On Call - Winter 2023-24 by University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine

WINTER 2023–24

On Call A MAGAZINE FOR FRIENDS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Giving Thanks Celebrating the impact of gifts to the SVM

Bridging the Gap Preparing the next generation of biomedical scholars

Canine Cancer Detection Exploring dogs’ ability to smell cancer in their own species

THE POWER OF GIVING

Gifts have the power to provide life-changing patient care, to help train the next generation of veterinarians, and to advance animal and human health with science and compassion.

Scan the QR code to support our mission.

To learn more, visit: www.vetmed.wisc.edu/giving/

For questions about giving, contact: Pat Bowdish | 608-332-4750 | pat.bowdish@supportuw.org Heidi Kramer | 608-327-9136 | heidi.kramer@supportuw.org

WINTER 2023–24

Features In Each Issue 4 Message from the Dean Celebrating School of Veterinary Medicine Successes 5 Menagerie A diverse collection of news and information from the SVM

12 Bridging the Gap An innovative new training initiative is preparing students who are typically underrepresented in academic research for careers in the biomedical sciences. Funded by a grant from the NIH, UW PREP fills a crucial gap for those lacking access to resources to prepare for graduate training or those who took a non-traditional path.

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22 Comparatively Speaking A special section for alumni of the Veterinary Science and Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate programs 24 DVM Badger Den News for and about graduates of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program

More 5 Ask a UW Veterinarian 5 Socializing with the SVM 26 Patient Profile

On the Cover

Alaina HoughtonChamberlain BS ‘22 pipetting a sample into a vial while working in the lab of SVM Professor Joan Jorgensen. HoughtonChamberlain was part of the initial cohort of the UW PREP program, which helps prepare aspiring scientists for careers in biomedical research. (Photo: Seth Moffitt/UW School of Veterinary Medicine) ©2023 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

With Gratitude Hospital clients, clinic sponsors, alumni, industry partners, and more — in this special section, we share with you a handful of stories from people whose generosity is helping advance the mission of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine.

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Focused On Our Future As you may have heard, I announced on July 1 that I will be stepping down as Dean of the UW–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine next summer after a new Dean has been named and is able to start. It has been an honor and a privilege this past decade to serve you, the SVM community of employees, students, and alumni. Throughout my tenure, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the most talented and dedicated individuals in the field of veterinary medicine, and for this, I am eternally grateful. I can assure you that over the course Mark D. Markel of the coming year, I will stay focused on moving the school’s priorities forward. These include completing the North Building addition, continuing to work on the remodeling of our current South Building, opening our new large animal arena and isolation facilities, and continuing our curricular revision plan, with the hope of finalizing all four phases in the coming year. I’m also confident that we will continue to build upon our robust portfolio of research that seeks to improve the lives of animals and humans across our state, the nation and the world. To that point, I am proud to announce that this past year was our most successful year for research funding ever, with grant awards totaling more than $38 million. This issue of On Call demonstrates the many reasons why the UW School of Veterinary Medicine is considered one of the best in the nation, most recently ranked by US News and World Report as 7th in the US. Articles in this issue range from the treatment of interdigital cysts in a Labrador Retriever to new interactive teaching models we’re creating to research on cancer-sniffing dogs. Importantly, I want to highlight the PREP program, which is led by Professor Joan Jorgensen, designed to prepare underrepresented minorities for careers in research. We continue our efforts in understanding infectious disease, including Professor Tony Goldberg’s research on freshwater mussels and a deadly fish virus. I also want to highlight how proud I am of WisCARES on its 10th anniversary. WisCARES has truly helped thousands of people who are housing unstable and their pets. Thank you Ruthanne Chun and all who have helped WisCARES be what it is today! As I prepare to transition out of my role as Dean, I am confident that the school will continue to thrive under new leadership. I look forward to remaining a part of the community and supporting the school in any way that I can. Thank you for the incredible journey that we have shared together. I am grateful for the memories, and I look forward to the next chapter in my life and the life of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. I hope you enjoy this issue of On Call, and I wish you a fantastic winter.

Mark D. Markel, Dean @uwvetmeddean

On Call | Winter 2023–24

BRYCE RICHTER

Message from the Dean WINTER 2023–24

Administration Mark D. Markel, Dean Richard Barajas, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lynn Maki, Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs Nancy Parkinson, Assistant Dean for Human Resources Fariba Kiani, Chief Financial Officer Peggy Schmidt, Associate Dean for Professional Programs Chris Snyder, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Director, UW Veterinary Care M. Suresh, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Training Kristi V. Thorson, Associate Dean for Advancement and Administration Lauren Trepanier, Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research

Editorial Editor/Writer: Gian Galassi Contributing Writers: Maddie Arthur, Michael P. King, Britta Wellenstein Photography: Seth Moffitt, Bryce Richter Design: Christine Knorr, University Marketing Additional Design: Kelly Bird

Connect with Us Please send your feedback and comments to oncall@vetmed.wisc.edu, 608-263-6914, or On Call Editor, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706. www.vetmed.wisc.edu www.uwveterinarycare.wisc.edu facebook.com/uwvetmed facebook.com/uwveterinarycare twitter.com/uwvetmed twitter.com/uwvetmeddean youtube.com/uwvetmed instagram.com/uwvetmed

On Call is also available online at: www.vetmed.wisc.edu/on-call The printing and distribution of this magazine were funded by donations to the school. To make a gift, contact Pat Bowdish at 608-332-4750 or pat.bowdish@supportuw.org or Heidi Kramer at 608-327-9136 or heidi.kramer@supportuw.org.

Ask a UW Veterinarian IST OC K

PH OT O :J O SS

Socializing with the SVM

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Friends of the school sharing their thoughts (and pets) on social media...

Seeking Emergency Care for your Pet This expert response comes from Molly Racette, clinical assistant professor, emergency and critical care. Question: How do I know if or when I should take my pet to an emergency hospital or just wait to see my primary care veterinarian? Answer: As a pet owner, knowing when and how to seek emergency care is important to ensure your pet has the best chance of recovery should an unexpected illness or injury occur. Prior to experiencing an emergency, you should find out where the closest emergency animal hospital is located to where you live or to where you might be traveling. Emergency hospitals are different from your primary care veterinarian where you go for preventative care and wellness. Emergency hospitals have the experience, equipment and advanced diagnostic capabilities to care for pets who are experiencing life-threatening illness or injuries. Dedicated emergency hospitals may also have veterinarians, called criticalists, who specialize in providing emergency care for pets. Emergency hospitals also typically have extended hours or are open when primary care veterinarians are closed. If your pet is actively seizing, having trouble breathing, has collapsed, is

unconscious, has uncontrolled bleeding, has experienced major trauma, has ingested a known toxin, is having trouble giving birth or is straining to urinate, immediately seek veterinary care at the closest emergency veterinary hospital. If possible, call ahead while you are on your way so the emergency team can be prepared for your pet’s arrival. Other conditions that may require emergent veterinary attention include severe vomiting/diarrhea, pale gums, a distended abdomen, severe lethargy or crying out in pain. We know it can be very stressful to bring your pet to an emergency hospital. Similar to a human ER, pets that are the sickest are treated by doctors first. While waiting at the emergency hospital can be difficult and frustrating, it usually means that your pet’s condition is not as life-threatening. And remember, the entire emergency team is doing their very best to help you and your pet.

Have a question for our veterinary medical experts? Send it to oncall@vetmed.wisc.edu. For health issues concerns needing immediate attention, please contact your veterinarian directly.

Having a great time with my board colleagues (UW School of Veterinary Medicine) discussing opportunities for our students to pursue veterinary medicine. –Carlton Jenkins, former MMSD superintendent. Via SVM Twitter (@uwvetmed)

This past month I’ve been sent back to Sierra Leone as part of a research team to investigate ENGS in the Tacugama chimpanzees, along with Ph.D candidate Emily Dunay and in collaboration with the Goldberg Lab at UW Vet Med. –Dr. Izzy Hirji Via SVM Instagram (@uwvetmed)

On Call

Menagerie

Dogs have been using their superior sense of smell to help humans for centuries—leading hunters to their quarry, locating missing persons, detecting explosives and narcotics, even detecting falling glucose levels in their owners. But new research from the UW School of Veterinary Medicine suggests that their exquisite olfactory systems might be able to help their own species as well. Mackenzie Pellin DVM ’11, oncologist and clinical associate professor, published a study this Spring in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) suggesting that dogs can be trained to detect cancer biomarkers in other dogs’ saliva. It’s the first study of its kind to demonstrate that dogs can accurately distinguish between samples taken from healthy dogs and samples taken from dogs with known malignant tumors. Pellin says the research is particularly important because cancer has long been one of the leading causes of death

Mackenzie Pellin, clinical associate professor, and her dog, Archer.

