texas A&M Higher Education Center in McAllen, TX. Our mission is to educate students who will create a healthier future for humans and animals through the medical professions, biomedical innovation and discovery, global service and outreach. The program both emphasizes versatility in the biological and medical sciences, and prioritizes a One Health approach to education through courses that emphasize the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health; while bringing together students with interest in medical careers that impact all three. A highly effective counseling program assists the students with the development of an individualized approach and course package that orients and prepares the students for entry into the medical, allied health field or graduate program of their choice. Such an approach enhances their educational experiences, improves their placement in professional and graduate programs, and facilitates their entry into the biomedical science job market.

BIMS students make up a large portion of Aggie students that matriculate to Texas professional schools.

44%

of Aggies matriculated to veterinary school in 2021.

43.5%

of Aggies accepted to medical school in 2021.

45%

of Aggies accepted to dental school in 2019.

Highlights from FY22 include: •

•

•

•

During the ’21-’22 academic year, and in response to the Texas A&M Path Forward https://president.tamu.edu/path-forward/ index.html, the Biomedical Sciences Program (BIMS), University Studies Veterinary Medicine (USVM) and NeuroscienceTranslational and Preclinical Sciences (NRSC-TPC) programs prepared to move to the newly established College of Arts & Sciences. The academic advising and administration office for the undergraduate programs were moved, along with 8 faculty members, to the new college beginning Sept. 1, 2022.

The VMBS undergraduate enrollment in the Fall 2021 included 2,623 BIMS students (85 of whom were from the McAllen Higher Education Center), 76 USVM students and 19 NRSC-TPC students for a total of 2,718 students.

• The total undergraduate enrollment was 70% female and 52.47%* URM. Hispanic students comprise 30.7% of the total undergraduate enrollment and 98.8% of the enrollment at the Higher Education Center, McAllen (HECM). (*This is an expanded definition from last year based on changes with the NIH definition of URM. It includes all ethnicity categories except white, unknown and international.)

• First generation students comprise 24.2% of the undergraduate students. At HECM, 64.7% of students are first generation students.

The undergraduate program continues to graduate record-breaking numbers of students. In academic year ’21-’22, 628 students graduated.

• The graduating seniors were 50% URM* (URM = all ethnicity categories except white and international). (*This is an expanded definition from last year based on changes with the NIH definition of URM.) • 24.4% were First Generation students • 68.5% were Female students • 66 students graduated with a Biomedical Research Certificate • 24 students graduated with an International Certificate in Cultural Competency and Communication in Spanish (Spanish Certificate).

The BIMS office expanded. In addition to the Katherine Crabill (hired in November 2021 and previously reported), we hired Arlene Pacheco, Academic Advisor II.

10 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS (BIMS, USVM, NRSC-TPC) •

Undergraduate scholarships: In the Fall ‘21/Spring ’22 cycle, students received $81,000 in scholarships from the Texas A&M Foundation, $66,000 in differential tuition dollar scholarships and $9,500 from the Biomedical Sciences Association for a total of $156,500.

Diversity event: In the spring, 2022, the undergraduate program hosted an event around the time of mid-terms/third test cycles. The event was co-hosted with Patriot Paws of Aggieland.

Adult dogs “in vest” and puppies (in a pen) were brought to the VMBS courtyard for stress relief. The event was called Pop Tarts and Patriot Paws on the Patio. Pop Tarts and other snacks and drinks were passed out to students. In addition to the dogs, three large calendars: TX, US and World, were available with “sticky dots” for people to put their hometown, state, country of origin dots. Students could hang out, eat a snack, and pet a dog. While advertised to undergraduates, all levels of students participated (professional, graduate, and undergraduate) as they walked past the tables.

VMBS Undergraduate Enrollment Fall 2022 0.37% International 0.22% American Indian 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

FY22 Undergraduate Student Enrollment Gender

15.40% Asian

30% Male

47.10% White

3.09% Black 70% Female

First Generation 30.70% Hispanic or Latinx 24.5% Yes 3.02% Multi-racial, excl. Black

75.5% No

0.11% Unknown/Not Reported

Headcount VMBS Undergraduate (All Majors) Over Time 1600 1400

White

URM

1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

Fall 2014

Fall 2015

Fall 2016

Fall 2017

Fall 2018

Fall 2019

Fall 2020

Fall 2021

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 11

GRADUATE STUDENTS (MS + PHD) FY22 Graduate Student Enrollment Gender 30.42% Male

69.58% Female

Classification 47.20% Masters

52.80% Doctotal (PhD)

Resident Status 17% Non-Texas, Non-U.S.

25% Non-Texas, U.S.

Overview The VMBS houses the Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) Graduate Program, the Science & Technology Journalism master’s program, the Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology master’s program, and the Interdisciplinary Degree Program of Toxicology. The largest cohort of graduate students in the VMBS belongs to the BIMS Graduate Program, through which students pursue a pre-professional master’s degree with a non-thesis concentration, a research master’s degree with a thesis concentration, or a doctoral degree.

FY22 Admissions Profile The BIMS Graduate Program and the additional master’s and doctoral degrees offered through the VMBS have attracted a diverse and qualified applicant pool.

As the principal major with four research tracks and a separate pre-professional concentration, the BIMS Graduate Program had 227 students enrolled in Fall 2021, including 98 Master of Science non-thesis option (MS-NTO), 17 Master of Science thesis option (MS-THO), and 112 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students.

The Interdisciplinary Degree Program of Toxicology enrolled 27 students, including 1 Master of Science thesis option (MS-THO) and 26 Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students.

The Science & Technology Journalism master’s program and the Veterinary Public Health & Epidemiology master’s program enrolled 13 and 5 students respectively.

There are also students from 4 other Interdisciplinary programs whose PI is in the VMBS, including 1 BIOT student, 10 GENE students, 1 NRSC student, and 2 EEBL students. Among the graduate students in all VMBS graduate programs for FY2022, Black students comprised 3.85% of the cohort of graduate students, which matches the overall graduate student population of Texas A&M University. Additionally, Hispanic or Latino/a students comprised 17.83% of the VMBS graduate programs for FY2022, substantially higher than the overall Hispanic and Latino/a Texas A&M graduate student enrollment, which is approximately 10%.

Graduation During FY 2022, 115 students graduated with a master’s or doctoral degree from the VMBS. The percentage of Black and Hispanic or Latino/a students who celebrated their graduation was 3.48% and 20.87% respectively, which generally matches the enrollment profile and reflects our vision for equity and inclusion that should lead to persistence and graduation of underrepresented minorities.

58% Texas

Ethnicity

FY22 Graduate Mentoring Highlight:

0.00% Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander 0.35% Unknown/Not Reported 0.35% Native American 3.85% Black

Sam Stroupe, a Ph.D. student, had the opportunity to work with Dr. James Derr in his lab. Stroupe was the first author of a study from Derr’s lab that revealed the strongest evidence to date that all bison in North America carry multiple small, but clearly identifiable, regions of DNA that originated from domestic cattle. As Stroupe points out, the findings show that we can uncover many historical details regarding the past histories of a species and use this information to provide informed stewardship in establishing conservation policies in the future.

4.90% Multi-racial, excl. Black 8.04% Asian 17.48% International 17.83% Hispanic or Latinx 47.20% White 12 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Graduate Student Orientation Incoming graduate students to the college participated in a face-to-face orientation experience that provided the following comprehensive trainings: biosafety compliance, teaching, mentor-mentee relationships, diversity and inclusion, self-care and wellness, goal-setting and motivation, and university and program requirements. These students also participated in an exciting team building program at the Texas A&M ChallengeWorks facility to encourage comradery and collegiality.

GRADUATE STUDENTS (MS + PHD) U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Fellowship Awarded to VMBS Doctoral Student Caitlin Castaneda, a doctoral student in the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences (VIBS), was awarded a U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Fellowship by the Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional School.

The U.S. Senator Phil Gramm Fellowships are given annually by the Texas A&M University Graduate and Professional School to outstanding current doctoral students whose excellence in both research and teaching exemplifies the meaning of scholarship and mentorship in the highest sense. The fellowship includes a $5,000 award to help the winners continue their studies.

Castaneda’s research primarily focuses on stallion fertility and the search for the genes that impact it. As part of that research, she’s been working on an assembly of the Y chromosome, something that Dr. Brian Davis, assistant professor in VIBS, said is unique.

In 2012, the molecular cytogenetics lab discovered the first gene associated with stallion fertility, and as a result of Castaneda’s work, Caitlin Castaneda a diagnostic test for stallion subfertility was published in FY21.

However, discovery of the actual causative mutation remains a goal to achieve.

“We’re hoping to find more genes and then create more diagnostic tests so that when horses come through the clinic, we can have a molecular screening for fertility genetics in addition to the routine breeding soundness exam,” Castaneda said.

This has potentially huge implications in the equine industry, in which stallion fertility is of significant economic interest.

Down the road, Castaneda hopes to bring what she’s learned in animal medicine to research in human fertility, as well.

In addition to her proven skills as a researcher—having authored eight publications, including three as the first author—she has also impacted a number of students as a teacher and mentor.

BIMS graduate students

Graduate Oath Ceremony 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 13

RESEARCH VMBS Research Enterprise The school’s research enterprise continues to diversify. The VMBS’ annual research expenditures for FY22 were over $39 million dollars. This is a direct result of the success and quality of the faculty, whose research ranges from basic science to clinical applications. The faculty’s commitment to cutting-edge translational research seeks to bridge the gap between the basic and clinical sciences and the commitment to innovation is highlighted by an active pursuit of technology licensing and commercialization.

Research Funding Excellence in research at the VMBS is evidenced, in part, by the millions of dollars obtained annually in extramural funding by our faculty members. School investigators have obtained significant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of the Interior (DoI), multiple private foundations, industry, and the state of Texas during recent years.

FY22 Research Highlights: •

Dr. Weston Porter received two NIH R01 awards totaling $4,272,507. One was to study “Mitophagy Dependent Regulation of Mammary Gland Differentiation” and the other was for “Circadian Regulation of Cellular Homeostasis”

•

Dr. William Murphy received a NSF research award for $1,200,000 to engage in research on “Understanding the Co-Evolution of Phylogenomic Signal, Gene Linkage, and Recombination Rate Through Comparative Genomics”.

•

Dr. Scott Dindot was named a Chancellor’s Enhancing Development and Generating Excellence in Scholarship (EDGES) Fellow.

•

Dr. Joerg Steiner was named a Texas A&M University Regents Professor.

•

Dr. Yifei Liao, a former doctoral student with Dr. Blanca Lupiani, received the Texas A&M Distinguished Dissertation Award for his dissertation work entitled, “Functional interaction between Merek's Disease Virus Us3 and Meq with chicken CCREB and histone deacetylases”.

VMBS Patents and Invention Disclosures The VMBS research enterprise is on the cutting-edge of licensing, commercialization, and patents related to their research findings.

Since 2016, VMBS researchers have reported 58 invention disclosures, 119 patent applications, and 39 issued patents.

Dr. Guilherme Verocai and recent DVM graduate student Andrew Brown 14 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Graduate students

RESEARCH FY22 Percentage of Research Funding by Source FY22 Research Expenditures by School

0.7% DOI 0.7% NSF

$39.24M

Texas A&M

0.88% Other Federal Agencies 1.8% Other within HHS

$22.09M

National Avg.

3.12% EPA 3.3% DOD 5.6% Industry Funds 8.6% USDA 11.5% Private Funds

Colleges of Veterinary Medicine

12% State Funds

0

$10M

$20M

$30M

16.8% Other Funds

$40M

$50M

$60M

$70M

$80M

$90M

$100M

Expenditures

35% NIH

Proposed Research Funding Over Time $200M

$18.92M

$180M $160M

RESEARCH FUNDING OVER TIME FOR FY22

$140M $120M $100M $80M

66

$60M $40M $20M 0

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2020

2021

2022

AWARDS FOR FY22

Year

Number of Research Proposals Over Time 500 Submitted

450

Pending

Awarded

400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Year

2019

Lusie Ford, Dr. Ivan Rusyn, and Dr. Weihsueh Chiu 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 15

FACULTY FY22 Faculty by Department & Title Non-Tenure Track

Tenure-Track & Tenured

Department

Professional Faculty

Assistant Professor

Associate Professor Totals Professor

????? (CLVT)

2

0

0

Large Animal Clinical Sciences (VLCS)

34

3

Small Animal Clinical Sciences (VSCS)

42

3

Veterinary Integrative Biosciences (VIBS)

24

Veterinary Pathobiology (VTPB)

18

6

8

4

7

48

5

10

60

3

5

12

44

4

8

10

40

Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology (VTPP)

14

4

4

12

34

Totals

134

17

26

57

234

FY22 Faculty Demographics Professional Faculty

Assistant Professor

Associate Professor

Professor

Totals

25-34

4

10

0

0

14

35-44

12

43

11

0

66

45-54

4

17

24

15

60

Demographic

Age

Ethnicity

Gender

Dr. Jennifer Schleining 16 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

55-64

3

5

17

29

54

65 and over

2

0

3

38

43

Unknown

3

7

1

1

12

International

0

0

0

1

1

Asian

0

5

7

6

18

Black

0

1

2

1

4

Hispanic or Latino

4

7

4

1

16

Two or More Races

2

1

0

0

3

White

16

54

41

72

183

Female

14

51

33

25

123

Male

11

24

22

57

114

Dr. Bert Dodd

Dr. Barbara Gastel

RESIDENTS & INTERNS The school offers one-year internship programs to newly graduated veterinarians and three- or four-year residency programs in several clinical disciplines for veterinarians seeking advanced training and board certification. Residents have generally already completed an internship.

Residents and interns are exposed to numerous specialties and work side-by-side with experts in their fields. Residents may apply to one of several different areas of specialty, including anesthesiology, cardiology, emergency and critical care, equine theriogenology, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, radiology, surgery, and zoological medicine.

Interns in four areas (internal medicine, small animal, large animal, and zoological medicine) rotate through different specialties and spend about a fourth of their time on the emergency service. They also have some elective time to spend in an area of interest within the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH).

FY22 Clinical Residencies & Internships Specialty

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Total

Large Animal Internships

3

0

0

3

Equine Practice

0

0

1

1

Equine Theriogenology

0

1

0

1

Internal Medicine

2

1

1

4

Radiology

4

1

2

7

Surgery

1

1

1

3

Sports Medicine

0

1

0

1

Large Animal Clinical Sciences Totals

10

5

5

20

Small Animal Internships

14

N/A

N/A

14

Anesthesia

2

0

1

3

Cardiology

1

1

1

3

Dermatology

1

0

0

1

Emergency/Critical Care

2

2

2

6

Internal Medicine

2

2

3

7

Neurology

1

1

1

3

Oncology

0

0

2

2

Radiation Oncology

0

1

1

2

Ophthalmology

1

1

0

2

Surgery

2

3

2

7

Small Animal Clinical Sciences Totals

26

11

13

50

Anatomic Pathology

2

2

3

7

Cardiovascular Pathology

0

0

0

0

Clinical Pathology

1

1

1

3

Comparative Medicine

1

1

1

3

Parasitology

0

0

0

0

Pathobiology Totals

4

4

5

13

Totals

40

20

23

83

Brady Stutzman

Abby Ostronic

Leah Douglas 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 17

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION (D&I) Climate, Well-being, & Inclusion Programming • Basic mediation course (182 administrators, faculty, & staff) • Aggie Ally (60+ faculty and staff) • Question, Persuade, & Refer (QPR) Suicide Prevention training for faculty, staff, and students • Every second-year DVM student gets QPR trained • House Officer Wellness Committee • VMTH Culture Keepers • Dare to Lead • Stress Reduction & Management • Community service projects • REACH Pet Wellness Fair • Roach Family Student Community Outreach Surgical Program • College Diversity Committee (C-IDEA) • Operation Border Health • FAVE (Future Aggie Veterinary Experience: new in FY22) • Graduate Student White Coat and Oath Ceremony

Diversity is a cornerstone value of the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS), an award-winning school, that both leads and collaborates in regards to climate, equity, and inclusion. A diverse and inclusive environment is essential for preparing veterinary leaders with an intentional, open, and global perspective. The VMBS affirms diversity both broadly and specifically, and our community aims to be representative of our ever-changing state and nation. In order to maintain and grow our commitment, the VMBS has developed a Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Plan.

The VMBS received 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Awards from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, one of only two veterinary programs to receive the award for six consecutive years. This award is a national honor recognizing U.S. health profession schools that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, assessed by national non-veterinary peers.

Other notable highlights include VMBS Excellence in D&I faculty and staff awards, national leadership in diversity and inclusion initiatives, publication of a monthly D&I Digest, and a presentation given at the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) 2022 Catalyze conference in Washington, D.C., on diversity and inclusion issues in the VMBS. In addition, the Committee for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Accountability (C-IDEA) hosted and co-hosted a number of events for the school's faculty, staff, and students, including Welcome Week activities; Mental Health Awareness Month activities; Spread the Love; Coffee, Culture & Conversation; and many others.

Inclusive Facilities • 28 gender neutral bathrooms • Four lactation rooms • VBEC Exercise Room

Student Programs DVM Students • 4 MOA Texas A&M System partnerships • 2+2 DVM program at VERO • Food Animal Track developed to serve rural Texas communities • Diversity scholarships

C-IDEA Committee

Spread the Love

C-IDEA Welcome Week

Mental Health Awareness

Graduate students • Graduate Diversity Fellows • Diversity PhD Scholarships • Graduate program extends communication and conflict management trainings • New Graduate Program at VERO BIMS undergraduate students • 17 BIMS 2+2 community college programs • New BIMS degree in McAllen and first-generation students • High number of URM students 18 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

VETERINARY INTEGRATIVE BIOSCIENCES (VIBS) VIBS carries out teaching, research, and service across a wide spectrum of biosciences. The faculty teach anatomy and public health courses in the DVM curriculum, as well as core (required), very popular, and elective courses for undergraduate and graduate students. Faculty, staff, and students are engaged in biomedical communications (writing), genetics, neuroscience, reproductive biology, toxicology, epidemiology, and public health. VIBS is home to one of the few programs in science and technology journalism in the country. Through various outreach programs, faculty engage local, regional, and international communities. Our faculty contribute to their scientific communities by serving on editorial boards of journals in their field and on review panels for NIH, NSF, etc., and are supported by grants from federal and private agencies.

Highlights from FY22 include: New Faculty/Staff • Dr. Lauren Davis, Instructional Assistant Professor (Genetics) • Dr. Chrissy Barron, Instructional Assistant Professor, VERO • Dr. Cathryn Sparks, Instructional Associate Professor, VERO • Daeghan Drgac, Administrative Associate II Faculty Promotions • Dr. Sarah Hamer promoted to Full Professor • Dr. Kevin Curley promoted to Instructional Associate Professor • Dr. Tamy Frank-Cannon promoted to Clinical Associate Professor Retired Faculty • Dr. William “Les” Dees, Professor Emeritus, 36 years of service • Dr. Larry Johnson, Professor, 35 years of service • Dr. Cheryl Herman, Clinical Associate Professor, 15 years of service

GRADUATE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT The MS in Veterinary Public Health-Epidemiology (MS VPHE) program continues to expand, with students enrolling in both thesis and non-thesis versions of the standalone degree program as well as the MS VPHE/DVM combination degree program. Along with directed studies experiences, these students participate in an epidemiology seminar series, with recent offerings focusing on antimicrobial resistance, parasitic helminths, and animal-targeted interventions in the wild to reduce pathogen spillover risk to humans.

AWARDS Undergraduate/Graduate Students • September Martin, Science, Technology, and Journalism (STJR) student - 2021 Native American Journalist Association Fellowship Program • Ilana Mosely, PhD rotating (Dr. Budke) - first place for a graduate student oral presentation in the Life Sciences category at TAMU Student Research Week • Emily Leeke, undergraduate student (Dr. Hamer) - third place in the undergraduate Life Sciences category for her poster presentation • Colette Nickodem, PhD student (Dr. Norman) - 2022-23 Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Teaching-As-Research (TAR) Fellow DVM • Dani Burleson, a Veterinary Medical Scientist Research Training Program (VMSRTP) (Dr. Norman) - veterinary scholar award at the VMBS awards ceremony • Morgan McCord, VMSRTP (Dr. Gaddy) - Outstanding VMSRTP Symposium Oral Presentation Postdoctoral • Dr. Nicole Foley (Murphy lab) received best post-doc talk at 5th annual Southeast Texas Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics (STEGG) conference and a presentation prize at 49th Annual meeting of the Texas Genetics Society

PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS •

• •

Rubin CJ, Enbody ED, Dobreva MP, Abzhanov A, Davis BW, Lamichhaney S, Pettersson M, Sendell-Price AT, Sprehn CG, Valle CA, Vasco K, Wallerman O, Grant BR, Grant PR, Andersson L. Rapid adaptive radiation of Darwin's finches depends on ancestral genetic modules. Sci Adv. 2022 Jul 8;8(27):eabm5982.

Wuri L, Arosh JA, *Wu JZ, Banu SK. Exposure to hexavalent chromium causes infertility by disruptingcytoskeletal machinery and mitochondrial function of the metaphase II oocytes in superovulated rats. Toxicology Reports 2022; 9: 219-229.

Arosh JA, Lee J, Banu SK. Effects of dual inhibition of AKT and ERK1/2 pathways on endometrial pro- inflammatory, hormonal, 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 19

VETERINARY INTEGRATIVE BIOSCIENCES (VIBS) •

• • • •

• •

• • • • • • • •

• •

• •

•

and epigenetic microenvironment in endometriosis. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2022Aug 31;111446. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2022; 539:111446.

Perez-Gomez AA#, Karmakar M, Carroll RJ, Kochan KJ, Lawley KS#, Amstalden K, Young CR, Threadgill DW, Welsh CJ, BrinkmeyerLangford C. Temporal Cytokine Profiles of Heterogeneous Mouse Models with TMEV-induced Neurological Disease. 2022. Cells 11(13):2044.

Budke CM, Pfeiffer DU, Jones BA, Fournié G, Kim Y, Marrana M, Simmons HL. Sequestration and Destruction of Rinderpest VirusContaining Material 10 Years after Eradication. Emerg Infect Dis. 2022 Sep;28(9):1895-1898.

Xu Q, Yang Y, Zhang X, Cai JJ. Association of pyroptosis and severeness of COVID-19 as revealed by integrated single-cell transcriptome data analysis. Immunoinformatics (Amst). 2022 Jun;6:100013.

Stroupe S, Forgacs D, Harris A, Derr JN, Davis BW. Genomic evaluation of hybridization in historic and modern North American Bison (Bison bison). Sci Rep. 2022 Apr 16;12(1):6397.

Mohamed FF, Chavez MB, Huggins S, Bertels J, Falck A, Suva L, Foster BL, Gaddy D. (2022) Dentoalveolar defects of hypophosphatasia are recapitulated in a sheep knock-in model. J Bone and Mineral Research, 37(10):2005, doi: 10.1002/ jbmr.4666. Epub 2022 Aug 26 Weng W, Ritter NL, Cornell K, Gonzales M. Adopting Learning Analytics in a First-Year Veterinarian Professional Program: What We Could Know in Advance about Student Learning Progress. J Vet Med Educ. 2021 Dec;48(6):720-728 Hamer SA, Ghai RR, Zecca IB, Auckland LD, Roundy CM, Davila E, Busselman RE, Tang W, Pauvolid-Corrêa A, Killian ML, JenkinsMoore M, Torchetti MK, Robbe Austerman S, Lim A, Akpalu Y, Fischer RSB, Barton Behravesh C, Hamer GL. SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant of concern detected in a pet dog and cat after exposure to a person with COVID-19, USA. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 May;69(3):1656-1658. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14122. Epub 2021 May 12.

McLendon BA, Kramer AC, Seo H, Burghardt RC, Bazer FW, Wu G, Johnson GA. Temporal and spatial expression of aquaporins 1, 5, 8, and 9: Potential transport of water across the endometrium and chorioallantois of pigs. Placenta. 2022 Jun 24;124:28-36.

Kim S, Lu HC, Steelman AJ, Li J. Myeloid caspase-8 restricts RIPK3-dependent proinflammatory IL-1β production and CD4 T cell activation in autoimmune demyelination. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Jun 14;119(24) Fang X, Ni N, Wang X, Tian Y, Ivanov I, Rijnkels M, Bayless KJ, Lydon JP, Li Q. EZH2 and Endometrial Cancer Development: Insights from a Mouse Model. Cells. 2022 Mar 7;11(5):909.

Yu, F., Ko, M.L., Ko, G. Y.-P. MicroRNA-150 and its target ETS-domain transcription factor 1 contribute to inflammation in diabetic photoreceptors. J. Cellular and Molecular Medicine, October 2021, 25:10724-10735.

Bredemeyer KR, Seabury CM, Stickney MJ, McCarrey JR, vonHoldt BM, Murphy WJ. Rapid Macrosatellite Evolution Promotes X-Linked Hybrid Male Sterility in a Feline Interspecies Cross. Mol Biol Evol. 2021 Dec 9;38(12):5588-5609 Chiu WA, Ndeffo-Mbah ML. Calibrating COVID-19 community transmission risk levels to reflect infection prevalence. Epidemics.

2022 Oct 22;41:100646.

Rutledge AM, Guo LJ, Lord LE, Leal AR, Deramus J, López SM, Russell A, Nghiem P.P. Comprehensive assessment of physical activity correlated with muscle function in canine Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Ann Phys Rehabil Med. 2022 Sep;65(5):101611.

Carey AM, Capik SF, Giebel S, Nickodem C, Piñeiro JM, Scott HM, Vinasco J, Norman KN. Prevalence and Profiles of Antibiotic Resistance Genes mph(A) and qnrB in Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Dairy Calf Feces. Microorganisms. 2022 Feb 10;10(2):411 Castellini JM, Rea LD, Avery JP, O'Hara TM. Total Mercury, Total Selenium, and Monomethylmercury Relationships in Multiple Age Cohorts and Tissues of Steller Sea Lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Environ Toxicol Chem. 2022 Jun;41(6):1477-1489.

Castaneda C, Radovic L, Felkel S, Juras R, Davis BW, Cothran EG, Wallner B, Raudsepp T. Copy number variation (CNV) of horse Y chromosome genes in normal equine populations and in horses with abnormal sex development and subfertility; Relationship of CNVs with Y haplogroups. G3 (Bethesda). 2022 Oct 13:jkac278.

Seo H, Kramer AC, McLendon BA, Cain JW, Burghardt RC, Wu G, Bazer FW, Johnson GA. Elongating porcine conceptuses can utilize glutaminolysis as an anaplerotic pathway to maintain the TCA cycle†. Biol Reprod. 2022 Sep 12;107(3):823-833.

Fawkes LS, McDonald TJ, Roh T, Chiu WA, Taylor RJ, Sansom GT. A Participatory-Based Research Approach for Assessing Exposure to Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water in the Houston Neighborhood of the Greater Fifth Ward. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 2;19(13):8135.