On Call | Winter 2023–24

in dogs, in part because veterinarians don’t have a non-invasive screening tool that could detect cancer in dogs sooner. “Dogs can’t tell us when something feels different in their bodies, so we usually don’t know something is really wrong until they start exhibiting more obvious and sometimes distressing clinical signs,” Pellin says. “This study brings us one small step closer to having a reliable non-invasive screening tool that could help us choose more effective treatments earlier and possibly provide a cure.” Research that examines dogs’ ability to detect cancer in other dogs is relatively new, but case reports of dogs detecting cancer in humans via scent detection were first documented in 1989. Since then, multiple studies have shown that dogs are capable of being trained to detect some cancers in humans by perceiving specific “odor signatures” in samples of urine, sweat, breath, and blood serum. Because most cancers seen in dogs are almost identical to cancers that affect people, Pellin and other researchers hypothesized that dogs would have similar abilities to detect cancer in dogs as well. To test this theory, Pellin and colleagues from the University of Alabama collected 139 saliva samples from dogs with malignant tumors and 161 samples from healthy dogs and sent them to a canine training facility in Alabama. Using positive reinforcement methods, trainers exposed a team of six scent detection dogs of various breeds to a select set of samples and then rewarded them with food treats when they accurately identified known cancer samples. During the second round of training, these same dogs were exposed to the samples without reward to determine if they could still correctly identify the samples that came from dogs with cancer. For the final testing, researchers carefully selected 10 samples from

LAURIE MALONE (6)

Research suggests dogs can be trained to sniff out cancer in other dogs

Members of the study’s medical scent detection (MSD) team performing various scent training activities to differentiate between saliva samples from healthy dogs and dogs with malignant tumors.

canine patients with a variety of tumor types, ages, and genders to best challenge the dogs. Twenty-two samples from healthy dogs were used as controls. Each dog participated in four different testing trials, with varying number of healthy and cancer samples. During the testing, the dog handlers were blinded to the number and location of healthy and cancer samples. The results of the test show the scent detection dogs had both a high sensitivity rate and high specificity rate in distinguishing between cancer samples and the healthy samples – two important statistical metrics of reliability when detecting disease. High scores on each of these metrics is not that common and indicate a very high level of accuracy. In total, two cancers (true positives) were missed by a single dog and two other cancers were missed by two dogs each. Additionally, 2 dogs

alerted on a total of 3 non-cancerous samples (false positives), while the other four dogs did not alert on any non-cancerous samples. One dog scored perfectly during all four trials. Although the results of the study provide proof of concept that trained dogs can detect canine cancer with high levels of accuracy, Pellin said this preliminary study should serve as a foundation for future studies that use larger number of samples and more trained scent detection dogs. “Performing larger studies will help us determine if there are other differences or nuances between tumor types with scent detection, but it will also give us the opportunity to study if dogs can distinguish between healthy and non-cancerous diseases, and between cancer and non-cancerous diseases.” said Pellin. She also hopes to repeat all these studies with samples from feline patients.

Other members of the research team include Laurie Malone, researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health; and Kendal Valentine, clinical research assistant at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. — Gian Galassi

Bits of news from around the school Dean Mark D. Markel was elected as President-elect of the AO Foundation, the world’s largest orthopedic foundation. He will be the first veterinarian to lead the organization in its 65-year history, serving as president-elect from 2023–2025 and as president from 2025-2027. Lauren Cromwell DVMx’25 was one of only 13 recipients in the world to be awarded a Veterinary Student Research Fellowship from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) and the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. This highly competitive fellowship creates opportunities for veterinary students around the world to conduct research advancing global food security, sustainable animal production and environmental sustainability. Lauren’s work (researching pain management solutions in swine) is under-investigated and has necessary real-world applications. Lisa Forrest, professor and section chief of radiation oncology, was recently named as the 2024 recipient of the Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Veterinary Radiology (ACVR). The award, which

has only been awarded to 7 other individuals, is given to members of the ACVR who have made outstanding contributions in the form of service, teaching, or research. Forrest is the first woman to receive this prestigious honor. Assistant professor Freya Mowat was named the 2023 recipient of the Dr. Joe G. Hollyfield New Investigator Award for Macular Degeneration Research by the BrightFocus Foundation. This award recognizes her exceptionally promising and forward-thinking ideas in the field of macular degeneration. The UW–Madison Global Health Institute, directed by School of Veterinary Medicine Professor Jorge Osorio, signed a bilateral agreement in New Delhi with the Ella Foundation to establish the first-ever UW–Madison One Health Center in Bangalore, India. The center is expected to be operational by the end of 2023. It will advance the development and production of new vaccines for India; enable collaboration across disciplines and geographic boundaries; provide Indian students and researchers access to UW expertise and training; and build research capacity in India.

On Call

UW–Madison offers new major in animal and veterinary biosciences

On Call | Winter 2023–24

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY MARIA RIVERA

MICHAEL P. KING

Maria Rivera, a third-year ident of the Poultry Club, a University of Wisconsin–Madmember of the Pre-Veterinary ison pre-veterinary student Association and a vet tech in from suburban Chicago, has UW Veterinary Care’s small wanted to be a veterinarian animal operating room. She since she was very little. She was also an undergraduate imagines a future working researcher in the lab of Steven with small animals in her own Ricke, a professor of animal general practice, or perhaps and dairy sciences who studspecializing in surgery. A new ies foodborne pathogens in UW–Madison major — animal poultry. “I can’t imagine not and veterinary biosciences — having the clubs or the cows at will get her several steps closer the Dairy Cattle Center. I’ve Students Alena Patire, left, and Katelyn Marschall, right, practice a routine to living that dream. been in the field and worked health exam on a dog during an animal handling unit in Animal Sciences The animal and veterinary on research, and I’m so un102: Intro to Animal Sciences Lab, in the Stock Pavilion at UW–Madison. biosciences major, housed in believably impressed with the the College of Agricultural resources and organizations and Life Sciences (CALS), is we have here.” or lab research before they graduate. for students who care about animals’ The job outlook is favorable for Many get involved just weeks into their health, well-being, and their relationveterinarians, animal care specialists first year. Moving forward, the departships to humans and the environment and other animal-related fields, with ment — which prides itself on strong — from the smallest companion and projected growth ranging from seven partnerships with the nearby School of service animals to the largest livestock. Veterinary Medicine — plans to expand to 30 percent over the next decade Thanks to an array of course choices, (the national average for all sectors opportunities to learn about and study students can tailor their studies to preis five percent). Most of these graducompanion and service animals. pare themselves for veterinary school ates will grow Wisconsin’s workforce: Students are already flocking to or a multitude of other animal-related a UW–Madison graduate outcomes the new major. Rivera was an animal careers. The major prioritizes flexibility, survey indicated that about two-thirds sciences major but chose to switch to making it easier for students to add a of recent animal science graduates were animal and veterinary biosciences. This certificate or study abroad if they wish, employed in Wisconsin. And in terms of year she’s excited to have the flexibility and graduate more quickly. broader impact, animal health is key to to take two courses that truly fit her “We’re adapting to directions global health, a growing area of study interests: The Biology and Appreciation students are already going,” says Kent recognizing the intersection of animal, of Companion Animals, and Lactation Weigel, chair of the Department of Anhuman and environmental health. Physiology. She’ll have time to be a imal and Dairy Sciences, which will be — Michael P. King teaching assistant for an introducphasing out its current animal sciences tory animal sciences course and can major in favor of this new curriculum. be more involved with her many “With more options and fewer required career-related extracurriculars. courses, students can dig deeper into the “I am super happy I traditional disciplines but also explore [chose] Madison,” says emerging topics like animal welfare, Rivera, who is vice presmicrobiome studies, sustainability and digital agriculture. They can really purMaria Rivera, a third-year sue or discover their true passions.” UW–Madison student now studying animal and Hands-on research opportunities veterinary biosciences, for undergraduate students are abunposes for a picture with a horse during a study dant on the UW campus, with more abroad experience with than 75 percent of students in the the University of Belgrade’s Department of Animal and Dairy Sciveterinary school in Serbia, May 12, 2023. ences completing independent studies