Tayce, J. D., Macik, M., & Johnson, M. (2022). The Creation of a Massive, Multi-team Organized (MMO) Course. Journal of veterinary medical education, 49(2), 164–171.

PUBLICATIONS/BOOKS •

Dr. Barbara Gastel, Professor of Science & Technology Journalism (STJR), published a new edition of How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper https://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Publish-Scientific-Paper/dp/144087882X

20 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

VETERINARY PATHOBIOLOGY (VTPB) Veterinary Pathobiology (VTPB) focuses on advancing animal and human health through innovative research, preparing next generation veterinary and biomedical professionals and scientists through impactful teaching, and supporting animal health care through expert clinical laboratory service.

Our faculty teach in the undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary professional programs of the school. The department is home to post-DVM residency programs in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and laboratory animal medicine. The department has a T32 NIH training grant for post-DVM doctoral students. The research emphases of our faculty and students are in the areas of infectious diseases & immunology; genetics & genomics; wildlife health & conservation; and pathology. Research programs of the faculty are supported by extramural funding from several federal and state agencies such as NIH, USDA, NSF, DTRA, and Texas Parks and Wildlife, as well as from industry and nonprofit research organizations/foundations.

Highlights from FY22 include: New Faculty • Dr. Jessica Hokamp, Associate Professor, Clinical Pathology • Dr. Lauren Stranahan, Clinical Assistant Professor, Anatomic Pathology • Dr. Yvonne Wikander, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Pathology, VERO

Achievements/Awards Faculty •

Dr. Jessica Galloway-Peña: Outstanding Young Faculty Research Award, Texas A&M VMBS

•

Dr. Robert Valeris-Chacin: ADVANCE NCFDD Faculty Success Fellow; Faculty Mentoring Fellow; Selection as CRWAD program committee member for the area of Population Health.

•

Dr. Yvonne Wikander: Attended Transforming Teaching & Learning Conference (College Station, TX), Veterinary Educator

•

Collaborative Conference (Manhattan, KS), and the Beef Cattle Short Course Conference (zoom); Obtained microcredential in Designing Learner-Centered & Equitable Courses (Association of College & University Educators) and Certificate for Diversity & Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine (Purdue University CVM)

•

Dr. Gui Verocai: Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital Clinical Service Award; Academic Board Member, National Center for Veterinary Parasitology; Sponsored VMSRTP students Sasha Adams and Jordan Gomez

•

Dr. Sara Lawhon: 2022 Boehringer Ingelheim Research Mentorship Award for the Veterinary Medical Scholars Research Training Program.

•

Dr. Mary Nabity: Biomarkers of Glomerular Diseases” COHA Glomerular Diseases Summit, Boston, MA, April 4-5, 2022; Alport dogs: Promoting animal and human health” MPHY/ CVRI Seminar, Texas A&M University, April 20, 2022; “Urinary Biomarkers in Dogs and Cats”, Requested seminar for Small Animal Clinical Sciences residents and interns, Texas A&M University, June 8, 2022

•

Dr. Zhilong Yang: Provided expert opinions in Cell (Voice article) https://www.sciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0092867422009837?via%3Dihub). Journal of Medical Virology (https:// onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmv.27884); Invited to serve as the Associate Editor of Journal of Medical Virology and the co-Editor-in-Chief for the “Monkeypox virus and related poxviruses” special issue.

•

Dr. Ramesh Vemulapalli: Bridges Teaching & Service Award

•

Dr. Jeffrey Musser: Tizard, IR, and Musser, JMB, Great American Diseases: Their Effects on the Course of North American History, Elsevier Science, January 2022

•

Dr. Ian Tizard: Tizard, IR, and Musser, JMB, Great American Diseases: Their Effects on the Course of North American History, Elsevier Science, January 2022; Tizard, IR, Allergies and Hypersensitivity Disease in Animals, Elsevier Health Sciences, November 2021

•

Dr. Tom Ficht, Garry Adams, Angela Arenas, and Alison Ficht – “Controlled release vaccines and methods for treating Brucella diseases and disorders” – Patent #10,940,193

•

Dr. Luc Berghman – “Compositions and methods of enhancing immune responses to enteric

Dr. Jessica Hokamp

Dr. Yvonne Wikander

Dr. Lauren Stranahan 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 21

VETERINARY PATHOBIOLOGY (VTPB) pathogens” – Patent # 11,013,792 •

Dr. Scott Dindot – “Angelman syndrome antisense treatment” - Patent# 11,198,869

Graduate Students/Residents/Trainees •

Yifei Liao: 2022 Texas A&M University Distinguished Dissertation Award in Biological and Life Sciences

•

Max Chung: abstract for CRWAD 2023 accepted for poster.

•

Christopher Panaretos: abstract for CRWAD 2023 accepted for poster

•

Dr. Caroline Sobotyk: 2022 VMBS Outstanding Postdoctoral Associate Award and 2022 AAVP Young Investigator Travel Grant ($700)

•

Matt Kulpa: 2022 ASP Student Award and 2022 AAVP Young Investigator Travel Grant ($700)

•

Kaylee Kipp: Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 Choctaw Nation Scholarship ($4,100); 2022 Texas Bison Association Meeting, Invited Speaker – travel & lodging expenses; 2022 AAVP Young Investigator Travel Grant ($700); 2022 ASP Student Award; 2022 Texas A&M Walter W. Lechner Estate Scholarship ($1,025)

•

Maureen Kelly (PhD student): 2021 Texas A&M Walter W. Lechner Estate Scholarship ($1,025); 2022 AAVP Young Investigator Travel Grant ($700); 2022 ASP Student Award

•

Hannah Danks: 2022 AAVP Young Investigator Travel Grant ($700)

•

Dr. Clinson Lui: International Society of Dermatopathologist grant, for his PhD project "Use of Keratinocytoids to Study Atopic Dermatitis" ($10,000)

•

Dr. Rebecca Bacon passed her American College of Veterinary Pathologist Board Examination and received funding for her research through Dr. Albert Mulenga’s NIH T32 grant. With Dr. Carolyn Hodo, clinical assistant professor at M.D. Anderson (co-chair of Dr. Bacon’s committee), Dr. Bacon wrote a grant to the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine that was funded to support our collaborative research on Campylobacter species in rhesus macaques.

The award was made to Dr. Hodo at M.D. Anderson. The Lawhon Lab provides support work through fee-for-service testing of specimens.

•

Ariana Cherry: 1st Place Platform Presentation at the 2022 VMBS Trainee Research Symposium; VMBS Graduate Student Association Travel Award to present research at the 2022 ACVIM annual meeting for her abstract: A.D. Cherry1, C. Chu, S. Jacobson3, R. Cianciolo, J. Hokamp, M. Nabity. Urinary miRNA 126 is elevated in dogs with immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis (Oral). CVMBS Trainee Research Symposium, College Station, TX, May 2022.

•

Kaitlin Casanova-Hampton: 34d Place Platform Presentation at the 2022 VMBS Trainee Research Symposium

•

Dr. Katarina Yi: ACVIM Resident Research Award for her abstract K. Yi, N. Jeffery, M.B. Nabity, A. Cook, J. Heseltine. Effect of fasting versus feeding on selected biochemical analytes in 100 healthy dogs (Oral). American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Annual Forum, Austin, TX, June 22-25, 2022.

•

Emily Bencosme-Cuevas: VMBS Trainee Research Symposium People’s Choice for Poster Award and VMBS John Paul Delaplane Award

•

Sarai Milliron: L.P. Jones Pathology Resident Award

•

Christen Robinson: Board Certified in Lab Animal Medicine

•

Briana Bywaters: North American Vascular Biology Organization Travel Award to Attend the Gordon Research Conference on; Endothelial Cell Phenotypes in Health and Disease: Understanding Endothelial Cell Diversity, Regulation and Regenerative Potential in Barcelona, Spain.

Dr. Gus Wright

Dr. Artem Rogovskyy

Staff • Dr. Gus Wright: Outstanding Research Support Award

Dr. Sarguru Subash 22 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Faculty Promotions • Dr. Artem Rogovskyy: Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure • Dr. Sarguru Subash: Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure

VETERINARY PHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY (VTPP) VTPP is a multidisciplinary basic science department that strives to shape the future of research and education in human and veterinary medicine. Research in VTPP is expansive and incorporates excellence in toxicology, cardiovascular biology, regenerative sciences, bone biology, reproductive and developmental biology, and pharmacology. The cooperation among the various departments within the VMBS and the Texas A&M University scientific community produces an unparalleled research and teaching environment.

VTPP faculty are integral to many of the leading research centers both on and off the Texas A&M University campus. VTPP faculty are members of the Interdisciplinary Faculties of Toxicology, Genetics, and Reproductive Biology. VTPP is also home to the Texas A&M Superfund Research Center, the Michael E. DeBakey Institute for Cardiovascular Science and Biomedical Devices and the foundational basis for the Aggie Research Program.

VTPP boasts a scientific community that fosters excellence in teaching and research to train the next generation of biomedical professionals through the concerted efforts of faculty, students, and staff. VTPP affirms and supports many different dimensions of diversity and is fully committed to ensuring a climate of inclusion where all our faculty, students, and staff are empowered to achieve their full potential. Collaboration is the essence of the VTPP faculty and drives our commitment to excellence in a highly interactive, collaborative, and multidisciplinary teaching and research environment.

In 2021, 60 peer-reviewed publications appeared in PubMed and 41 extramural grant submissions with 4 awarded.

Highlights from FY22 include: Faculty •

Dr. Annie Newell-Fugate was presented with the Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences 2022 Richard H. Davis Award

•

VTPP welcomed four new faculty: Dr. Ivan Rusyn, Dr. Weston Porter, Dr. Tim Phillips, and Dr. Weihsueh Chiu (originally in VIBS) and leadership of the VMBS Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program to VTPP

School •

VTPP welcomed a new group of outstanding Adjunct Faculty approved by VTPP faculty and the Office of Faculty Affairs: Dr. George Daston, Dr. Peter Friedman, Dr. Dana Gaddy, Dr. Valerie Ryder and Dr. Fred Wright

Departmental •

Kalen Johnson was 2021 VTPP Graduate Student of the Year

•

Mr. Jeff Bray was the 2021 VTPP Staff Member of the Year

•

Dr. Mike Golding was the 2021 VTPP Faculty Mentor of the Year

•

VTPP website continues to gather traction and increased hits: https://physiology.tamu.edu

•

VTPP Teaching Tuesday initiated with the goal to begin to “brand” VTPP teaching and highlight the expertise that exists in VTPP at the UG, graduate and professional teaching levels

•

Dr. Chris Quick, PI and Dr. Marissa Cisneros (Co-I) were awarded an NIH R25 (1R25MH129792-01) entitled “Cultivating a sustainable neuroscience research-intensive community to build equity”

•

Ms. Kirby Sherman (VTPP PhD candidate) was awarded an NIH F31 entitled “Investigating injury response and bone regeneration in down syndrome mouse models”

Dr. Annie Newell-Fugate was presented with the VMBS Richard H. Davis Award

Dr. Glen Laine and Reetu Singh presenting in the education section at the American Physiology Society (APS) in Philadelphia, PA 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 23

VETERINARY PHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY (VTPP) •

Dr. Ivan Rusyn and colleagues received a new EPA award entitled “A tiered hybrid experimental-computational strategy for rapid risk assessment of complex environmental mixtures using novel analytical and toxicological methods”

•

Dr. Annie Newell-Fugate and Dr. Cris Heaps (Co-PIs) were awarded UT Southwestern Center for Translational Medicine (Pilot Award) entitled “Impact of exercise on the coronary perivascular adipose tissue microenvironment”

•

VTPP has a new Twitter handle @TAMUphysiology

•

VTPP completed first 4 year goal of 8 new NIH R01s (2018-2022)

•

60 peer-reviewed publications and 41 extramural grant submissions with 4 awarded in 2021

National/International

VTPP PhD students Josh Bertels, Kirby Sherman and Rebecca Harlow presenting at Texas A&M Student Research Week with faculty

•

Ms. Mandy Zachgo was recognized by the AVMA as an outstanding veterinary technician

•

The 2022 Experimental Biology meeting was a success for VTPP faculty, staff and student attendees.

•

VTPP faculty member Dr. Ivan Rusyn’s Toxicology T32 (2T32ES026568-06A1) was renewed. The renewal included 8 pre-doctoral positions (meaning a doubling of the program’s size) and 2 post-doctoral fellowship awards

VTPP Publications 2019-2021 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10

Austin Warren and Dr. Alice Blue-McLendon

24 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

0

2019

2020

2021

LARGE ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VLCS) The faculty and staff of VLCS continue to focus on improving the health and well-being of a myriad of large animal species including horses, cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, llamas, alpacas, and camels through providing advanced care to patients in the Large Animal Teaching Hospital, performing impactful, contemporary research, and educating large animal practitioners, specialty veterinarians, and talented researchers.

Highlights from FY22 include: Education and Clinical Care VLCS participates in delivering a pre-clinical curriculum that focuses on preparing students for seamless integration into clinical settings during their fourth year. This curriculum provides students the opportunity to develop critical-thinking, clinical decision making, animal handling, and technical skills that contribute to success as practitioners. Our faculty are integral to the application of basic science skills beginning in the first semester of the first year of the professional program through courses taught at both the College Station and VERO in Canyon campuses.

The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital provides the platform for senior students to further develop their skills and prepares them for entry into the profession. In our state-of-the-art hospital facilities, fleet of ambulatory vehicles that provide onfarm patient care, and through partnerships with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, students are mentored by faculty who are national and international leaders in their respective fields in multiple veterinary applications. Additionally, early career veterinarians pursuing specialty careers train in 1-, 2- or 3-year programs in the following specialty areas: •

Large Animal rotating hospital internships

•

Large Animal Internal Medicine

•

Large Animal Surgery

•

Theriogenology (Advanced Reproduction)

•

Equine Practice

•

Radiology and Advanced Imaging

•

Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation

Our hospital advances patient care through a collaborative effort of innovative, nationally recognized faculty members in concert with a dedicated group of technical staff. Fourth-year veterinary students, interns, and residents participate in providing patient care on the following services.

•

Equine Soft Tissue Surgery

•

Equine Orthopedic Surgery

•

Equine Sports Medicine and Imaging

•

Equine Community Practice

•

Equine Field Services and Advanced Dentistry

•

Equine Theriogenology

•

Equine Internal Medicine

•

Large Animal Emergency and Critical Care

•

Radiology and Advanced Imaging

•

Food Animal Medicine and Surgery

•

Food Animal Field Services

In addition to hospital-based rotations and services, students receive training in farm-based care integral to rural agriculture communities through rotations based distant to College Station including:

Theriogenology (Advanced Reproduction)

Large Animal Surgery

Equine Field Services 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 25

LARGE ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VLCS) •

Texas Department of Criminal Justice ambulatory rotation

•

VERO based rotations in the Texas panhandle in the areas of: •

Feedlot Medicine

•

Dairy Medicine

•

Beef Production Medicine

•

Rural Practice Externship

Education and Clinical Service Awards •

Dr. Dee Griffin – American Association of Bovine Practitioners Amstutz-Williams Award •

Dr. BJ Newcomer

This award is the highest honor bestowed by the AABP to recognize outstanding contributions to bovine veterinary medicine, the cattle industries, and the AABP.

•

Dr. Keith Chaffin – VMTH Clinical Service Award

•

Dr. Dusty Nagy – Bridges Teaching and Service Award

•

Dr. Evelyn Mackay – Richard H. Davis Teaching Award

•

Dr. BJ Newcomer – TVMA Teaching Award

•

Dr. Carolyn Arnold – Zoetis Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award

•

Dr. Andrès Rivera – TVMA Foundation Earl Waddell Award

•

Dr. Abbi Brock – TVMA Foundation Johnson Memorial Award

•

Dr. Bridget Savitske – John Milliff ’28 Veterinary Award

Research and Graduate Studies VLCS is committed to research that is designed to provide solutions to problems affecting the equine and livestock industries. Our researchers and their laboratories are heavily invested in developing the research leaders of tomorrow through their graduate student training and mentoring programs as well as providing opportunities for undergraduate students to experience research.

•

Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory • Under the leadership of Dr. Noah Cohen, University Distinguished Professor and Patsy Link Chair in Equine Research, the Equine Infectious Disease Laboratory (EIDL) continues to advance diagnostic and therapeutic modalities necessary for the management of important infectious diseases impacting horses. In 2021, research initiated in the EIDL resulted in the development of an improved diagnostic assay at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory for the detection of the highly contagious equine disease, Strangles, caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies equi.

•

Food Animal Infectious Disease Laboratory at VERO in Canyon • Lead by Dr. Paul Morley, Professor and Sally Rau McIntosh Chair for Veterinary Strategic Initiatives, this laboratory focuses on research driven by the needs of the livestock industry. This includes bovine respiratory disease, liver abscesses in feedlot environments, impacts of antimicrobial use, and investigating relationships between health and disease using advanced molecular diagnostics such as transcriptomics and metagenomics.

Dr. Noah Cohen

Research and Graduate Studies Awards

Dr. Paul Morley 26 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

•

Dr. Paul Morley – Outstanding Research Leader Award

•

Dr. Paul Morley – TVMA Research Award

•

Dr. Matt Scott – Outstanding Young Faculty Research Award

SMALL ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VSCS) The Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences is committed to enhancing the lives of companion animals and people through leading edge veterinary and client care, clinical trials and research, transformational education, and outreach. Our faculty are educators, focused on growing the next generation of primary care clinicians and specialists, scientists, and leaders. The department’s researchers study health issues common to both animals and humans in areas such as cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, orthopedics, aging, and oncology. We are strongly focused on serving our state, nation, and world.

VSCS offers the following one-year internships and three-year residency programs: •

Internal Medicine Internship

•

Dermatology Residency

•

Clinical Trials Fellowship

•

Surgery Internship

•

Internal Medicine Residency

•

•

Anesthesiology Residency

•

Neurology Residency

Underserved Communities Rotating Internship

•

Cardiology Residency

•

Ophthalmology Residency

•

Small Animal Rotating Internship

•

Emergency & Critical Care Residency

•

Surgery Residency

•

Cardiology Internship

New Faculty A number of new, high-impact clinicians have joined the department or will join the department in 2023. These include: •

Dr. Thomas Edwards, Research Associate Professor of Emergency and Critical Care

•

Dr. Kara Moreno, Clinical Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology

•

Dr. Christina Gentry, Clinical Assistant Professor of Dermatology

•

Dr. Jordan Vitt, Lecturer in Cardiology

•

Dr. Kate Aicher, Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology

Anesthesiology Residency

We were also excited to welcome 3 faculty transfers with expertise in information services and librarianship.

•

Ms. Molly Crews, Instructional Assistant Professor

•

Ms. Pauline Melgoza, Associate Professor

•

Ms. Laura Rey, Instructional Assistant Professor

Highlights from FY22 include: Teaching •

VSCS continued its peer review of teaching program, led by Dr. Ashley Saunders, which enables educators to receive feedback on teaching content delivery. The program recently expanded to enable faculty to receive feedback on clinical rounds.

•

There are currently 54 interns and residents within the department. Our internship and residency advisory committee, house officer wellbeing committee, and intern training committee have made key changes that improve support of trainees and ensure equitable work hours.

•

The department has approximately 20 graduate students and post-doctoral trainees, working in areas that range from gastroenterology, neurology, and aging biology.

Dermatology Residency

Emergency & Critical Care Residency 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 27

SMALL ANIMAL CLINICAL SCIENCES (VSCS) Research •

VSCS expanded its biobanking and clinical trials capacity with the hire of Ms. Lisa Even, Manager of the Office of Veterinary Clinical Investigation. Ms. Even provides support to investigators throughout the School and ensures best practices in clinical trials are followed.

•

The Gastrointestinal Laboratory received multiple new gifts from private and corporate donors, which will support chairs in hepatology and gastroenterology as well as support clinical research

•

Dr. Kate Creevy published a first author paper in the journal Nature, summarizing the Dog Aging Project, a multi-institutional collaboration that has enrolled thousands of dogs to study healthy aging

•

VSCS has developed a Clinical Research and Information Service to support students, residents and faculty with research information needs.

•

Our cardiology team published key research detailing predictors of the development of cardiac disease in large breed dogs

•

Dr. Nick Jeffery developed a new metric for assessing gait in dogs with spinal cord injury, the 50-step walking test

•

The department appointed two Assistant Department Heads, Drs. Brian Saunders and Jonathan Lidbury, to supervise graduate student, clinical research, and intramural grant programs

Dr. Kate Creevy

Patient Care

Dr. Adam Patterson

Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm 28 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

•

Dr. Kate Creevy was named a Texas A&M University Presidential Impact Fellow in 2021. This award recognizes rising stars who embody the university’s commitment to advancing knowledge

•

Dr. Jonathan Levine completed his term as President of the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians

•

Dr. Adam Patterson completed his term as President of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology

•

Dr. Ashley Saunders was named a Texas A&M University Presidential Professor of Teaching Excellence in 2022, the highest award the university offers to outstanding educators

•

Dr. Jörg Steiner was named a 2021 Regents Professor, which is the highest recognition bestowed by the University System on faculty for contributions to teaching, research, and service.

•

Dr. Lori Teller served as President of the American Veterinary Medical Association

•

Dr. Johanna Heseltine was awarded the 2022 Provost Academic Professional Track Faculty Teaching Excellence Award and the Association of Former Students College-Level Teaching Award

•

Dr. Elizabeth Malcolm received the 1st Oral Abstract Prize: Purina Award at the ECVIM-CA Online Congress for her presentation on Reproducibility and repeatability of radiographic measurements of cardiac size in dogs

VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL (VMTH) The VMTH at the VMBS provides leading-edge compassionate care for animals while ensuring that students receive the highest standard of veterinary medical education. The VMTH was the first teaching hospital to receive the prestigious American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Referral Practice Accreditation, is certified as a Level II facility by the Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society (VECCS), and has been awarded the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Cat-Friendly Practice (CFP) – Gold Level designation.

Highlights from FY22 include: The VMTH treated 22,839 patients in the Small Animal Teaching Hospital and 5,103 patients in the Large Animal Teaching Hospital.

One hospital team member was recognized for her dedication to the university with a President’s Meritorious Service Award, in part for her commitment to the Aggie core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service.

As the hospital continues to recover from the challenges of the pandemic, the reality of fatigue on the veterinary profession is clearly apparent, leading the VMTH to double efforts to focus on wellbeing and morale throughout the hospital. This includes investing in new and existing personnel and purposefully listening to and focusing on the needs of the hospital team. Some of those needs included much needed equipment and facility improvements, including the installation of new flooring in our Large Animal Teaching Hospital and Tru-D which is a UV disinfecting robot that kills bacteria, viruses, and spores using UVC light. These new additions help to maintain the integrity of our infection prevention program while continuing to support the hospital’s commitment to high-quality patient care and teaching.

Shaping tomorrow’s veterinarians while providing an unmatched patient and client experience is how the VMTH operates. The entire team of clinicians, staff, and veterinary students is committed to providing state-of-the-art care and making the VMBS' teaching hospital a model for excellence in Texas and beyond. The VMTH continues to balance exceptional patient care with a student educational experience second to none.

Small Animal Teaching Hospital

Large Animal Teaching Hospital 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 29

VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL (VMTH) Small Animal Teaching Hospital The Small Animal Teaching Hospital is home to 20 services, which include a full complement of faculty and staff to teach students, interns, and residents in all aspects of small animal medicine. Patients have access to the full spectrum of veterinary care—from annual preventive medicine through the Primary Care Service to comprehensive cancer treatment through the Oncology Service.

The hospital has continued to grow the Interventional Radiology/Endoscopy service offerings. This service continues to meet the increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures in both interventional radiology and endoscopy.

Large Animal Teaching Hospital The 16 services of the Large Animal Teaching Hospital provide the best medicine available for horses, cattle, goats, sheep, swine, and camelids. Faculty and staff in all disciplines are available to teach students, interns, and residents in all aspects of large animal medicine and surgery. Patients receive the total package of veterinary care both in the hospital through a variety of clinical services and at home or on-farm through Equine and Food Animal Field Services.

FY22 Small Animal Teaching Hospital Caseload

by Species

FY22 Large Animal Teaching Hospital Caseload

by Species 145 Ovine (Sheep)

33 Exotics/Avian (Bird)

178 Other* 205 Porcine (Pig)

2,970 Feline (Cat)

390 Goat 683 Bovine (Cattle)

19,839 Canine (Dog)

3,502 Equine (Horse)

Other - Includes Exotics (35%), Canine (43%), Feline (2%), Avian (<1%), Unknown (1%) *

Hospital Visits by Referral Type

Hospital Visits by Caseload

Fiscal Year

Self-Referred Visits

Referral Total Hospital Visits Visits

Fiscal Year

Small Animal Caseload

2013

12,265

12,245

24,510

2013

17,706

6804

24,510

2014

11,163

14,042

25,205

2014

18,078

7127

25,205

2015

9,168

18,791

27,959

2015

20,100

7859

27,959

2016

8,441

19,346

27,877

2016

20,494

7293

27,877

2017

8,804

19,939

28,743

2017

21,426

7317

28,743

2018

9,026

20,089

29,835

2018

22,434

7401

29,835

2019

8,378

22,257

30,635

2019

23,555

7080

30,635

2020

6,395

20,433

26,828

2020

21,539

5288

26,827

2021

7,067

20,638

27,705

2021

21,939

5766

27,705

2022

6,845

21,097

27,942

2022

22,838

5103

27,491

30 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Large Animal Total Hospital Caseload Caseload

VETERINARY MEDICAL TEACHING HOSPITAL (VMTH) FY22 Clinical Service Activity: Small Animal Teaching Hospital

FY22 Clinical Service Activity: Large Animal Teaching Hospital YTD Sales

YTD Caseload

$36

0

Emergency & Critical Care

$526,775

123

373

Equine Community Practice

$193,870

414

$404,450

430

Equine Field Service

$188,431

433

Dermatology

$285,558

537

Equine Internal Medicine

$763,634

417

Emergency

$4,980,365

6,124

Equine Orthopedic Surgery

$775,156

352

General Surgery

$127,363

374

Equine Soft Tissue Surgery

$704,521

460

Internal Medicine I

$1,609,199

1,173

Equine Sports Medicine & Imaging

$803,025

714

Internal Medicine II

$883,880

779

Equine Theriogenology

$264,108

189

Interventional Radiology

$162,114

312

Farrier

$50,069

304

Neurology

$2,020,645

1,354

Food Animal Field Services

$38,072

143

Oncology

$2,782,635

2,846

Food Animal Medicine & Surgery

$816,817

1,447

$460,244

965

Ophthalmology

$112,731

107

$2,448,477

1,875

Radiology

$710

0

Primary Care

$634,319

2,269

Research

$14,608

0

Radiology

$16,301

3

$650

0

Rehabilitation

$125,333

1,252

Ultrasound

$0

0

$6,608

0

Gross Sales

$5,253,915

Total Caseload:

Soft Tissue Surgery

$1,964,160

1,207

Net Revenue

$4,916,562

5,103

Zoological Medicine

$242

0

Gross Sales

$21,258,753

Total Caseload:

Net Revenue

$19,880,673

22,839

Clinical Service Name

YTD Sales

YTD Caseload

Cardiology

$1,126,001

966

$5

0

Critical Care

$753,935

Dental

Community Practice

Ophthalmology Orthopedic Surgery

Research

Clinical Service Name Dermatology

TDCJ

VMTH Net Revenue + School Support Area

FY12

FY13

FY14

FY15

FY16

FY17

FY18

FY19

FY20

FY21

FY22

Large Animal Teaching Hospital

$3,274,152

$3,738,209

$3,663,623

$4,253,080

$4,450,376

$4,393,072

$4,854,500

$4,806,704

$4,054,354

$5,079,122

$4,916,562

Small Animal Teaching Hospital

$10,104,491

$11,123,191

$11,991,528

$13,270,547

$14,533,673

$14,710,375

$16,305,727

$18,162,040

$17,403,172

$18,800,898

$19,880,674

$256,422

$176,772

$169,442

$150,382

$169,983

$209,244

$218,936

$206,139

$136,693

$131,665

$127,245

State Funding

$2,738,019

$2,738,019

$2,987,781

$3,140,390

$3,358,220

$3,623,372

$3,436,451

$3,728,422

$3,923,069

$4,031,888

$7,101,613

Total Revenue

$16,373,085

$17,776,191

$18,812,373

$20,814,400

$22,512,252

$22,936,063

$24,815,614

$26,856,186

$25,517,288

$28,043,573

$31,771,605

Other

Fourth-year students with Reveille X

Fourth-year students

Fourth-year students 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 31

VETERINARY EDUCATION, RESEARCH, & OUTREACH (VERO) The Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) program is a partnership between the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) and West Texas A&M University (WT) to recruit and mentor young people in the region seeking careers in veterinary medicine and to serve the livestock industries and the veterinary profession through teaching, research, and outreach programs.

West Texas A&M University

VERO Professional Education Program In the fall of 2022, the VERO team welcomed the second class to the VMBS 2+2 program (2+2 Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program) at the VERO campus. VERO faculty currently deliver the full portfolio of courses for the 1st and 2nd years of the VMBS DVM program to prepare VERO students to go to College Station for their third and fourth/clinical years. The VERO program provides a highly interactive educational environment with small class sizes and a low student-to-faculty ratio. A talented team of veterinary educators ensure 2+2 students receive the same nationally ranked veterinary medicine education as the students who complete the first 2 years of the program in College Station. VERO clinical rotations for 4th year veterinary students, initiated in August 2020, include the VERO Feedlot Rotation, VERO Dairy Rotation, VERO Rural Practice Rotation; student participation continues to increase each year.

Tarleton State University

Texas A&M University

Prairie View A&M University

Texas A&M UniversityKingsville

VERO Research Program Faculty and graduate students at VERO are pursuing collaborative research that advances animal, human, and environmental health and addresses the sustainability of animal agriculture and rural communities. VERO researchers partner with researchers and graduate students at VMBS, WT, TVMDL, and AgriLife to translate research discoveries into useful information that benefits people and agricultural economies of Texas, the U.S., and the world. A fundamental part of the VERO research initiative is to recruit and train highly qualified, highly motivated students in the skills needed to serve the future of agricultural industries and veterinary medicine.

In 2022, the VERO research team included 11 master’s and doctoral students enrolled at the Texas A&M-VMBS and WT-College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, training side-by-side as they conduct their impactful research under the mentorship of VERO Faculty. For 2021-2022, VERO Faculty have 30 total active funding awards for $5.6M. VERO faculty peer reviewed publications for 2021-2022 total 58 with VERO personnel lead author on 29 of these and VERO trainees as 1st author of 13 of these publications. On June 17, 2022, VERO Research brought together leaders of the North American cattle industries for VERO Research Strategic Visioning based on the work-to-date and strengths of the VERO Research team. Outcomes of the VERO Research Strategic Vision collaboration include delivery of highly impactful research in the areas of disease prevention and mitigation, food safety, antimicrobial use and alternatives, genomics and other cutting-edge diagnostic technologies which support more sustainable cattle production systems and an abundant and healthy food supply.

Pre-Veterinary and Veterinary Internship Educational Successes • • • • •

VERO faculty provide an annual rural practice and livestock operations tour (Food Animal Production & Rural Mixed Practice Tour) for students completing their first or second years of veterinary school at VMBS. The annual Food Animal Production and Rural Practice Tour hosted by VERO faculty provides an immersive experiential opportunity for 1st and 2nd year veterinary students to learn more about rural practice and livestock operations.

VERO faculty offer mentoring of students interested in food animal practice.

VERO faculty continue to teach a freshman leadership course for pre-veterinary specialization students and an anatomy & physiology course for all animal science students VERO faculty (Benjamin Newcomer, Jenna Funk, and Lisa Lunn) launch Dairy Sciences class at WT, expanding the undergraduate dairy sciences curriculum and furthering the VERO educational partnership.

Expansion of Educational Bridge to Veterinary School •

•

Active recruitment in the regions of the Texas Panhandle and Texas South Plains of qualified students with rural backgrounds including visits to West Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, Wayland Baptist University, Lubbock Christian University, Clarendon College, Amarillo College, South Plains College, Frank Phillips and Western Texas College.

Recruitment of outstanding rural students from 4-H and FFA programs to consider a veterinary career. Faculty participate in the Texas State FFA convention, 4H Livestock Ambassador Programs and 4H veterinary Science Camp on the WT campus.

32 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

VETERINARY EDUCATION, RESEARCH, & OUTREACH (VERO) •

Faculty advise the WT Pre-Vet Club. The WT Pre-Vet Club organizes the FFA CDE in Veterinary Science contest events on the WT Campus. Over 550 local and regional FFA high school students participate in CDE Veterinary Science contests.

The number of students seeking the WT Pre-Veterinary Specialization degree is 254 students making it the largest undergraduate advisory program at WT.

VERO VETERINARY EDUCATION, RESEARCH, & OUTREACH

Highlights from FY22 include: • • • • • • • •

•

• •

Completion of the inaugural year of the VMBS 2+2 program and matriculation of the second class of VERO DVM students.

39 rotation students taught in the first year of 4th year VERO rotations in 2020-2021 and 45 rotation students in the second year of 4th year VERO rotations 2021-2022.

Dr. Matthew Scott received the Texas A&M VMBS Outstanding Young Faculty Research Award for his record of excellence in research, publications, and funding.

Dr. Paul Morley received the Texas A&M VMBS Outstanding Research Leader Award and the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Research Award.

VERO Research faculty had 14 new grant awards in 2021-2022 totaling $1.62M in funding.

VERO personnel presented 27 research abstracts in 2021-2022.

Dr. Benjamin Newcomer received the Texas Veterinary Medical Association Educator Award.

Dr. Rebecca Eschmann and Dr. Sarah Capik completed requirements for American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine Diplomate Certification.

Dr. Hatem Kittana completed requirements for American College of Veterinary Microbiology Diplomate Certification.

VERO faculty presented 12 research abstracts on topics ranging from common diseases in feedlot cattle to the calf microbiome at the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Diseases (Dec. 5-7, 2021).

Dr. Paul Morley, Professor and Director of Research, named to the Sally Rao McIntosh Endowed Chair.

Dr. Dan Posey, Clinical Professor and Director of Student Recruitment & Professional Relations received the Texas Veterinary Medical Association 2022 Distinguished Career Achievement Award and the Distinguished Membership Award.

VERO 2+2 students

Current VERO faculty: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Chrissy Barron, Clinical Assistant Professor, Veterinary Anatomy Kelli Beavers, Clinical Assistant Professor, Equine Veterinary Education Sarah Capik, Assistant Professor, Food Animal Research Hugh Duddy, Clinical Assistant Professor, Veterinary Surgery Susan Eades, Associate Dean, VMBS Canyon Campus Becky Eschmann, Clinical Assistant Professor, Small Animal Veterinary Education Abby Finley*, Clinical Assistant Professor, Anatomic Pathology Jenna Funk, Clinical Assistant Professor, Beef Cattle Lisa Lunn, Clinical Associate Professor, Food Animal Veterinary Education Hatem Kittana*, Clinical Assistant Professor, Microbiology Paul Morley, Director of VERO Research Program BJ Newcomer, Clinical Associate Professor, Dairy Cattle Dan Posey, Director of Student Recruitment and Professional Relations Matthew Scott, Assistant Professor, Microbial Ecology Cathy Sparks, Clinical Assistant Professor, Veterinary Anatomy Robert Valeris-Chacin, Assistant Professor, Epidemiology Yvonne Wikander*, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Pathology * Faculty with joint appointment to the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) and VERO

VERO students conducting research

DVM student at VERO practicing their clinical skills.

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 33

LEADING THE WAY IN GLOBAL ONE HEALTH Texas A&M’s Global One Health strives to educate the public and cultivate understanding of the synergy among animal, human, plant, and environmental sciences that determines the health and security of individuals and communities around the globe.

Promoting cross-disciplinary education and collaborations to students, researchers, policy makers, industry, and the general public is the primary way the program supports its goals. The effects of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 continue to be felt around the world, in spite of the trend toward ignoring it in daily life. But this is far from the only biothreat experienced over the past year. Outbreaks of varying severity of monkeypox, Ebola, polio, measles, dengue, the plague, and more have been tracked. Global One Health prioritizes preventive and on-going pandemic and all-hazards preparedness, working with the willing and able across the spectrum to advance education, research, service, and policy to support public health from the university level up to worldwide.

Leadership Global One Health actively works as a national thought leader to support pandemic and all-hazards preparedness organizations and coalitions around Texas, nationally, and in the international community. The Coalition of Universities for Global Health, the Global Health Security Agenda Consortium steering group, the One Health Commission, the Bipartisan Commission for Biodefense, the Texas Task Force for Infectious Disease Preparedness & Response, the Texas Department of State Health Services Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, the Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium, and the Medical Countermeasures Coalition are among the groups that Global One Health engages with toward these goals.

Dr. Gerald Parker, the Associate Dean of Global One Dr. Gerald Parker speaking at a conference in Washington D.C. Health, is an expert in biodefense, biosecurity, and public health preparedness policies and programs with an extended record in public service. After 26 years as a leader the United States Army Medical Research and Development programs/organizations and 10 years in senior executive service at the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Defense, he changed track by joining the academic world to help attract and nurture next generation leaders for public service in these areas.

Concurrently, he holds the position of Director of the Pandemic Preparedness & Biosecurity Policy Program (P4) at the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs within the Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M University. The mandates from both units work in concert to provide key information to the public while bringing together policy leaders, students, academic experts, and the public to consider strategic paths to further global one health concepts, goals, and missions across the spectrum of the private sector, non-governmental organizations, higher education, and government agencies at all levels. A recent example was an expert panel discussion Parker hosted and moderated at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center on monkeypox. The expert guests were Dr. Robert Carpenter, Dr. Robert Kadlec, Dr. Syrah Madad, and Dr. Jennifer Shuford, and close to two hundred guests attended, both online and in person.

Parker’s status as expert is evidenced by the fact that he is sought after for his expertise, by the media as well as by expert organizations such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). He regularly gives interviews with a variety of journalists and is often quoted in their work. He is also sought out for his views by the federal government, the US Congress, and the US Government Accountability Office regarding changes needed in biodefense, biosecurity, and global one health security policies.

As an example, Parker chairs a federal advisory committee that reports to the director of NIH, the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB). In February 2022, the NIH charged the NSABB with providing recommendations to the US government on policies governing dual use research of concern and high-risk research that could generate enhanced potential pandemic pathogens.

This matter sparks intense competing interest from the scientific community, Congress, and the public. A working group of the NSABB that Parker co-chairs has released draft findings and recommendations in NSABB Potential Pandemic Pathogen Care and Oversight (P3CO) Working Group Draft Preliminary Findings and Recommendations.

The Texas A&M Research Compliance and Biosafety's Institutional Biosafety Committee invited Parker to deliver the keynote address at the annual meeting in August on this year. His talk focused on national policy deliberations that will impact dual use research of concern, research with enhanced potential pandemic pathogens, and laboratory biosafety oversight.

Parker also appeared before the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs in February 2022 and provided a statement for the record, Addressing Gaps in America’s Biosecurity Preparedness. He is also called upon on an ongoing basis to provide his expert opinions on the prevent pandemics and biosecurity draft legislation, as well as other pandemic preparedness issues from the Senate Health Education, Labor, and Pensions, (HELP) Committee.

34 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

LEADING THE WAY IN GLOBAL ONE HEALTH Over the past three years, authorities at local, state, and national levels sought Parker out as an adviser for COVID-19 pandemic responses. As these activities have begun to wind down over the course of this year, the need to reflect on lessons from the pandemic has come to the forefront. Policy research and practical actions related to this pandemic and pandemics in general needed to shift into focus to enable learning to grow from the pandemic experience. One fruit to come from this intensive reflection is an edited volume with 25 authors that Parker and Christine Blackburn co-edited, in which Parker also authored two of the chapters.

Additionally, two reports related to laboratory safety and the origins of SARS-CoV-2 are forthcoming.

In addition to work focused on COVID-19, Global One Health produced the draft report Unique Land-Grant University Capabilities Needed for Defense Against 21st Century Biological Threats to Agriculture Animals and Crops that included input from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. This report was provided to the Commission for Biodefense, which in turn, incorporated findings and recommendations from it in its final report, Boots on the Ground: Land-Grant Universities in the Fight Against Threats to Food and Agriculture.