A loud and familiar buzz fills the clinical skills lab of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Veterinary Medicine as students huddle around a table, holding syringes, hoping not to set off the buzzer. No, the students aren’t playing the classic board game Operation. Instead, these veterinary students are practicing how to draw blood from a dog’s leg using a model retrofitted with the Operation buzzer. This is one of many models’ veterinary medical students use to apply their learning in a hands-on way. “Studies show that sitting in a lecture hall is not very effective. Students do not retain much information because lectures are passive. Engaging students in learning activities improves outcomes,” says McLean Gunderson, a lecturer in the comparative biosciences department. “Models allow students to visualize content in 3D, making learning interactive.” Students still watch lectures and read textbooks, but teaching models allow students to build upon what they have learned in class and make connections. Gunderson and colleagues have incorporated this active learning into multiple aspects of their courses, with models serving a variety of purposes – from understanding anatomy to practicing clinical skills. Some models work to help students visualize systems and reinforce anatomy. Color-coded dog skeletons help students determine where muscles attach to bone and how they affect movement across joints. Students position model rope uteruses and foam kidneys to better understand the orientation of a female dogs’ reproductive organs or they work to arrange sewn esophagi, stomachs and intestines into place. As the students practice, Gunderson and other instructors ask reflective questions to constructively

facilitate students’ learning. “We work hard to get them to understand the relevant anatomy and the relationship of various body systems. How are these structures interrelated?” Gunderson says. Other models work on students’ technical skills. Students practice techniques to stabilize veins, withdraw blood and place IV catheters from tubes filled with red liquid. These tubes are fitted to both large and small animal models, from a dog’s leg to a cow’s tail. In the dog’s leg model, the Operation buzzer goes off when students hit a metal plate instead of the vein. Silicone castration models allow students to practice full spays and neuters, from scrubbing and draping to suturing. These models can be placed inside a stuffed animal dog or cat, providing a new level of complexity to the procedure, and preparing them to perform surgical procedures on live animals in their third year of veterinary school. Gunderson started creating these active learning models seven years ago, alongside instructional specialist Tina Wahl, lecturer Jessica Rippe and assistant teaching professor Karen Hershberger-Braker. “Collectively, we design models to fill in gaps in knowledge or skill. Often our inspiration comes from asking ourselves how we can replicate things the way nature does it,” Gunderson says. Once they have an idea, Gunderson uses their own technical skills to create these models inexpensively, with pourable plastic or household materials – like an old Operation game. Models are often replicated, allowing students to take them home and practice on their own. Gunderson and colleagues throughout the school have seen the models’ impact on their students, improving their contextual

SETH MOFFITT

Interactive Teaching Models Aid Students’ Learning

McLean Gunderson DVM, lecturer in the Department of Comparative Biosciences at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine demonstrates the Operation game-based intravenous model for placing catheters, withdrawing blood, or administering medications. This model is used as the final step before students move on to performing these skills on a live animal.

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understanding and preparing them to work with live animals. “When we get the students actively involved, retention improves,” Gunderson says. “They can find relevance in the content and progress in a manner that works best for them.” — Britta Wellenstein On Call

Menagerie

The Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education, and Social Services, better known as WisCARES, marked its 10- year anniversary with a public celebration at its community clinic this past August. What started in 2013 as a humble idea to provide subsidized veterinary care to houseless pet owners in Madison, Wisconsin, has since grown into an innovative educational model that teaches cultural humility and competency to the next generation of veterinarians while simultaneously addressing the social crisis of homelessness and its attendant challenges. Developed and managed by an interdisciplinary team at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, the Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education, and Social Services, WisCARES provides access for low-income individuals and their pets to a full-service community veterinary clinic that includes examination rooms, a surgical suite, dentistry, digital radiography, ultrasound services, a drug dispensary, an in-house laboratory, a boarding and foster program, and a pet food pantry. Clients experiencing homelessness can also access wraparound services, such as housing advocacy, so that families and their pets can stay together. It’s a holistic approach to care that embodies not only the onehealth philosophy that humans, animals, and their environment are inextricably linked, but also the Wisconsin Idea, a major pillar of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s mission of reaching beyond campus borders to improve people’s lives. For students of veterinary medicine, WisCARES also serves as an ideal learning environment. Through

On Call | Winter 2023–24

BRYCE RICHTER

WisCARES Celebrates 10 Years of Compassionate Care, Innovative Education

Owners Clarence (right) and Kelly (left) wait with their dogs Ike (left) and Tina (right) to see the vet at WisCARES clinic in 2015. WisCARES seeks to provide holistic health care and housing support to Dane County’s disadvantages residents and their pets.

WisCARES provides access for low-income individuals and their pets to a full-service community veterinary clinic a combination of experiential learning in a low-resource veterinary medical environment and opportunities for facilitated self-reflection, students learn how cultural humility and competency can play an important role in improving health outcomes for humans and animals alike—skills that the AVMA now recognizes as required educational competencies and that also align with the spectrum-of-care model. Each year, WisCARES hosts fourthyear veterinary students for 2-week rotations, along with preveterinary and veterinary students early in the curriculum, certified veterinary technician students, and students from the University of WisconsinMadison Schools of Pharmacy and Social Work. Their respective experience at WisCARES is guided by a comprehensive 3-part curriculum:

Structure of clinical experience

Guided self-reflection

Faculty working at WisCARES model cultural humility, allowing student engagement at a deeper level. Through demonstration of vulnerability and acknowledgment of their own implicit biases and how they manage them, faculty create a safe and open environment that underscores the importance of interpersonal relationships and normalizes the learning process. Clinicians actively work with students in a nonjudgmental way to reveal possible biases and help them process the complexity of their perspective.

The goal of WisCARES is to develop relationships rather than focus on the number of animals served, so students have hour-long appointments with clients and lead most of the client communication and education. As they progress through the curriculum, students in their clinical rotations provide comprehensive care to patients and their families and process more complex clinical information while continuing to have case ownership. This approach is a method of scaffolding that balances the expected depth of client connection to the complexity of clinical case management.

Finally, students are encouraged to explore their experiences through facilitated discussion and reflective journaling. Informal yet intentional debriefing takes place before, during, and after students’ experiences with clients and most commonly takes place through one-on-one conversations with supervising faculty members. Students also engage in small group discussions to help them process the whole picture of a client’s and patient’s situation. Since the program’s inception, more than 250 veterinary students have completed a WisCARES rotation, working alongside peers from other academic disciplines to not only consider social determinants of poverty and health, but also reflect on their own worldviews and learn how to provide the highest level of care to people and their pets, regardless of their cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

SETH MOFFITT

Culture

PHOTO: WisCARES staff celebrate the program’s 10 year anniversary at a free public event held August 27th. From left: Haidi Rodriguez, Maria Verbrugge, Hilary Cox, Lyn Empey, Jennifer Wheeler Brooks, Bucky Badger, Tina Narvaez, Ruthanne Chun, and Kelly Schultz.

On Call

Bridging the Gap New program prepares aspiring scientists for careers in biomedical research

ISTOCK: 1419335208

By Maddie Arthur

SUPPORTING THE NEXT GENERATION OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS An innovative training initiative designed to bridge the gap between an undergraduate and doctoral degree program is driving transformative change in the biomedical sciences. Now entering its second year, the UW–Madison Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) welcomes a small cohort of exceptional scholars who have earned their bachelor’s degrees and are looking to pursue doctoral degrees in biomedical science. PREP students come from backgrounds underrepresented in academic research, including racial minorities and people with disabilities or low socioeconomic status. Over the course of a year, PREP offers scholars a rigorous research experience, enhancing their graduate program applications and refining their research interests. PREP also delivers wide-ranging professional development opportunities and individualized mentorship, tailored to equip participants with the necessary tools for success in PhD programs. UW PREP is funded by a $250,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with matching funds from the School of Veterinary Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Graduate School. This collaborative, campus-wide effort aims to diversify the PhD workforce specific to academic research.