Collaborations One of Global One Health’s primary goals is to engender and facilitate collaboration across disciplines and among sectors as well as between the general public and government and policy leaders. The program works closely with a variety of stakeholders on and off campus with the goal of creating and sharing highquality information. In addition to the Scowcroft collaboration via P4, Global One Health cooperates with the Texas A&M Global Health Research Complex through supporting an international visiting scholar, with Texas A&M’s Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases, and as a board member of the Veterinary Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, catalyzing a relationship between the two institutions as well as with the institutions of other board members. Collaborations Dr. Gerald Parker speaking at the VMBS white coat ceremony. with components across the Texas A&M System have also been facilitated through the work of co-chairing the Texas A&M Emergency Management Advisory Group.

Among a wide variety of stakeholders, Global One Health endeavors to foster strong ties and excellent communication in all directions, bringing collaborative opportunities to Texas A&M units across the campuses and the system. The overarching goal is to improve biosecurity, health, and welfare worldwide by promoting durable, collaborative relationships among myriad groups and individuals.

Learning Opportunities Critically important to Global One Health is creating next generation expert policy makers with strong backgrounds in science for the future that bridges the science and policy nexus. Giving guest lectures, having a presence at career and informational fairs, and supporting student organizations such as the Student One Health Association and A-STEP: Aggies in Science, Technology and Engineering Policy are other ways Global One Health engages students, inspiring students to consider career opportunities in the one health policy arena.

Parker lectures to both undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines and colleges around Texas A&M about the importance of a global one health approach in research, policy, and action to promote true health in our world as well as to introduce them to career opportunities related to global one health and biosecurity. One notable opportunity Global One Health took advantage of was Parker’s invitation to be the keynote speaker at the white coat ceremony for the incoming VMBS graduate students.

In his talk, entitled “Advance Knowledge to Benefit Humanity with Integrity and Without Causing Harm,” he took the opportunity to focus on the important task that these budding scientists have of building trust worldwide in the life sciences the eyes of the public.

In addition to working with student groups and speaking in classes, Global One Health works hard to make sure the general public has easy access to clear and solid, scientifically backed information about current health threats and how the various factors in global one health must and can be taken into consideration to minimize these threats in their own lives.

Fiscal year 2021-22 has been key in Global One Health’s journey. During this seminal year, the program significantly strengthened itself as a respected, sought-out, and influential voice in the global security priorities of biodefense, pandemic preparedness, and defense of food and agriculture sectors. Sustained funding commensurate with the potential challenges we face is necessary in order to better global health, which leads to a more peaceful world. Even more competitive funding opportunities will be available for Texas A&M researchers and students, enabling us to nurture and train interested students to pursue public service careers in biodefense and global health security.

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 35

VETERINARY EMERGENCY TEAM (VET) The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team continues to lead the country in veterinary medical emergency response and does so through a holistic approach that blends education, service, and research. Our approach brings together students, faculty members, extension agents and emergency managers to improve preparedness and response efforts focused on animals.

Education The Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences is the only veterinary school in the country that provides a clinical rotation in veterinary medical emergency management. Educating students in preparedness and response approaches is an important component of their education. The American Veterinary Medical Association has recognized and established requirements which must be met to be an AVM certified Veterinary Medical First Responder.

The requirements are extensive and the Texas A&M VET is the only program in the country that meets these requirements and this allows our students to be credentialed first responders when they finish our rotation.

Eastland Wildfire

Operation Border Health

Hurricane Ian 36 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

2022 Deployments Eastland County Wildfire Deployment The Texas A&M VET responded to Eastland County, Texas during an outbreak of wildfire in March. Eastland County was devastated as wildfires burned through dry pasture lands and the small community of Carbon, Texas. These fires unfortunately resulted in a human fatality when an Eastland County Sheriff’s Deputy was caught up in the fire.

Animal losses were also extensive with many head of cattle perishing.

VET members, working with other partners in emergency response worked diligently to limit animal suffering and production losses during this seven day deployment.

2022 Operation Border Health The Texas A&M VET participated in Operation Border Health Preparedness exercise, formerly known as Operation Lone Star in July 2022. This event is led by the Texas Department of Health Services and is the state’s public health first response exercise. Numerous partners are involved in the exercise and the VET fulfills our role by providing basic veterinary medical support including vaccinations to the underserved community in Willacy County, Texas. This is an exceedingly rewarding exercise as it provides an opportunity for our school to assist those who cannot access veterinary medical support in the Rio Grande Valley. It is also an opportunity for us to introduce our students to a truly remarkable part of the state. More than 70 team members, including 18 students participated in this seven day deployment.

2022 Hurricane Ian Deployment The Texas A&M VET also completed an 8 day deployment to Fort Meyers, Florida to assist with the response to Hurricane Ian. The VET had a very defined mission focused on supporting Search and Rescue dogs as they searched for the missing. Our team provided all of the veterinary medical support for the FEMA USAR search dogs operating in the search area beginning on October 6, 2022 and continuing through the end of FEMA USAR operations. This was not the first out-of-state deployment for the VET but was the first time that our team deployed all of our equipment out of state and represents a significant milestone in the history of our team.

SCHUBOT CENTER FOR AVIAN HEALTH The Schubot Center for Avian Health is an academic center within the VMBS. Its mission is to conduct research into avian health and conservation issues, spanning pet, wild, and exotic birds. The center's research spans disease ecology, parasitology, genetics, behavior, toxicology, pathology, and more. It is also involved in diagnostic test and vaccine development research. Members teach undergraduates, graduate students, and DVM students about avian health and conservation issues. The Avian Health Complex—with aviaries, isolation facilities, a laboratory, a clinic, and a classroom—is the largest and best equipped of its kind in the United States, currently housing over 200 birds used for teaching, outreach, and research.

Highlights from FY22 include: The Schubot Center membership is growing with over 75 Texas A&M University members including faculty and staff, postdoctoral associates, graduate students, DVM students, and undergraduate students from eight different departments across three colleges. Members contribute to member meetings, research presentations, outreach events, and provide a collaborative support network throughout the year spanning diverse avian topics.

In the third year of the Schubot research mini-grant program, the center awarded up to $2,500 in research funds to each of 8 successful applicants, including undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and faculty across five different departments and three colleges. Additionally, four researchers in the travel grant program received funds to defray costs of presenting avian research at a conference or participating in a workshop. The Schubot Aviary Veterinary Students (SAVS) is a group of 12 DVM students who work closely with the aviary manager and veterinarians to assist in health assessments and veterinary care of the bird at the Avian Health Complex. In the Fall, Spring, and summer semesters, a small number of undergraduate students enrolled in the Avian Behavioral Training course, a high-impact, handson course in which students learn the principles of animal behavior and positive reinforcement training, use apply these skills as they set goals for the macaws in the aviary to improve their quality of life and ability to receive veterinary care.

External research funding coming into the Center includes awards the Texas A&MLos Alamos National Laboratory Collaborative Research Program, the Innovation[X] program, the Pat Palmer Foundation; and more.

Viridiana Martinez (PhD candidate, Ecology and Conservation Biology Dept) and Ty Tortella (DVM student) received the 2022 Schubot Avian Health Director’s Awards in recognition of avian research accomplishments and contributions to the Schubot Center.

The center was involved with several outreach initiatives, including hosting multiple hands-on captive and wild bird labs for the Zoo, Exotics and Wildlife Wetlabs annual 2-day event in which DVM students from multiple campuses come to Texas A&M for advanced training in subjects that are typically underrepresented in most veterinary school curriculums; Schubot was also the lead sponsor for the event. Under the leadership of aviary manager Debra Turner, the Center also hosted several tours for high school and middle school students, summer camp programs, and local scouting troops.

The Schubot Seminar Series has continued across FY22 with several internal and external speakers presenting their avian research and interacting with members over meals and meetings. Externals speakers included Dr. Tim Wright (New Mexico State University) who presented on vocal learning in parrots, Emily Halmser (Lincoln Memorial University) who presented on ophthalmic health in birds.

The graphic element for the Schubot Center for Avian Health features the Whooping Crane, the Scarlet Macaw, and the Monk Parakeet.

Schubot member Meredith Anderson, veterinarian and PhD student in Ecology and Evolutionary Behavior, is studying the impact of pesticides on bird health at field sites across diverse Texas ecoregions.

Texas A&M Young Adventure Program 2022 from the Veterinary Medicine School in the Schubot Aviary lab working on microscopic avian blood analysis 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 37

INTERDISCIPLINARY FACULTY OF TOXICOLOGY (IFT) The IFT is a degree-granting graduate program composed of faculty from 16 Texas A&M departments in six colleges/schools and associated laboratories. Since 1989, the IFT has awarded over 50 MS degrees, nearly 200 PhDs; and two DVM/PhD degrees. In addition, over 100 postdocs have trained in toxicology at Texas A&M University. Training future generations of toxicologists in novel scientific discoveries should go together with ensuring that trainees develop a broad set of complementary competencies that span multiple disciplines, from basic biology to exposure science, biostatistics, and epidemiology. In addition, trainees must understand how these data and knowledge are translated into decisions and policy. Areas of research include Mechanistic Toxicology, Public Health, Risk Assessment, Exposure Science, Cancer Biology, Epidemiology, and Modeling/Data Science.

Highlights from FY22 include: Awards/Accomplishments •

Alexandra Cordova was awarded SETAC North America Annual Meeting Attendance Grant and the SOT Perry J. Gehring Best Abstract Risk Assessment Specialty Section Endowment Award.

•

Alumnus Dr. Kristie Willet received the University of Mississippi’s top research award and won the 2022 Society of Toxicology's Undergraduate Educator Award.

•

Danila Cuomo (postdoc) was awarded Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee (GTTC) Professional Development Award.

•

Dr. Stephen Safe was recognized as “0.01% worldwide” as the top cited scientists.

•

Dr. Suresh Pillai earned the Senior Faculty Fellow honor from AgriLife Research.

•

Lucie Ford received the 2022 Best Student Abstract award from the Mixtures Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology.

•

Lydia Zhang was awarded the Molecular Pharmacology journal Highlighted Trainee Author Award, 3rd place in the Drug Discovery Student Poster Competition, and the Dharm V. Singh Carcinogenesis Graduate Student Award.

•

Meichen Wang won 2nd place in the VMBS Trainee Research Symposium Poster competition at SOT 2022.

•

Toriq Mustapha is awarded the George T. Edds Award for Academic Excellence in Toxicology.

Research and Service Features •

Aracely Perez was selected to serve on the VMBS Graduate Student Panel and as IFT Executive Committee Student Representative.

•

Drs. Weihsueh Chiu and Ivan Rusyn presented at the International Congress of Toxicology 2022 in a continuing education course on population-based models in toxicology.

•

Kelly Rivenbark and Alexandra Svetlik served as volunteer peer mentors in the SOT 2022 Undergraduate Diversity Program.

•

Lucie Ford served as the Toxicology Representative for the VMBS Graduate Student Association and the as the Co-Chair for the 2022 Lone Star Society of Toxicology Annual Meeting.

•

Pierre Ferrer presented at 2022 American Society of Andrology meeting.

•

Dr. Ivan Rusyn led “The Toxicology Workforce for the 21st Century” session at the 2022 Summer Toxicology Forum meeting.

High Profile Publications •

Rivenbark KJ et al. Development and characterization of chlorophyll-amended montmorillonite clays for the adsorption and detoxification of benzene. Water Res. 2022; 221:118788.

•

Goodman S et al. Epigenetic alterations induced by genotoxic occupational and environmental human chemical carcinogens: An update of a systematic literature review. Mutat Res Rev Mutat Res. 2022; 789:108408.

•

Schoeller A et al. Short chain fatty acids exhibit selective estrogen receptor downregulator (SERD) activity in breast cancer. Am J Cancer Res. 2022; 12(7):3422-3436.

•

Ford L et al. A Population-Based Human In Vitro Approach to Quantify Inter-Individual Variability in Responses to Chemical Mixtures. Toxics. 2022; 10(8):441.

•

Valdiviezo A et al. Analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay following a largescale industrial fire using ion-mobility-spectrometry-mass spectrometry. J Environ Sci. 2022; 115:350-362.

•

Blanchette AD et al. A tiered approach to population-based in vitro testing for cardiotoxicity: Balancing estimates of potency and variability. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods. 2022; 114:107154.

•

Bhandari S et al. Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Impacts of Hurricane Florence on Criteria Air Pollutants and Air Toxics in Eastern North Carolina. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(3):1757.

•

Behlen JC et al. NRF2-Dependent Placental Effects Vary by Sex and Dose following Gestational Exposure to Ultrafine Particles.

Antioxidants. 2022; 11(2):352.

•

Roman-Hubers AT et al. Characterization of Compositional Variability in Petroleum Substances. Fuel. 2022; 317:123547.

38 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

SUPERFUND RESEARCH CENTER The Texas A&M Superfund Research Center recently received a five-year renewal of its funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since its launch in 2017, the Superfund Center has focused on understanding and mitigating the health and environmental consequences of exposure to hazardous chemical mixtures following disaster events. It is one of 22 university-based, multi-project centers within NIEHS’ Superfund Research Program.

Over the next five years, Superfund Center researchers, led by center director, Dr. Ivan Rusyn (VTPP), and deputy director, Dr. Weihsueh Chiu (VTTP), will use a series of multi-disciplinary projects to expand upon its findings, begin new studies, and continue developing practical tools to keep the United States’ and Texas’ communities safe from climate change-related disaster events.

Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Superfund Center’s work, its investigators and trainees are housed in multiple colleges at Texas A&M, as well as at other universities.

Highlights from FY22 include: •

Hosted NIEHS Director, Dr. Rick Woychik, for the Center’s Re-launch event here at VMBS. Dr. Woychik’s visit also consisted of tours of environmental justice neighborhoods in Houston.

•

Trained staff and students in disaster response and played a role in increasing local COVID-19 vaccination rates.

•

Met with TCEQ and USEPA in Austin to expand and strengthen collaborative relationships with state as well as NGOs.

•

Hosted visitors from Taiwan EPA, National Cheng Kung University, and the National Taiwan University to learn from each other about environmental health research and regulatory science.

•

Trainee, Kelly Rivenbark, was a NIEHS Summer Scientific Short Video Challenge winner. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=sXEecSffe48

•

Trained graduate students and postdoctoral researchers through events like the Disaster Research Training Workshop and special “boot camps” to develop skills outside of the typical realm of didactic learning.

•

Dr. Weihsueh Chiu gave a presentation titled, "Application of Bayesian and Probabilistic approaches for Cancer Dose-Response Assessment incorporating Model Uncertainty and Human Variability" at the International Conference on Environmental Mutagens (Ottawa Canada).

•

Dr. Ivan Rusyn gave a presentation titled, "Human cell-based models of genetic diversity and case studies of their use in toxicology," at the International Congress of Toxicology (Maastricht, Netherlands).

Drs. Ivan Rusyn (right) and Weihsueh Chiu (left) with Superfund trainee, Lucie Ford (middle).

Publications •

Bhandari S., Casillas G., Aly NA, Zhu R., Newman G., Wright F.A., Miller A., Adler G., Rusyn I., Chiu W.A. Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Impacts of Hurricane Florence on Criteria Air Pollutants and Air Toxics in Eastern North Carolina. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 3;19(3):1757. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031757

•

Sakolish C., Georgescu A., Huh D.D., Rusyn I. A Model of Human Small Airway on a Chip for Studies of Subacute Effects of Inhalation Toxicants. Toxicol Sci. 2022 May 26;187(2):267-278. https://doi.org/10.1093/toxsci/kfac036

•

Fawkes L.S., McDonald T.J., Roh T., Chiu W.A., Taylor R.J., Sansom G.T. A Participatory-Based Research Approach for Assessing Exposure to Lead-Contaminated Drinking Water in the Houston Neighborhood of the Greater Fifth Ward. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19 (13). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19138135

•

Rivenbark K.J., Wang M., Lilly K., Tamamis P., Phillips T.D. Development and characterization of chlorophyll-amended montmorillonite clays for the adsorption and detoxification of benzene. Water Res 2022; 221 ():118788. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.118788

•

Valdiviezo A., Aly N.A., Luo Y.S., Cordova A., Casillas G., Foster M., Baker E.S., Rusyn I. Analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay following a large-scale industrial fire using ion-mobility-spectrometrymass spectrometry. J Environ Sci 2022; 115:350-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2021.08.004 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 39

CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES (CET) The Center for Educational Technologies’ mission is to advance education by developing, implementing, and evaluating innovative educational tools and resources.

We support VMBS scientists by developing educational and outreach programs to support their technical research activities. The CET continues to serve our state, nation, and world through various research, teaching, and entrepreneurial endeavors—all of which are centered on providing engaging online educational resources. For more information on our educational resources go to: www.tamucet.org.

Research ~$650K in new awards

Instruction 12 trainings held and 86 educational resources developed

Enterprise ~$117K in new service contracts and license agreements

The CET works collaboratively with other university entities, state, federal, and international agencies, other colleges of veterinary medicine, non-governmental agencies, and industry to provide access to innovative and engaging educational resources anytime and in any place. The approach has led to the CET’s international reputation for excellence in curriculum development and resource hosting services.

Key Partners • • CET supports faculty sharing educational resources by partnering with VetEducator.

CET launches interactive microlearning videos for the Department of Justice.

In its first year, CET’s antimicrobial resistance course reached 10 colleges of veterinary medicine, 44 veterinary educators, and 684 students.

40 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

• • • • • • • • •

Cornell University Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Leader Healthcare Group National Institutes of Health Oklahoma State University Partners for Healthy Pets Prairie View A&M University Primary Care Veterinary Educators VetEducator VetFolio West Texas A&M University With partnerships and learners from all over the world, the CET’s work has a growing global impact.

Institutions Using CET Resources •

Arizona University

•

Colorado State University

•

Iowa State University

•

Lincoln Memorial University

•

Oklahoma State University

•

Purdue University

•

Kansas State University

•

Texas A&M University

•

The Ohio State University

•

Tufts University

•

UC Davis

•

University of Illinois

•

University of Missouri

•

University of Tennessee

•

USDA APHIS

VMBS COMMUNICATIONS VMBS Communications supports the school through the implementation of strategic marketing and communications services that range from branding and identity, media and public relations, graphic design, and printing and copying to digital marketing, web and digital communications, photography and videography, and merchandise sales.

Communications The communications team writes and distributes school news through press releases, the weekly Pet Talk column, the VMBS Annual Report series, and the semiannual VMBS Today magazine. In 2021, VMBS Communications continued the production and distribution of two enewsletters—News from Veterinary Way, which is an internally focused newsletter that shares news, publications, events, and other celebratory information, and VMBS Impacts, an externally focused newsletter that focuses on the school's most impactful news. The communications team also puts together emails directed to specific school constituents, including referring veterinarians, students, and those interested in the school’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Read news stories and publications online at vetmed.tamu.edu/news, and sign up to receive the school’s enewsletters at tx.ag/emailsubs.

In addition to coordinating all media interaction with VMBS faculty, staff, and students, the team provides graphic design, photography and videography, digital marketing, and website support for the VMBS Dean's Office, departments, centers, hospital services, research units, and school events. It also provides services to other entities on the Texas A&M campus, including Mays Business School and The Bush School of Government & Public Service.

VMBS Communications coordinates the digital signage within VMBS buildings and the official social media channels for the school. Members of the team are Texas A&M adjunct faculty, active in professional communication organizations, give presentations and seminars within the school, university, and at local and regional conferences, deploy with the VET, and design the merchandise sold in the VMBS Marketplace.

VMBS Today, Summer 2022

VMBS Ambassadors The VMBS Ambassadors are an important part of the welcoming and inclusive environment the VMBS provides to visitors. As the public face of our school, Ambassadors welcome guests to campus, share information with visitors, assist with special functions, and offer tours that showcase our teaching spaces.

In total, last year, the ambassadors provided 627 tours for 5,347 people.

The program comprises veterinary students, BIMS graduate students, and undergraduate BIMS majors who demonstrate the Aggie Core Values of Excellence, Integrity, Leadership, Loyalty, Respect, and Selfless Service.

Marketplace VMBS Marketplace is the place to purchase school merchandise. From apparel to pet items, if you're looking for a special gift with a VMBS or veterinary theme, it is the place to shop. Order online at tx.ag/VetMedMarketplace.

VMBS Communications participating in the 2022 C-IDEA Welcome Week.

VMBS Communications Printing Room

VMBS Marketplace

VMBS Ambassadors

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 41

CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE)

Breathing New Life into Veterinary CE

Associate Directors of Continuing Education Drs. Jennifer Schleining and Jordan Tayce and Program Coordinator David Blazer

2022 VITA Annual Conference 42 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Two years ago, the Office of Continuing Education (CE) had to rethink and reshape how we delivered continuing education. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we offered synchronous and asynchronous online learning opportunities to meet the needs of veterinarians and veterinary paraprofessionals. We met face-to-face with fewer than 100 participants in-person conferences during fiscal years 2020 and 2021 combined.

That changed in November 2021 when we began hosting in-person conferences again, starting with the annual Small Animal Emergency & Critical Care Conference. A long-running favorite, the conference welcomed just over 100 participants through our doors to hear lectures from experts and take RECOVER CPR training. The keynote speaker of the conference was Dr. Tom Edwards, a criticalist with years of experience as an Army veterinarian.

In May 2022 the Office of CE launched VITA, our largest in-person conference since the beginning of COVID-19. The VITA conference is a multi-species conference that kicked off our “return to in-person conferences.” VITA featured over 30 faculty members speaking in one of three tracks (small animal, large animal, or special sessions), offered two laboratories for hands-on learning experiences (dental extractions and RECOVER CPR training), and was held in conjunction with the Outstanding Alumni and Rising Star Awards to provide social opportunities for the 220 guests who attended. In the future, we are seeking to expand the conference to include additional laboratories and social events to best meet the needs of our constituents.

Throughout 2022, we held events that target specific aspects of veterinary medicine. The Office of CE worked with Merck Animal Health in June 2022 to host a beef cattle course complete with laboratory opportunities, and Biomedtrix in July 2022 to host an advanced course for practitioners with an interest in orthopedic surgery. The Office of CE continues to support regular School of Veterinary Medicine events such as the AgriLife Beef Cattle Short Course, Veterinary Emergency Team training sessions, and departmental seminars.

We are excited to expand our offerings in 2023 with the second iteration of the VITA conference, and the return of the popular Technician Conference. Our team continues to grow, and we look forward to seeing you at an event soon!

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS (IP) The VMBS office of International Programs (IP) fosters as well as facilitates all types of learning beyond the borders of the United States including formal courses, field trips, collaborative research, clinical experiences in human and veterinary medicine, and more. Today’s world has globalized, and IP’s vision and mission are to encourage and guide students, faculty, and staff to find ways to internationalize themselves, their work, and their mark on the world. To do this requires focusing not only their technical and professional skills and knowledge but also, and perhaps more importantly, on their ability to learn from and work with colleagues and clients across political borders as well as cultural and linguistic divides. Thus, IP works both with members of our school and with international visitors, who could be students, faculty, researchers, clinicians, administrators, technicians as well as others.

These visitors come to gain new clinical and research experiences, and simultaneously they teach and benefit us all by sharing their different skills and knowledge, their unique perspectives, and even foods and traditions from their homes without us ever needing to pack a suitcase.

This unit is headed by Veterinary Pathobiology faculty member Dr. Linda Logan, Director of VMBS International Programs, whose primary aim is to provide guidance and support to members of VMBS in roles of all types so that they can create and access global opportunities that enable them to be better professionals and individuals all around. In June of FY22, Dr. Logan was joined by Dr. Laura Weber. Together they are working to expand IP’s reach and capacity to support all members of VMBS in their international endeavors, both on campus and abroad.

In spite of COVID-19’s enduring influence around the world, student participation in programs abroad is rising again, as shown in Graph 1.

In FY22, professional student participation in international experiences is back at pre-COVID levels. Traditionally the smallest group of participants in global educational experiences, in FY22 our statistics captures five graduate students who went abroad. Undergraduate participation in education abroad, generally the strongest, has recovered significantly but has yet to achieve the pre-COVID levels of FY19 and before.

Students in Costa Rica

Students in Thailand

VMBS Students Abroad

(totals in parentheses by year) 250 Undergraduate

Graduate

Professional

200 150 100 50 0

2016-17 (261)

2017-18 (284)

2018-19 (255)

2019-20 (87)

2020-21 (39)

2021-22* (190)

Graph 1. Totals of VMBS who have traveled abroad per classification, per fiscal year since FY17 (Note: The numbers for FY22 are preliminary as the official ones have not yet been released.)

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 43

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS (IP) The International Program Advisory Committee (IPAC) IPAC is comprised of faculty from across VMBS with several non-voting members from partner units such as the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and the Institute of Infectious Animal Diseases (IIAD). In consultation with the Dean, each Department Head appoints two representatives to three-year terms. The committee meets three to four times per year to collaborate on funding decisions for international travel awards to students as well as awards to faculty for the purpose of developing new international programs and opportunities. During FY22, Dr. Jan Suchodolski chaired IPAC; as Director of IP, Dr. Logan serves on IPAC as a non-voting member.

Due to limited international travel resulting from Texas A&M restrictions and public health regulations in place during both FY20 and FY21, more resources than usual were available for students in FY22. Table 1 shows the number of stipends awarded to students in the School to offset their costs of international travel to expand their academic, professional, and personal skills, knowledge, and connections at the global level.

Table 1.

Travel Money Awarded to VMBS Students 2021-22 Academic Year (Each award was for $1,000) Undergraduate

Graduate

Professional

Totals

VMBS Faculty-Led Programs

37

1

37

75

Independent Programs

--

--

1

1

37

1

38

76

(10,000 available) Totals

Student Experiences Abroad A variety of situational issues largely a consequence of COVID-19, e.g., public health restrictions on travel to some countries, made offering the full complement of VMBS faculty-led international programs for students impossible for FY22. Despite the limitations, many programs abroad were able to take place: two semester-long programs, one spring break program that was not credit bearing, four faculty-led summer programs, one transfer-credit summer program, and a summer non-credit field trip for professional students. In Table 2, the programs offered as well as the student participation by program type and degree level are detailed.

The VMBS footprint for experiences abroad does not stop with the School’s students. Our programs served over three dozen students in disciplines outside the School such as Chemical Engineering, Animal Science, Biomedical Engineering, Psychology, Wildlife & Fisheries, Chemistry, and Spanish.

Study Abroad students in Thailand 44 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Study Abroad students in Bulgaria

INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS (IP) Table 2.

VMBS Student Participation in Experiences Abroad in 2021-22 by Program UG-VM BS*

GR-V MBS

DVM

Non-v BMS

Totals

A&M Costa Rica Biomedical Fall 2021 Faculty-led Semester

10

--

--

2

12

A&M Germany Biosciences Spring 2022 Faculty-led Semester

4

--

--

7

11

A&M Costa Rica BIMS Spanish Certificate (non-credit, Spring Break 2022)

12

--

--

4

16

A&M Africa Wildlife Conservation & HealthTracks 1 & 2 Summer 2022 Faculty-led

7

1

13

3

12

A&M Bulgaria Biomedical Sciences Summer 2022 Faculty-led

4

--

--

6

10

A&M Germany History of Medicine Summer Faculty-led

9

--

--

13

22

A&M Thailand Veterinary Science & Wildlife Conservation (VMBS organized, transfer credit)

8

--

--

4

12

A&M South Africa Conservation Veterinary Medicine Summer Faculty-led (DVM only)

--

--

14

--

14

A&M Italy VIBS Food Safety & Public Health Field Trip (DVM only)

--

--

10

--

10

Subtotals of participation in VMBS programs

54

1

37

39

131

Other Texas A&M programs

65

2

16

Independent travel (non-Texas A&M)

12

2

Virtual programs

1

Subtotals of VBMS participation in NON-VMBS programs

78

4

16

98

TOTALS: VMBS Participation in Experiences Abroad

132

5

53

190

Program

83 14 1

International Agreements & Collaborations VMBS has a number of international partners, ranging from technical institutions of higher education in Ukraine to universities in Asia and the Texas A&M Soltis Center in Costa Rica – and numerous places in between. Many faculty members collaborate with colleagues abroad on research and clinical medicine projects. Additionally, institutes and centers around campus offer international opportunities for faculty and student collaboration such as with IIAD and the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture and Development, both housed in Texas A&M AgriLife. Beyond the university, faculty members collaborate in myriad projects such as capacity building and research with organizations around the world such as the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) [formerly the Office International des Epizooties (OIE)]. Organizations and agencies such as these as well as a wide array of non-profits and private foundations are often sources of funding for faculty projects, which can include educational opportunities, capacity development projects, and research promoting food security, animal health and disease control, global one health, agricultural development, species conservation, and other critical global goals.

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 45

TRANSLATIONAL IMAGING CENTER (TIC) Our mission: “The Texas A&M Translational Imaging Center (TIC) utilizes various imaging modalities to meet the needs of both research and clinical studies.

Through advanced imaging equipment, a team of diverse professionals, and high-quality services, we strive to advance science for the benefit of animal and human communities.”

TIC is a VMBS unit located within the Texas A&M Institute for Preclinical Studies (TIPS) building. TIC was established to cater to the imaging needs of translational research studies in a wide variety of medical/scientific disciplines including surgery, biomedical engineering, pathology, interventional cardiology, and neurology.

Our Siemens Magnetom Verio 3T MRI system has a 70cm wide bore diameter and imaging capabilities include routine MR (with/without contrast), cardiac-gated, vascular, angiographic, perfusion, spectroscopic, and echo-planar. Our advanced imaging supports functional MRI (fMRI).

Human brain imaging performed using MRI

Our Siemens Biograph mCT includes both CT and PET capabilities. The CT scanner is 128-slice and has a 20cm field of view (FOV) time-of-flight PET scanner. Imaging capabilities include routine anatomic CTs (with/without contrast), cardiac-gated CT angiography, CT perfusion, and medical device imaging. PET imaging capabilities encompass use of a variety of radioisotopes for biodistribution and kinetics analysis.

Our range of imaging modalities also includes a GE Vivid E9 4D ultrasound, a Siemens Avantic Arcadis portable fluoroscopy system, and a Fujifilm CR-IR computed radiography system. TIC has dedicated Siemens 3D workstations, a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) and other specialized software to support data processing and analysis needs of various imaging studies.

TIC is involved in collaborative research studies with many different user groups within VMBS, as well as researchers in other Colleges including Health Science Center, Liberal Arts, and Engineering. In addition, TIC caters to the imaging research needs of other Universities and private companies. This places TIC in a strategic position to facilitate translational and multi-disciplinary research opportunities.

The vision of the Translational Imaging Center is to bridge the gap between research and clinical applications for our clients—using our state-of-the-art equipment and professional expertise.

Siemens Magnetrom Verio 3T MRI

Email: imagingcenter@tamu.edu

Cardiac Imaging using CT, CT with Contrast, and PET FDG-18 46 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Website: imagingcenter.tamu.edu

STEVENSON COMPANION ANIMAL LIFE-CARE CENTER The Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center provides for the physical, emotional, and medical needs of companion animals whose owners are no longer able to provide that care. Clients of the center include pet owners who want to ensure their pet’s future prior to entering a retirement home, being hospitalized for an extended period, or predeceasing their pet.

The center was established by the college in 1993, at the suggestion of Dr. E.W. “Ned” Ellett, former head of the Small Animal Clinical Sciences department. Dr. Ellett’s dream became a reality with generous donations from the Luse Foundation and Mrs. Madlin Stevenson. Mrs. Stevenson said she chose to support the center because, “animals are especially important to the elderly and this center is dedicated to them and their pets.” Mrs. Stevenson, a life-long animal lover, passed away in September of 2000, and her four cats, seven dogs, pony, and llama came to reside at the center. The center is a focal point of compassion for animals and dedication to their optimum care for life in a home-like environment.

In May of 2021 the center was honored to welcome the retired mascot of Texas A&M, Reveille IX, who will spend her retirement at the Stevenson Center. Her predecessor, Reveille VIII, also spent her retirement at the Stevenson Center. It is truly a privilege to care for A&M’s revered mascots in their retirement years. They have earned a restful retirement after representing the university so loyally.

Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Dr. Sonny Presnal, the center’s Director for nearly 25 years, retired in August of 2022.

Center staff The center has grown exponentially under his leadership. Dr. Presnal will continue as a member of the center’s Advisory Board.

The center is proud to announce that the new Director, Dr. Sam G. Miller, joined the center on August 1. Dr. Miller owned a veterinary clinic in Houston for 26 years prior to this appointment. He is also active in organized veterinary medicine as a Past President of the TVMA and currently on the Board of Directors for the AVMA. Dr. Miller’s guidance will assure the center’s continued success.

About the Stevenson Center: • •

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The center is beginning its 30th year of operation.

Companion animals can live out their lives at the center in a homelike environment after their owners can no longer care for them.

122 pets have lived out their lives at the center since 1993.

Over 730 companion animals, owned by 302 owners from 34 states and one country outside of the U.S., are enrolled to enter the center when their owners can no longer care for them.

Four veterinary medical students live at the center to care for the resident pets on nights, weekends, and holidays.

Four full time caretakers and four student workers provide care for the resident pets during the week.

The center is located next door to the VMTH, which provides exceptional veterinary care for the resident pets.

Stevenson Center Stevenson Center Current Residents

2 Other

1 Bird 4 Rabbits 4 Resident Caretakers 8 Non-Resident Caretakers 13 Dogs 16 Cats

Stevenson Center Future Enrollments

2 Donkeys 3 Rabbits 15 Horses 16 Birds 344 Cats 349 Dogs 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 47

DEVELOPMENT The VMBS Development Team is committed to building relationships between the school and friends of the school who have an interest in enhancing its financial resources. In the process of carrying out this commitment, the Development Team makes numerous individual and group presentations on the wide variety of activities that take place at the VMBS.

VMBS Scholarships

Scholarships One of the VMBS's top priorities is scholarship support for our students, while providing them with an education that utilizes the finest in modern educational methods and technologies. The DVM program is one of the largest in the country, while the college’s BIMS program is the largest undergraduate degree-granting program on Texas A&M’s campus. Endowed scholarships for students pursuing these degrees begin at $25,000.

Thank Your Donor Day VMBS Office of Development hosted its 2nd annual “Thank Your Donor Day” in August. This event brought together over 500 DVM and over 50 BIMS students. This was a time for these scholarship recipients to grab a snack, and take a moment to write their donor a personalized note of thanks.

This grateful atmosphere offered the opportunity for the VMBS Development Team to meet these Students at Thank Your Donor Day students and hear the positive impact that donors are providing. With tuition cost being over $13,000 per semester, scholarship support takes some of the financial hardship off their students' shoulders, so they can focus on their studies.

DVM Class Endowed Students' Scholarships The DVM Endowed Class Scholarship Initiative encourages each graduating class to create an endowed scholarship in its class name. Several graduating classes have already surpassed the $25,000 endowment level. Many former students use this vehicle to memorialize classmates by giving to a deceased classmate’s class scholarship fund in their memory.

Next-Generation Small Animal Teaching & Research Hospital (NGSATRH) The top priority for the VMBS is to build a new, Next-Generation Small Animal Teaching & Research Hospital (NGSATRH), a place where we can provide an exemplary education to the next generation of veterinarians and leading-edge care available nowhere else in Texas. The vision for the NGSATRH is rooted in Aggie excellence and the commitment we have made to provide students with the very best veterinary education. It is the embodiment of selfless service to the companion animals of Texas and beyond, and it is a bridge to the future of medicine and science through collaborative partnerships, a focus on clinical trials, and advancements in leading-edge, research-driven patient care.

Texas A&M President M. Katherine Banks announced NGSATRH as one of her top priorities, this project has received funding from the Texas Legislature and Texas’ Permanent University Fund. This generous support, in addition to private philanthropy, will allow our school to bring forth a visionary new hospital poised to become a national leader in veterinary education and research.

48 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

DVM

500

OUT OF 662 STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS

BIMS

44

OUT OF 2,468 STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS

DVM

500

STUDENTS RECEIVED A TOTAL OF 882 NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS

BIMS

44

STUDENTS RECEIVED 54 NAMED SCHOLARSHIPS

DVM

$492,000

DIFFERENTIAL TUITION FUND AWARDED

BIMS

$43,875

DIFFERENTIAL TUITION FUND AWARDED

DVM

$1,886,040 TOTAL DISTRIBUTION

BIMS

$63,000 TOTAL DISTRIBUTION

FUNDING PRIORITIES The VMBS Development Team is committed to building relationships between the college and friends of the college who have an interest in enhancing its financial resources. In the process of carrying out this commitment, the Development Team makes numerous individual and group presentations on the wide variety of activities that take place at the VMBS. In response to those efforts, Texas A&M Foundation reports that VMBS donors provided current and planned giving support of over $22 million in FY22. The total VMBS endowment in FY22 was $123 million.

Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research, and Outreach (VERO)

Funding Priorities

The following funding priorities have been identified for the VMBS by school administration and the Texas A&M Foundation.

• • • • •

Build a new, Next-Generation Small Animal Teaching Hospital Texas A&M Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO) Endowed Chairs in Large Animal Medicine ($1 Million) OR Endowed Professorships in Large Animal Medicine ($500,000) Endowed DVM Scholarships ($25,000) Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET)

To find out more about these priorities or learn about endowment opportunities, contact the VMBS Office of Development at 979.845.9043 or development-vmbs@tamu.edu.

OUTSTANDING ALUMNI & RISING STAR In 2022, the VMBS recognized five alumni for their commitment, service, and leadership in the veterinary and biomedical sciences fields, as well as to their communities. According to the dean, “These alumni are ambassadors for the VMBS, and we are proud of their commitment to service, education, and leadership. We are honored and privileged to recognize our former students and the impact of their work on our school, our state, our nation, and the world.”

Dr. Norman Guilloud ’60 Stockton, NJ 2022 Outstanding Alumnus

Dr. Angela Pelzel-McCluskey BIMS ‘97, DVM ‘01 Livermore, CO 2022 Outstanding Alumna

Dr. Laura E. Robinson DVM ‘90, ‘91 Austin, TX 2022 Outstanding Alumna

Col. Michelle Thompson, DVM ‘02 San Antonio, TX 2022 Outstanding Alumna

Dr. Katrina Breitreiter ’13 Austin, TX 2022 Rising Star

2022 VMBS Annual Report • 49

SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION

John R. August, DVM Carl B. King Dean, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Karen K. Cornell, DVM, PhD, DACVS Associate Dean, Professional Programs

Michael Criscitiello, PhD, MS Associate Dean, Research & Graduate Studies

Elizabeth Crouch, PhD Associate Dean, Undergraduate Education

Susan Eades, DVM, PhD, DACVIM Associate Dean, Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach (VERO)

Stacy Eckman, DVM, DABVP Associate Dean, Hospital Operations

Gerald W. Parker Jr., DVM, PhD, MS Associate Dean, Global One Health

Yolanda Veals, MBA Assistant Dean, Finance

Kristin Chaney, DVM, DACVIM-LA, DACVECC Associate Dean, Curriculum & Assessment

William Murphy, PhD Assistant Dean, Research & Graduate Studies

Wesley Bissett, DVM, PhD Interim Head, Large Animal Clinical Sciences

Jonathan Levine, DVM, DACVIM Dept. Head, Small Animal Clinical Sciences

Todd M. O’Hara, DVM, PhD Dept. Head, Veterinary Integrative Biosciences

Ramesh Vemulapalli, PhD, BVSc, MVSc Dept. Head, Veterinary Pathobiology

Larry J. Suva, PhD Dept. Head, Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology

Kris Guye, MBA Executive Director, VMBS IT & Assistant Chief Information Officer (Texas A&M University)

Misty Skaggs Chief of Staff, Office of the Dean

Larry Walker Assistant Vice President of Development (Texas A&M Foundation)

50 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report

Editorial, design, and production by VMBS Communications VMBSCommunications@tamu.edu | vetmed.tamu.edu/communications 2022 VMBS Annual Report • 51

School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Texas A&M University, 4461 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-4461 vetmed.tamu.edu 52 • 2022 VMBS Annual Report