On Call | Winter 2023–24

Addressing a Critical Need While UW boasts a wealth of resources and summer training programs for students across academic fields, PREP fills a crucial gap for those lacking access to resources to prepare for graduate training, or those who took a non-traditional academic path. “We want to provide a supportive platform to nurture our scholars’ skills and build their confidence as scientists,” says Joan Jorgensen DVM’93. Jorgensen serves as the director of UW PREP and is a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine. UW PREP aims to recruit students with undergraduate degrees from less research-intensive institutions around the state and across the country, giving otherwise bright and curious scholars access to the multitude of research opportunities at UW–Madison. “As the largest research institution in the state, UW– Madison recognizes the importance of standing by those students who need our support,” Jorgensen emphasizes.

Curriculum and Development

SETH MOFFITT

The first cohort of UW PREP scholars began in November 2022 after a surprise announcement that the NIH was able to allocate funds for the program. Despite the shortened timeline, program leadership quickly and diligently modified the curriculum to ensure the participants could fully benefit from the program, albeit in a condensed format. The PREP team is looking forward to spacing the curriculum out for the incoming cohort, set to begin the year-long program this August. Nonetheless, the first round of scholars had the freedom to set their own goals and expectations for the experience, providing valuable feedback to program leadership along the way.

At the start of the program, each scholar met with the UW PREP team to create an individual development plan – detailing skills each scholar wanted to refine and how the program could support them in achieving those goals. The PREP curriculum consists of several components. Scholars spend 75 percent of their time working in a research lab, studying topics ranging from the mosquitogut microbiome to adult infertility. As a part of their research experience, each scholar creates a poster they present at the SciMed Graduate Research Scholar Symposium, honing their communication skills. Alongside their lab work, the remainder of the program focuses on professional development training. Scholars attend weekly PREP seminars, which include journal clubs and a range of professional development workshops, covering topics such as graduate school application and interview preparation, grant writing workshops, leadership training and more. “Something exciting to see was how the scholars built respect for each other, even though they come from very different backgrounds,” Jorgensen says. “I learned as much from our scholars as they learned from us.”

Personalized Mentorship and Scholar Success Furthermore, the scholars received invaluable one-on-one mentoring from the PREP leadership team, consisting of Jorgensen, Laura Hernandez (associate director, professor of animal and dairy sciences), Jenny Dahlberg (administrative coordinator), Amber Smith (curriculum director, associate director of WISCIENCE) and Katelyn Paz (program manager). The high mentor-to-mentee ratio ensures that each scholar receives guidance from people with diverse backgrounds and expertise. Mentorship from the PREP leadership team complements the support and guidance scholars receive from their fellow lab members and primary investigators. “Each member of the PREP leadership team plays a role in reading their personal statements and setting up mock interviews, intending to help the scholars get accepted into graduate programs,” Hernandez says. One of the 2022-23 scholars, Alaina HoughtonChamberlain BS’22, works in the Jorgensen lab at the School of Veterinary Medicine. She says her mentors helped her see herself and her contributions to science in ways she hadn’t before. “I feel like a real scientist, moreso than I ever have before, and I am so grateful to the PREP program for showing me that I am a capable scientist and helping

Houghton-Chamberlain works alongside her mentor and SVM professor, Joan Jorgensen DVM’93.

On Call

me share my work with the world,” says HoughtonChamberlain. “I’ve made so many amazing relationships with the facilitators in the program, and I know they will continue to be amazing resources long after I’ve finished the PREP program.” This fall, Houghton-Chamberlain will have a chance to put her newfound skills to the test as she pursues her PhD in the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology program at UW–Madison. Every member of the inaugural PREP cohort has either been accepted into a PhD program this fall or is planning to apply. (Read more about the inaugural cohort of UW PREP scholars in the sidebar.)

Integrating Into the UW Community One of the most vital components of the UW PREP program is the emphasis it puts on networking and building connections with researchers from a variety of disciplines. This goal is made possible by the dozens of faculty members from across campus who have already expressed interest in taking on scholars of the program – including several researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine. To ensure PREP scholars get the most out of the program, each faculty mentor is required to have research mentorship training, focused explicitly on cultural awareness. Additionally, the scholars collaborate closely with graduate students in the SciMed Graduate Research Scholars program (SciMed GRS), which is comprised of underrepresented graduate students from nearly 40 departments across the UW campus. “The PREP scholars, who are post-baccalaureate students, can look at the SciMed graduate students and envision themselves in their shoes, recognizing that there is a community in Madison for them,” Jorgensen says. “It creates an invaluable network of role models.” Houghton-Chamberlain agrees. She joined the SciMed GRS program this fall, further demonstrating the importance of fostering campus and community connections.

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Increasing Diversity, Nationwide On a larger scale, the NIH backs PREP programs at

On Call | Winter 2023–24

universities nationwide, driven by a long-term vision to enhance faculty diversity in the biomedical sciences. There are currently 55 active programs totaling over $15M in funding. Of note, a critical means toward obtaining NIH funding is demonstration of considerable university support, including additional funds and enthusiasm and dedication from the campus community. The NIH review panels were impressed with the support displayed at UW–Madison. “The NIH wants to foster workplace diversity specifically among PhD graduates, including PhD combinations like DVM/PhDs or MD/PhDs,” Jorgensen says. “Their goal is to track the progress of these individuals throughout their graduate school journey and beyond, with the idea that they would love to have more diverse faculty down the road.” While this work is ongoing, programs like UW PREP are paving the way by creating opportunities and a support network for students underrepresented in biomedical research and academia. “I’m one of many that these types of programs have touched, and they make a huge difference,” Hernandez says. “The NIH’s development of diversity-building programs is critical to current and future research scientists.” The 2023-24 cohort comprises a select group of students from Wisconsin and Illinois.

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY KATELYN PAZ

Inaugural cohort of PREP scholars: Autumn Rain Chevalier, Alaina HoughtonChamberlain, Jessica Lysne, and Mitchell Armstrong

2022-23 SCHOLAR PROFILES Mitchell Armstrong

Autumn Rain Chevalier

Lab: Briana Burton, Department of Bacteriology

Lab: Judith Simcox, Department of Biochemistry

Research project: Genetic elements affecting the ability of the soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis to take up DNA from its environment, modifying its own genetic code (a process called natural competence).

Research Project: Comparing metabolic markers from the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin to white populations to determine if there is a better way to assess diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as these metabolic markers are historically based on white male populations.

What did you take from PREP: “Being on campus was vital in helping me meet with different professors and find a lab that was a good fit both academically and personally.” PhD program: Food Science at UW–Madison in the lab of Dr. Gulustan Ozturk, focusing on a subset of dairy science.

Alaina Houghton-Chamberlain Lab: Joan Jorgensen, Department of Comparative Biosciences Research Project: Understanding the mechanisms of ovary development in hopes of identifying how disruptions in fetal development can lead to adult infertility. My research interests include ovary physiology and development in humans but also across all animal species. What did you take from PREP: “I learned how to be a better communicator through presentations, posters and writing; how to be a good mentor and mentee; and how to advocate for my field. We got the opportunity to present posters at poster sessions, attend eye-opening lectures, take field trips to biotechnology hubs and practice writing grants.” PhD program: Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology (ERP) at UW Madison as well as being a fellow in the Science and Medicine Graduate Research Scholars (SciMed GRS) Fellowship program.

What did you take from PREP: “PREP has given me the confidence to talk about my research by providing a space to have conversations with other scientists, present posters, give chalk talks, create elevator sentences and present at journal club. I have learned a lot about myself as a person and a researcher through PREP because of all the opportunities it has to offer.” PhD program: Plans to continue her research education and apply to graduate school in the next 1-2 years.

Jessica Lysne Lab: Kerri Coon, Department of Bacteriology Research project: Competition in the mosquito gut microbiome, with the goal of developing disease control measures in the future. What did you take from PREP: “PREP helped give me direction during my gap year and gave me goals to focus on. It’s been a very guiding and supportive group that has given me feedback and advice as I navigated what to expect from a PhD program.” PhD program: Biomolecular Sciences at Michigan State University (completing a rotation and then being matched with a lab.)

On Call

Thank You! If you’ve been to our corner of campus lately, you’ve seen the unmistakable impact that our friends and supporters are having on the UW School of Veterinary Medicine. From our beautiful new building that’s nearing completion to the north to the large animal arena quickly taking shape to the south, the school is heading into the next stage of its evolution with more than a little momentum and no shortage of gratitude for all the people who have supported us, in both big and small ways, over the years. Your generosity and foresight are not only reflected in the obvious visual reminders of our growth, but in the many unseen yet equally important manifestations that are shaping our academic and research programs, inspiring our faculty, staff and students, and further advancing the school’s promise to the people and animals of Wisconsin and beyond. Across the 2022-23 fiscal year, the school received $14.2 million in new gifts and pledges — including $8.8 million in new estate gift commitments, and $1 million in new discretionary support gifts. These contributions represent gifts of all sizes and from donors of all walks of life, all helping to make our work possible. The support of our donors allows us to recruit the most outstanding faculty and students, make critical advances in research, purchase state-of-the-art equipment for UW Veterinary Care and our teaching spaces, and provide financial assistance to our students to set them up for success after they graduate. We are humbled by your generosity and would like to extend our profound gratitude to all who chose to make a difference in the future of our School. On the following pages, we share with you a handful of stories from people who’ve decided to mark their own gratitude for the UW School of Veterinary Medicine by providing support that will benefit us all for many years to come.

On Call | Winter 2023–24

Giving Back by Looking Forward

or SVM alumni Douglas and Kimberly Kratt (DVM ‘98 and DVM ‘00, respectively), investing in the future of veterinary medicine was not something they reserved for the waning days of their professional lives but rather a commitment they started to make not long after earning their DVM degrees. For Doug, who purchased Central Animal Hospital Veterinary Clinic in La Crosse, Wisconsin just 5 months after graduating, that meant regularly returning to campus to serve as a mentor for students. He knew the value in sharing his perspective, not only as a recent alumnus but also as a new business owner, because he was the beneficiary of that same type of mentorship while studying at the SVM. Kim followed suit not long after she graduated a couple years later, subsequently joining Doug at the growing clinic, where they have been practicing veterinary medicine and working to strengthen the profession ever since. “There was always a strong culture at the school that emphasized the importance of veterinarians getting out of the exam room and getting involved with all aspects of our profession and giving back when you can,” Kratt recalls. “It was a very natural evolution for us to go from being proud Badgers to staying connected with the school in various ways.” The Kratts’ attribute that culture, in part, to the influence of Dr. Linda Sullivan, a member of the school’s inaugural class of 1987 and whose storied career at the SVM was characterized by decades of service, leadership and philanthropy, as well as all their experience with all three deans of the School: Barney Easterday, Daryl Buss, and current dean Mark Markel. When the latter approached the Kratts about potentially contributing to the new building campaign, Doug says they didn’t need to think about it for very long. “It was a really easy decision for us because we saw it as a wonderful way to give back to the future of veterinary medicine and agriculture in state of Wisconsin,” he says. “Training excellent veterinarians is crucial to the strength of our profession and we needed a new building that would help sustain that goal over the long term.” Doug and Kim helped meet that goal by providing a leadership-level gift pledge in 2017 as part of a matching gift program for the building campaign initiated by Morrie Waud’s $5 million gift commitment. Shortly after completing their Morrie Waud pledge in 2022, the Kratts’ decided to continue their philanthropic leadership via recurring monthly donations to the School of Veterinary Medicine Fund, which benefits the school’s greatest needs. But Doug says their ongoing commitment to the SVM goes beyond the shared pride he and Kim have in being alumni of the program. As past president of both the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association, Doug has a unique perspec-

Kimberly Kratt DVM ’00, Linda Sullivan DVM ’87, and Douglas Kratt DVM ‘98 at an SVM event in 2018. The Kratts credit Sullivan, who passed away in February 2022, with teaching them and other alumni about the importance of giving back to the veterinary profession.

tive on how important the veterinary profession is to our nation’s collective health. “It’s been encouraging to see more and more people recognizing how important the human-animal bond is to our mental and physical health, and I think that has led to a greater appreciation of our companion animals than ever before,” Kratt says. “But equally important is our profession’s role in improving and protecting our nation’s food supply, not to mention all of the important research being done to improve treatments for cancer and other diseases, which we saw most recently with vaccine development during the pandemic.” If there’s a more convincing argument for veterinarians to tap into the “culture of giving back” the Kratts first experienced at the SVM, they’re not sure what that could be. “The impact that our profession will continue to have on the well-being of our society is unmistakable and I think the particular influence of the SVM is, in many ways, immeasurable,” Kratt says. “I would love to see more alumni get involved with the school to the extent that they can, because it really has enriched our lives in so many ways since we left, and we have a lot of reasons to be really excited about what the future holds.”

On Call

Investing in Animal Health and Human Happiness vy Corfis initially chose to support the UW School of Veterinary Medicine because of the exceptional veterinary care that her animals received via UW Veterinary Care, of which she has many experiences to draw from. Since 2005, her two beloved beagles, Cassie and Woodstock, were cared for by specialists in dentistry, ophthalmology, cardiology, oncology, general medicine, acupuncture, surgery, and emergency care. “The care my dogs received at UW has always been exceptional, from the SVM faculty to the residents to the students and staff,” Corfis recalls. “There was more care and communication from the veterinary staff than I’ve received from physicians for my own care. I wanted to support that kind of wonderful work, research, and training.” Just as important to Corfis is the way the SVM cares for other animals and their owners—people and pets that she doesn’t know and likely never will. “I support the UW veterinary school not only for the excellent care they’ve provided to my pets but to all animals,” says Corfis. “I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to pay for all the medical care my “babies” needed, but others are not always able to do that, even though they love their animals just as much as I loved mine. We should be helping everyone care for their family--and that includes their companion animals.” To that end, Corfis has directed her giving over the years to help improve the health and welfare of animals that need it most via two SVM programs: The UW Shelter Medicine Program, which provides animal shelters and communities around the country with a wide range of cost-effective support services, including remote and on-site shelter consultations, disease outbreak assistance, and diagnostic testing; and the SVM’s Wisconsin Companion Animal Resources, Education, and Social Services program (WisCARES), an innovative, collaborative program that provides access for low-income individuals and their pets to a full-service community veterinary clinic, including a boarding and foster program, and pet food pantry, as well as wraparound services, such as housing advocacy for clients experiencing homelessness, so that families and their pets can stay together. “I am passionate about both shelter care and helping people care for their best friends regardless of their ability to pay,” she says. “Helping all animals in need has always been very important to me, and these programs in particular touch my heart.” Corfis is also a generous supporter of the Companion Animal Fund, which has been providing financial support to SVM research designed to improve treatment outcomes and help animals live healthier, longer lives. Since the program’s inception more than 30 years ago, donations like Corfis’ have led to many advancements, including better seizure medications, more effective pain control options, improved

On Call | Winter 2023–24

PHOTO SUPPLIED BY IVY CORFIS

“Helping all animals in need has always been very important to me, and these programs in particular touch my heart.”

surgical methods, and new insights into debilitating diseases, not just for animals, but for humans as well. Ultimately, it’s that interdependence between animals and humans that Corfis says best explains her ongoing motivation to support the school, not only through the aforementioned gifts but also by including the UW School of Veterinary Medicine in her legacy plans. “I am touched by all animals, especially companion animals: their resiliency, their ability to relate to humans, their empathy,” she says. “In my experience, the love animals give us makes them important to human happiness. I think we can learn a lot from them about loving unconditionally. They ask for so little in return.” PHOTO: Ivy Corfis with her dog, Cassie, one of two beagles who received care at UW Veterinary Care over the years. Corfis was inspired to support the SVM because of her love for all animals and the joy they bring to our lives.

Honoring Compassionate Care and a Mother’s Memory

SET HM OFF ITT

hen the veterinarian who cared for Richard Magnus’ five exotic pet parrots unexpectedly passed away in March of 2020, he was justifiably worried about finding somebody who could handle his beloved birds with the same level of expertise and compassion he’d grown accustomed to. After all, veterinarians who specialize in exotic species are not easy to come by and Dr. Pete Sakas was not just any other veterinarian – he was a nationally renowned expert on avian medicine and owner of the Niles Animal Hospital, a small animal clinic outside Chicago that was routinely recognized for excellence under his leadership. Magnus knew he had a challenging search ahead of him. But Richard, an archaeologist by training, knows how to find what he is looking for. A lifelong devoted animal lover, Magnus decided not to let distance deter him from getting the best care for any of his animals (he also has dogs). He decided to expand his search beyond the Chicagoland area where he lives to include all of Illinois, and then, not finding what he was looking for, to surrounding states. But it wasn’t until one of his pet birds, Hector, required immediate medical attention that he finally found the person he’d been looking for at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine.

“I was just so impressed with how we were treated, and I think the approach to care that we experienced is one of the reasons that the UW Veterinary School has been able to propel itself, in a relatively short period of time, from not even having a vet school to being one of the best in the country. That’s pretty incredible and tells me that they are doing something right.”

“Dr. (Grayson) Doss was absolutely stellar, not only because he took so much time and was so thorough in examining Hector but because he treated him so gently,” Magnus recalls. “I decided in that moment that UW would be our veterinary home from that point on.”

“Dr. (Grayson) Doss was absolutely stellar, not only because he took so much time and was so thorough in examining Hector but because he treated him so gently,”

Hector, a yellow-naped Amazon parrot, holds a special place in Magnus’ heart. He was one of two birds that Magnus brought home from Nicaragua in 1975 and has been a constant companion to Magnus ever since. So when Dr. Grayson Doss, clinical assistant professor of zoological medicine at SVM, helped Hector regain his waning health and vitality after suffering various health issues related to high cholesterol, Magnus started searching yet again, but this time for a way to show his gratitude to SVM for saving Hector’s life. As an alumnus of Yale University and a lifelong academic himself, Magnus says he appreciates the value of higher education and academic medicine, and decided to create an endowed scholarship at the SVM to help aspiring veterinarians realize their dreams and hopefully one day provide the same level of care that both he and Hector received when they needed it the most. “I am convinced that Hector would not be here today if not for the expertise and compassion of Dr. Doss and others at UW Veterinary Care,” Magnus says. “I was just so impressed with how we were treated, and I think the approach to care that we experienced is one of the reasons that the UW Veterinary School has been able to propel itself, in a relatively short period of time, from not even having a vet school to being one of the best in the country. That’s pretty incredible and tells me that they are doing something right.” Next year, the Virginia Bookwalter Magnus scholarship, named in honor of his mother, a devoted animal lover and 1939 UW graduate, will be awarded to non–Wisconsin residents who want to study at the SVM. “My mother passed away 25 years ago, but she absolutely loved Hector, so what could be better than giving to the university that helped Hector, as well as other animals, and also happens to be the place where my mom graduated from.”

On Call

Transforming Pain into Promise of Better Treatment

arah Orr considers herself to be an accidental dog

lover. After all, she didn’t grow up around many animals or in a home where dogs were constantly underfoot. In fact, it wasn’t until she rescued a stray dog in her neighborhood in 1999 that she knew dogs would forever be a part of her life from that point forward. Since then, Sarah has owned a total of five dogs, each of which has brought a level of joy to her life she never could have imagined. But as every pet owner unfortunately learns, dogs’ relatively shorter lifespans means that joy is inevitably counterbalanced by heartbreak. And Orr has experienced an unusual amount of the latter. Each of her five dogs were diagnosed with some form of cancer, some of them with multiple kinds. And yet, given her undeniable love and affection for her dogs, there’s no question that they were very lucky to have had Sarah in their lives. “My dogs are my passion, and I will do anything I can to help them,” Orr says.

I want to do whatever I can that might lead to better treatment for these diseases so that our dogs can be cured, survive longer, or have better quality of life for as long as they are with us.

And she clearly has. In 2010, when her 7-year-old yellow lab Christie was diagnosed with nasal cancer, a relatively rare but aggressive type of canine cancer, she searched far and wide for the best treatment options to improve the quality of life that Christie had left. When she learned that the UW School of Veterinary was running a clinical study examining the efficacy of TomoTherapy, a new radiation therapy treatment founded by then UW Professor Rock Mackie, she loaded Christie and her other dog into the car and drove the 90 miles to Madison. When Sarah arrived, she found out there was only one spot left in the study, and Christie was lucky enough to qualify for it. For the next two and half weeks, Christie would be transported each evening by veterinary staff to UW’s human hospital across campus, where she would undergo treatment using that facility’s TomoTherapy machine. Although Christie eventually passed away from her cancer, Orr is grateful that the trial added so much life to Christie’s remaining days.

On Call | Winter 2023–24

“I have no doubt in my mind that the study improved her quality of life those last few months,” Orr says. “I have this photo of her running around the yard a few days after the final treatment, happy and energetic as can be. The experience with that particular study made a huge impression on me that obviously continues to this day.” Sarah Orr’s dog, Christie, celebrating her 8th birthday Orr’s decision to enroll at home in 2010. Orr says Christie in the clinical trial the clinical trial she enrolled made its own impression on Christie in earlier that year allowed them to share many the future of cancer care, not more joyful moments together just in dogs but for humans while helping improve the future of cancer care for dogs as well. TomoTherapy is and humans alike. now an important treatment option for multiple types of cancers in animals and humans alike, especially metastatic cancers and tumors that may be hard to reach with other technologies. Since her experience in 2010, Orr has decided to advance oncology care and research at SVM through her generous philanthropic commitments, including an estate gift, annual donations during Pet Week, contributions in memory of other dogs she has since lost to cancer, as well as her most recent gift to the Speaker Match, a dollarfor-dollar matching gift program that will help fully equip the school’s expanded facilities, including the addition of PET/CT, a new technology being brought to the SVM. “I’m passionate about this cause because of what all my dogs have gone through, and it feels especially good to come full circle after the experience we had with Christie’s care back in 2010,” she says. “I know so many people who have lost their dogs to cancer, and it can be so devastating. I want to do whatever I can that might lead to better treatment for these diseases so that our dogs can be cured, survive longer, or have better quality of life for as long as they are with us.” Orr’s current dog, Annie, was diagnosed with thyroid cancer five years ago and had been undergoing bi-annual CT-Scans at UW until being released from oncology care in 2021. Annie is now 12 years old and her cancer is in remission.

COMPANION ANIMAL FUND CLINIC SPONSORS Years of clinic participation effective December 31, 2022 The UW School of Veterinary Medicine receives tremendous support from veterinary medical clinics that make a donation to the Companion Animal Fund when a client’s pet has passed away. These donations are kind and thoughtful gestures by a client’s veterinarian at times of great sadness and loss. The school is grateful for clinic sponsors who share in our efforts to ensure that all companion animals lead longer and healthier lives. Thank you to the following veterinary medical clinics for their generous participation in the Companion Animal Fund Clinic Sponsor Program.

None of our accomplishments would be possible without the generous support of friends of the school.

30-35 Years Dodgeville Veterinary Service Bark River Animal Hospital Family Pet Clinic Jefferson Veterinary Clinic Layton Animal Hospital Loyal Veterinary Service Muller Veterinary Hospital New Berlin Animal Hospital North Country Veterinary Clinic Oregon Veterinary Clinic Tecumseh Veterinary Hospital Wittenberg Veterinary Clinic Companion Animal

To share a gift for the School of Veterinary Medicine, or for more information on ways to give, please visit supportuw.org/giveto/ vetmed or contact Pat Bowdish (pat.bowdish@supportuw.org or 608-332-4750) or Heidi Kramer (heidi.kramer@supportuw.org or 608-327-1936).

20-29 Years All Paws Animal Hospital All Pets Veterinary Clinic Bark River Animal Hospital Family Pet Clinic Jefferson Veterinary Clinic Layton Animal Hospital Loyal Veterinary Service Muller Veterinary Hospital New Berlin Animal Hospital Oregon Veterinary Clinic Tecumseh Veterinary Hospital Wittenberg Veterinary Clinic Companion Animal North Country Veterinary Clinic

10-19 Years Creature Comforts Home Veterinary Care Delafield Small Animal Hospital Lake Country Veterinary Care Metro Animal Hospital Military Ridge Veterinary Service Northwoods Animal Hospital

Birch Bark Veterinary Care Dr. Noah’s Ark Veterinary Clinic High Cliff Veterinary Service Marshfield Veterinary Service Southwest Animal Hospital To view a list of all donors who made gifts or pledges of $100 or more between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022, visit www.vetmed.wisc.edu/giving/donor-honor-roll/

UNSPLASHED

1-9 Years

On Call

TONY GOLDBERG

Comparatively Speaking

New Insights into Deadly Fish Virus

On Call | Winter 2023–24

indicate its discovery in the Chehalis River in Margaritifera falcata, the western pearlshell mussel. “We stumbled upon the closest relative of the novirhabdovirus when studying freshwater mussels,” Goldberg says. “It’s so close to these fish viruses that it could almost be WENDELL HAAG

Mussels are a vital part of any freshwater ecosystem, playing a part in water filtration, food webs, and habitat stabilization. However, mussel populations have been declining. “Freshwater mussels are dying all over the world. We don’t know why,” says UW–Madison researcher Tony Goldberg, Ph.D., DVM, professor of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine and John D. MacArthur Research Chair. “Let’s look and see if it’s infectious disease.” This hunt led to a paper published three years ago, showcasing the first evidence of a possible infectious cause of mussel die-off. More recently, though, Goldberg and colleagues found another novel virus when researching mussels in Washington State, their research findings published in Journal of Virology earlier this month. Goldberg and colleagues, including Emilie Blevins of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, discovered a new rhabdovirus in Western Pearl Shell mussels. Although they suspect this virus is not responsible for mussel die-offs, the discovery sheds unexpected light on another group of viruses that infect fish. Viruses in the Rhabdoviridae family infect a variety of animals, plants, fish, and fungi, impacting animal populations and agriculture. The novirhabdoviruses, a distinct genus within the rhabdovirus family, all infect fish and have caused large fish kills around the world, including in Wisconsin. Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), which occurs in Wisconsin, is a deadly fish virus that caused large fish kills in 2005 and 2006 and continues to be a problem today. The virus, a part of the Novirhabdovirus genus, afflicts a variety of fish species, like walleye, muskies, and yellow perch, throughout the Great Lakes region. Novirhabdoviruses infect only fish and have, until now, existed alone with no close relatives, making these viruses difficult to study. However, Goldberg and colleagues discovered the first close relative of these viruses in mussels in Washington. They named the virus “chemarfal virus 1” to

Tony Goldberg, professor of pathobiological sciences in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, and Emilie Blevins, senior endangered species conservation biologist for the Xerces Society, gearing up for a freshwater mussel survey on the Crooked River in Oregon’s Smith Rock State Park.

BRYCE RICHTER

considered a member of the same genus, but the new virus has some big differences in the way its genome is organized.” With this new virus, Goldberg and colleagues can better understand how this particular branch of the rhabdovirus family tree evolved. “You usually need some sort of comparison, but there never has been one,” Goldberg said. “We now have a near neighbor virus that we can use for comparison to understand other viruses we want to prevent or treat.” They will also look at how mussels contracted the virus. One idea is from fish. “Baby mussels clamp on to the gills and fins of fish in order to disperse. “They are in direct contact with the bloodstream of a fish for several weeks,” Goldberg says. “It is not a bad way to transmit a virus.” — Britta Wellenstein

Goldberg collects blood samples from trout collected by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff members to test for emerging disease in the fish population.

SVM awarded $3.7 million to help prevent transmission of coronaviral infections between animals and humans The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has awarded the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) $3.7 million in cooperative agreements to develop vaccines designed to prevent or limit the impact of future disease outbreaks that can spread between animals and humans. These cooperative agreements, which are part of a larger $56 million initiative by the USDA, will support two separate but related projects at SVM aimed at understanding how SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for COVID-19) behaves in animals, how it moves between animals and people, and what can be done to interrupt the chain of transmission. The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to mutate, adapt, and spread among domestic, wild and captive animals, and then jump from these animals to infect and cause severe disease in humans, is a major concern among public health officials. The following two projects funded by these grants aim to interrupt these processes and help prevent and/or limit the impact of future pandemics: The first project, titled “Universal Mucosally Administered SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine for Animals,” is designed to identify effective interventions and other measures to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 at the human-animal interface and help mitigate potential impacts on the food supply. The research team, co-led by Marulasiddappa Suresh and Jorge Osorio, both professors in the SVM Department of Pathobiological Sciences, will seek to develop pan-coronaviral vaccines that can be used to protect domestic and wild

animals against several coronaviral infections, including covid-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), and middle eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS). Their team will also explore formulating vaccines that could be administered to a large number of animals via oral baits or nasal spray. “Our goal is to create vaccines that can break that transmission cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses at the animal-human interface, which, if we’re successful, would have significant implications for public health and ultimately play an important role in preventing future pandemics,” said Suresh. This second project, titled “Multivalent Vaccines Against SARS-CoV-2 in Mustelids” aims to expand knowledge of species susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and to better understand the potential roles or routes of transmission. One key feature of this project will be the development of mosaic vaccines that can protect against multiple variants as well as reduce both animalto-animal and animal-to-human transmissions. This project, co-led by Adel Talaat, professor of microbiology, and Peter Halfmann, research scientist, both in the SVM Department of Pathobiological Sciences, will also evaluate the performance of novel vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in ferrets. “By developing a protective COVID-19 vaccine for ferrets, a common pet in many households in the United States, we would not only be diminishing the chances of transmitting the virus to minks and other wildlife animals in our environment, but it would go a long way toward protecting human health as well,” said Talaat.

On Call

DVM Badger Den Unleashing Art and Healing TODD BROWN

Through the twists and turns of her life, a constant for Jennifer Kay DVM’05 has been her unwavering passions for animals, art and storytelling. While completing her DVM degree at the School of Veterinary Medicine, Kay (then Rodriguez) identified room for improvement in the imagery used to teach Jennifer Kay DVM’05 veterinary medicine. “As a visual learner, I had a hard time envisioning a circle drawn on the chalkboard as a cow’s stomach,” Kay says. To fill her need for higher-quality visuals, Kay began drawing diagrams in her notes and using them to study. In her fourth year, Kay’s illustrations reached a new audience, and she used drawings to help clients at UW Veterinary Care understand their pet’s condition or treatment options. In one case, Kay drew a heart diagram to describe to a client the surgery their puppy would need to fix a heart defect. “The second I drew the heart, the tension in the room plummeted,” Kay recalls. “I transitioned from thinking I wanted to do drawings for students to realizing there is a real need for educational materials for clients, too.” Throughout the remainder of her clinical year, Kay illustrated for many of the cases she was on, and other doctors started pulling her in to visualize concepts and procedures for their clients, too. One day while on a clinical rotation, Robert Hardie looked over her shoulder and saw Kay’s illustrations in her notebook. Hardie, currently a clinical professor of small animal surgery, recognized her potential and encouraged Kay to pursue medical illustration as a career. With the support of Hardie and William Gengler (the associate dean for clinical affairs at the time), Kay got approval to pursue an externship in medical illustration. Kay had a leg up on her peers when applying to graduate school for medical and scientific illustration. Having a medical background made her a highly qualified candidate, and she enrolled as one of a small cohort at the University of California-Santa Cruz shortly after completing her DVM degree. After art school, Kay’s medical and science illustration work spanned from diagrams for research papers on whooping crane surgical techniques to animal drawings for the National

On Call | Winter 2023–24

Kay’s medical and science illustration work has spanned from diagrams for research papers to surgical techniques to animal drawings and illustrations for coloring books.

Wildlife Health Center to coloring book illustrations for the Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association. “The visual arts can convey complex ideas accurately and efficiently,” Kay says. “Scientists and doctors don’t always know how to translate what they’re doing to the general public or business investors, and I loved being that bridge.” When the 2008 recession hit, her scientific and medical illustration commissions dried up. Leaning on support from family and friends, Kay stepped away from art and, as she describes, “a whole other version” of her life started. She was married and moved to the Twin Cities, where she resides today. In a burst of creativity while pregnant with her son several years later, Kay created her first scratchboard pet portrait – created by etching into a wooden board covered in clay and a layer of black ink, revealing the white clay below. The portrait was a housewarming gift for her friend, featuring his husky/German shepherd mix, Kilo. On a whim, she entered the piece into the annual art exhibition at the 2016 Minnesota State Fair – it was accepted from a pool of over two thousand applicants. What started as a small endeavor for family and friends has since grown into a stable business. Now, Kay is typically booked out months in advance for her pet portraits. And, though not a practicing clinician, Kay continues to use many of the skills she learned at the School of Veterinary Medicine in her business today.

A Message to DVM Alumni

JENNIFER KAY (2)

“I can’t tell you how often I think about what muscles and tendons are underneath the skin as I’m creating a portrait,” Kay says. “The animal’s bone structure and anatomy dictate what we see on the surface.” This knowledge, Kay explains, is what brings accuracy and authenticity to her animal portraiture. Kay excelled at interacting with clients in vet school, winning the Eberhard Rosin General Surgery Award in her fourth year, an honor recognizing her strong technical and interpersonal skills. Because around half of the portraits Kay creates are of animals that have passed away, she regularly uses the social skills she developed at the SVM in her art business. “The tools that I gained in working with people’s emotions in the exam room are the same ones that come up when consulting with a client about their portrait,” Kay says. Listening to client stories is a vital part of Kay’s process – allowing her to add character and emotion to the scratchboard piece. “I put the stories the client tells me into the portrait as I create it,” Kay explains. “And possibly the most satisfying thing is when somebody sees their portrait and they tell me I got their pet exactly right.” — Maddie Arthur

Dear alumni — Good things come to those who wait. In late 2016 I shared in my column to you that the school was launching its campaign to build a significant expansion to the school. And as I write this column seven years later, we are preparing to open the first two floors of the north building addition in the next few months and complete all work and renovations by spring 2025. We couldn’t have reached these exciting milestones without the support of you and other friends as well as the investment from the state. I am grateful for your gifts and advocacy that made this vision a reality. Our need for expanded and modern space is just as critical as it was when we launched the campaign, if not more. The demand for veterinarians continues to grow – whether that be for care for companion animals, food animals, equine, or special species or in careers in industry, public health, or academic fields. As evidenced by the school’s growing research portfolio, we are at the forefront of investigating critical challenges facing both animal and human health. To follow along with our progress, you can visit www.animalsneedheroestoo.com for construction camera footage, progress photos, and floor plans of the new spaces. But this expansion and renovation project isn’t about the bricks and mortar – it is about what those spaces will allow us to do to deliver the very best education to our students and trainees, to provide exceptional care to our patients, and to make break-through discoveries. This has been our commitment since the school first opened its doors in 1983 and remains our promise today. Good things may come to those who wait, but some things never change. Kristi V. Thorson Associate Dean for Advancement and Administration

Join or Renew your 2023-24 SVMAA membership today

Kay creates pet portraits in the fine art medium of Scratchboard, a form of engraving in which the artists “scratches” off dark ink to reveal a white or colored layer underneath. The technique results in a highly detailed, precise, and evenly textured image.

On Call

Patient Profile Rufus has always been your typically rambunctious and lovable Labrador, greeting everybody he meets with an enthusiastic grin and a bunch of sloppy kisses. Even after his owners Debra Fritz and Tim Leist started noticing some painful looking growths on his paws, they say Rufus’ exuberance for life hardly ever wavered. “He never really let the cysts on his paws stop him from doing anything, but it became increasingly obvious that they were bothering him because he was licking and gnawing at them more frequently,” Fritz recalls. “Eventually the cysts between his paws grew so large and weepy that we knew we had to do something about it.” Fritz and Leist took Rufus to multiple veterinarians near their home in Appleton, WI, where he was eventually diagnosed with interdigital cysts (image 1), a painful condition in which the hairs between a dog’s toes become ingrown and cause chronic and deep bacterial infections that are difficult to treat. Rufus was eventually referred to UW Veterinary Care in Madison, where he was seen by the dermatologist Neoklis Apostolopoulos. After the initial visit, Apostolopoulos suggested to Rufus’ owners that he have his condition treated using CO2 laser surgery—a procedure that allows doctors to remove more of the affected tissue and is significantly less painful post-operatively than conventional surgery. In most cases, the patient can walk immediately after the operation. “When we first saw Rufus his paws were in pretty bad shape, and we knew almost immediately that laser surgery was going to be the best option for him,” said Apostolopoulos. “We were able to get him in for the procedure in February and we successfully removed his cysts using our CO2 laser.” Apostolopoulos says a lot of people still don’t know about this treatment, but that there are many more dogs in the regions suffering from this condition

On Call | Winter 2023–24

DEBRA FRITZ (3)

Rufus Gets his Groove Back

Rufus with his owners, Tim Leist and Debra Fritz Inset Image: Interdigital cyst on Rufus’ paw prior to surgery

and for whom CO2 surgical management should be considered. Since his procedure in February, Rufus has recovered nicely and has been charming his entire care team with his lovable personality and gentle nature at each of his subsequent follow-up appointments. It’s fair to say that Rufus is equally smitten with them. “It’s so obvious to us that Rufus loves coming here because he can’t wait to get in the door and then doesn’t ever seem like he wants to leave,” Fritz says. “Although we were afraid to do the surgery at first, Dr. Apostolopoulos explained the procedure to us in detail and relieved our anxiety. The day after his surgery, Rufus was able to walk even better than before! Everybody at UW Veterinary Care has been so kind and wonderful, from the moment we walked in that first day to every interaction and visit since. We couldn’t be more appreciative of the care he’s received here.” Gian Galassi

Rufus, shortly after laser surgery to remove interdigital cysts

U-RAH-RAH,

Althea Dotzour /UW-Madison

DOCTORS!

Welcome to the most amazing profession. The School of Veterinary Medicine’s faculty, staff, and alumni are truly impressed by your dedication, integrity and tenacity as you worked toward your dream of earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Congratulations, Class of 2023 — we are so proud of you! Brian Anton Tessa Arendt Amelia Barron Paris Bassett Tanner Baustian Carli Boston-Denton Rachel Bradshaw Savannah Brauer Carianne Brei Oleg Broytman Cearra Burt Jenna Butler Patrick Carroll Nicole Chervenka Rey Chi Alexander Chu Ellianna Cory Alexander Danner Charlene Dykstra Morgan Falk Jacob Fischer Rachel Fuller Erin Furmaga Dane Gallagher Jordan Genovese

Michelle Gotteiner Danielle Heider Marlee Henige Kelsea Hill Elizabeth Hinz Alexa Hodkiewicz Charlene Holte Kara Hutter Maggie Jensen Maya Jonas Kevin Kasza Colleen Kennedy Alexander Kindness Sidney Klepitsch Emma Kobitter Sophia Koehler Katherine Kudrna Christina Lee Shay Lierman Haley Lin Claiborn Lins Zhishan Liu Gregory Lubinski Allison Ludwig Brittany Mankowski

Alexander Mantey Erin Massey Hannah McAnulty Anne Meacham Nicolette Meaux Ashley Mercier Abigail Michels Rachel Mikolas Brittney Moore Rachel Neuses Tatiana Noel Gretchen Paderta Katherine Palmer Anne Pankowski Alexis Payette Macie Peters Mitchel Pronga Johna Radke Samuel Rentmeester Elizabeth Ries Taylor Riley Leslie Rivers Blake Root Mary Rowe Rebecca Rudisell

Hannah Ruetten Gabriel Salerno Hannah Scharenbroch Ethan Scharmer Natalie Schmidt Marissa Schmitz Betsy Schreier Chad Sheehan Andrew Smith Amanda Spencer Joseph Thurston Caroline Titel Alexis Toh Zachary Tooley Christina Tsai Alexis Urrea Kendal Valentine Brad Wahlgren Wade Weber Elisabeth Whritenour Yinyu Yuan Brooke Zader Jordyn Zoul

2015 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706-1102

A HOLIDAY CARD

that helps advance animal health

The holiday season is near and the UW School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) has a unique gift for the animal lovers on your list – one that truly helps those special animal companions in our lives. The SVM is offering 10 designs this year and bringing back many of your favorites from the past 10 years. We are so excited to offer you this opportunity and for us to be able to showcase not one, but ten original pieces of artwork created by Wisconsin artists! For a suggested $10 donation per card, the SVM will send a holiday card to the recipient of your choice – a thoughtful gift for family, friends, neighbors, veterinarians, or even pets. These heart-warming, full-color cards will include a greeting stating that a donation was made to the SVM in the recipient’s name and that proceeds will support projects that advance animal health. There are also opportunities to purchase packs of 10 cards for $35.00 with “Happy Holidays” on the inside. They will be sent to you to send out as you please.

You can purchase cards online or download an order form at www.vetmed.wisc.edu/holidaycard. Questions? Contact Marsha Callahan at 608-262-5534 or marsha.callahan@wisc.edu.